Krishnakali ami tarei boli suchitra mitra biography
S U C H I T R A M I T R A | S E P T E M B E R 1 9 , 1 9 2 4 &#; JA N UA RY 3 , 2 0 1 1 )
THE LAST NOTE
Suchitra Mitra was not only one of the last living Rabindrasangeet legends,
but also a teacher to countless others
Everything about her was out of the ordinary. She was born prematurely on a running train. She became an exponent of Rabindrasangeet almost without any formal training. Suchitra Mitra was truly extraordinary in every sense of the word. From music to theatre, films and even politics, she dabbled in many things&#;and excelled in most. And she always described her life as &#;well and fully lived&#;. Suchitra was born on September 19, , on a train at Gujhandi near Dehri, as the family was returning to Kolkata after a vacation. All that her helpless father could do was write a note and drop it on the platform from the train, hoping it would be spotted and help would arrive at the next station. That actually happened. The premature baby had to be kept with utmost care and her parents believed she was a little &#;short&#; in the head because she was born before time. Suchitra was the fourth of five siblings. Her father Sourindramohan Mukhopadhyay was a lawyer but writing was his passion. He was so engrossed in it at home that he didn&#;t notice that his daughter had turned 10 and should be admitted to school. She should have been in Class V, but as she didn&#;t know how to do fractions, she was placed in Class IV in Bethune Collegiate School.
It was not till she was 17 that Suchitra got any formal training in music. That doesn&#;t mean that she was not introduced to music at all. She was, in fact, addicted to it. Right since she was a toddler, her mornings would begin with her mother singing Rabindrasangeet, the tunes of which she picked up. Even as a child, she was a great fan of Pankaj Mullick and would devour his songs, Rabindrasangeet or otherwise. Every Sunday morning, she would tune into All India Radio&#;s &#;Sangeet Shik
Rabindrasangeet loses one of its greatest icons
If unique described Suchitra Mitra best, so did was born a premature baby on a running train, became an exponent of Rabindrasangeet without formal training till the age of 17, and took lessons in leather technology, batik and pottery at Santiniketan, where she was a music scholar. Her principle was simple — she loved her work. And the world loved her.
That was evident on Monday in the sea of tearful people gathered near her home, Swastik, on Gariahat Road, where she had been living for nearly 30 years. Despite the fact that Suchitra Mitra had not performed in public for several years due to failing health, she hadn't faded away.
Her indomitable spirit didn't desert her even in her final moments. Attendants said she was sitting at the dining table and had even gulped a spoonful when they heard a gasp. That was the how the end came, a little after 1pm, short and sudden. Son Kunal, who lives in the US, was informed and her adopted daughter, Sudeshna Chatterjee, was called in.
Suchitra Mitra would always describe her life as "extremely well lived". She preferred to live alone, and had just one regret — that she could never come face to face with Tagore. As fate would have it, she joined Visva Bharati on student scholarship exactly 20 days after Tagore passed away, a fact she grieved all her life. But it was perhaps this loss on which she built the foundation of her music, her longing
Similar Tracks
About This Artist
Suchitra Mitra
1, listeners
Related Tags
Suchitra Mitra (September 19, – January 3, ) was an Indian singer and composer, and a well respected exponent of Rabindra Sangeet or the songs of Bengal's poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore. As an academic she remained a Professor and the Head of 'Rabindra Sangeet Department' at the Rabindra Bharati University for many years. She has also done playback singing and acted in a Bengali films as well, and for many years remained associated with IPTA. She studied at the Scottish Church College, the University of Calcutta and at Visva-Bharati University in West Beng… read more
Suchitra Mitra (September 19, – January 3, ) was an Indian singer and composer, and a well respected exponent of Rabindra Sangeet or the songs of Bengal's poet laureate Rabind… read more
Suchitra Mitra (September 19, – January 3, ) was an Indian singer and composer, and a well respected exponent of Rabindra Sangeet or the songs of Bengal's poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore. As an academic she remained a P… read more
View full artist profile
Similar Artists
View all similar artists
.