Residence of Somjit Dasgupta Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
Tags
Vishmadev Chattopadhyay, Bhismadev, Anath Nath Bose, Duel voice singer, Radhika Mohan Maitra, Mushtaq Ali Khan, Gariahat, Begum Akhtar, Sachin Deb Burman, Rabindra Mohan Maitra, Keramatullah Khan, Mushtaq Ali Khan, 1950’s,
Residence of Somjit Dasgupta Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
Tags
1960-61, Radhika Mohan Maitra, Dr. S.R. Chandra, Kramatullah Khan, 1962, Chhaya Bihag, National Programme, Nabadeepa, Durgalal Sharma, Mohanlal Sharma
Residence of Somjit Dasgupta Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
Sometimes, when he taught the techniques of playing sitar, he would play and teach.
-When was this?
This was in the early ‘50s. Nikhil Banerjee, Arun Chatterjee, Sunil Mukherjee, and Rajanikant Chaturvedi – these four were his disciples at the time. At this time, while he was playing the sitar, it might suddenly occur to him…someone had given a surbahar, it was in their room. So, he would show how to play that as well. He played the surshringar. At that time he might think…when he would train someone for the surshringar, he would teach all three types to Nrisinha babu. In the middle of that, he might think, how would it be if there was an instrument somewhere in the middle of these two. He had a sur rabab. But he never played it. He took the one Nrisinha babu had and played on it. That instrument is now with me. So, then he thought, what would it be like to make a new instrument? So he made something that was like the surbahar, but the body was made of calabash and wood. But the wooden body was cut like a calabash. Then it was covered with hide. The bridge was shorter than that of a surshringar, almost like that of a sarod. He said, “I have made an instrument after my own heart and taken the set of a surbahar, so I shall name it ‘Dilbahar’. He gave it for the first time to ArunChatterjee to play. He played it from the radio station in Patna.
Nabadeepa
Arunbabu passed away when he was quite young. He gave one to Rabi Sen and one is with me. This instrument, with its name, was created in 1956. It had been made a year before that, but it has been played, or was prepared to be played from ’56. No other recording of this instrument being played exists. When Arunbabu passed away, the instrument returned to Radhubabu. He gave it to Rabi Sen, but Rabi Sen never recorded for the radio. He made another instrument after this one. That instrument was called ‘Nabadeepa’.
Residence of Somjit Dasgupta Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
Tags
Rathin Chattopadhyay, Ata Hussein Khan, 1950, LIC, Thakur Jaidev Singh, Raja Chhatrapati Singh, Chhaya Bihag, Radhika Mohan Maitra, Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, Paresh Bhattacharjee.
Residence of Somjit Dasgupta Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
Tags
1940, Brojendra Mohan Maitra, court musician, Md. Amir Khan, Ustd. Enayet Khan, Rajshahi, 15 Sagruddin Lane, Kalabagan, Badal Khan, Birendra Kishore Roy Chaudhury, Park Circus, Raja Bazar, Dhruvatara Joshi, Fayyaz Khan, Garg, Mahishadal Rajbari,
Residence of Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
This is a most hilarious story once told by Sri Brajendra Mohan Moitra, father of Pandit Radhika Mohan Moitra, who was fondly known as ‘Buro Dadu’ or ‘Bhuro Dadu’ for his remarkable tummy. It was a lovely memory shared by a father about his legendary son.
Brajendra Mohan Moitra, Zaminder of Rajshahi estate was a person with strict principles. It was that era when smoking hookah, bidi in tender age was not a very big taboo. But Brajendra Mohan had set strict discipline for his children that made impossible for Radhu Babu to get any bidi or cigarette during his high school days. So he met the tobacco supplier of their estate and ordered him to make a special type of bidi for the students which would be very short in length so that the students could easily enjoy a whole bidi in two to three puffs between the class periods. The tobacco supplier became very confuse and afraid as he could not ignore the order of the elder son of a Zaminder. He asked Radhu Babu what would be the name of that special bidi. Radhika Mohan suggested as the bidi was particularly made for students then it should be named as‘Student quality bidi’. Thus the bidi came into existence and within a few days it became hugely popular among the High school students throughout Rajshahi.
One day Radhu babu was caught red handed by his Head master Gostho babu while smoking in a leisure mood sitting on a branch of a tree. He became enraged after finding his student in that state and ordered him to get down from the tree. Being a very mischievous in nature, Radhu babu told his Head master that he would prefer to get down after smoking as it was inevitable that he would be beaten at any circumstances. In a furious state Gosthobabu went to Brajendra Mohan Moitra to complain against Radhu babu. Hearing about Radhubabu’s deed, Brajendra Mohan Moitra got fumed and called Radhika Mohan for interrogation but as usual he was not found anywhere in the house. Meanwhile Bhagawan babu who used to know his whereabouts, brought him from the bank of the river by pulling his ear and present him in front of his father and head master. But it was Radhu babu’s luck that his Grandmother came in between three angry persons, scold them for their mistreatment towards a young lad and rescue him.
Paraphrased by: Dr. Suranjita Paul
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, RabindraBharati University
Residence of Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
Tags
Jnanendra Prakash Goswami, Paresh Chandra Bhattacharjee, Fayyaz Khan, Megaphone, Programme Director, 1932-38, Asit Baran, Clerk cum Tabaljee, Abhoy Pada Mallick,
Residence of Somjit Dasgupta Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
Tags
Jnanendra Prasad Goswami, 1934-38, Radhika Mohan Maitra, Suresh Chakraborty, Bhismadev, Vishmadev Chatterjee, Amiya Nath Sanyal, Deba Prasad Garg, Vishnupur, Mallick Bazar Telephone Exchange, Atta Hussein Khan, Fayyaz Khan, Rathin Chattopadhyay,
Kazi Nazrul Islam or that period which is 1935, 1936, 1940 that time. The work period of Jnanendra Prasad Goswami was before the year 1938. Means 1934 -1938 around that time. Also stating the reason that is around 1938 he had developed a feeling that he is not doing good music anymore. And if he wants to improve his music then he has to do it with God. In the manner, just joining hands in front of the people wearing shawl and silk Punjabi is not enough and nothing is happening in his life. This he said to Radha babu and Suresh babu, Suresh Chakraborty, both of them …..
Radha babu means here Radhika Mohan Moitra?
Radhika Mohan Moitra and Suresh Chakraborty ……
Which Suresh Chakraborty is this?
Suresh Chakraborty about whom I am saying, he is not the musicologist Suresh Chakraborty. He was the disciple of Viswadeb Chattopadhyay and Amionath Sanyal , Suresh Chakraborty. He went to these two people at Debiprasad Garg’s house , he did not enter the house – “ See, I don’t like to enter such houses and do music” and he started crying. He said , “ When did I sing in my life? I could not do music”.
After that in 1938 he said, “ I will not return to Kolkata anymore. I am moving to Bishnupur, I will stay there.” And everyone in that temple were members of the royal family of Bishnupur. He said,
“ I will stay there and sing to Radha Madhav .” He did not return anymore.
Where was the house of Debiprasad Garg?
The house of Debiprasad Garg was at the behest of Mallick bazaar. Now, it is the telephone exchange. Ata Hussain Kha was of same age at that time. And Faiyaaz Khan used to stay. Ata Hussain Khan and Radha babu then developed themselves as artists by taking training. At that time Rathin Chattopadhyay were good friends with Ata Hussain and Radha babu. They used to stay there at that time. He used to call Rathin babu his ‘son’ and he used to also call Ataa Hussain ‘son’ .
Who?
Ustad faiyaz Khan
Faiyaaz Khan sahab. His recording, helping voice everything were Rathin Chattopadhyay and Ata Hussain, both. And for tabla he would always say that Aye Bhattacharya played a lot with his name Jnanbabu, Nimai Bhattacharya’s father… so when this was said it was the year 1938. Then he had left and used tocome to Kolkata only once a year, where Bishnupur kings had a monument in Bagbazar, he used to sing in that house. In Gokul Chandra Mitra’s house. He used to sing in that place only on the day of Saraswati Puja and never came to Kolkata for the rest of the year. He died in 1945. And from 1938 – 1944, he used to come to Kolkata once a year during Saraswati Puja. Jnan babu was the director of Gramophone Company during that time.
Residence of Somjit Dasgupta Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
Tags
Surshringar, Vishnupur gharana, Nrishinha Prasad Mukhopadhyay, Pramathanath Bandyopadhyay, Veen, Surabab, Bhowanipur, Wajed Ali Shah, Kashim Ali Khan, 1924, Bhimpalashree, Madh Jor, Nasiruddin Khan.
Pandit Radhika Mohan Moitra’s three unique Surshringars and their cultivation was itself a story of that era. His first surshringar was the common one with broad plate and big gourd which he usually played with Ustad Ali Akbar khan. And the other two were designed by him by intermixing different rare instruments. That was supposed to be happened when he came across stalwart instrumentalists of that century specially the musicians of Vishnupur Gharana.
Radhika Mohan Moitra had close association with many noteworthy musicians. Therefore, many students of those noted musicians had come to Radhu Babu for Taalim. Among them, one promising student was Nrisingha Prosad Mukhopadhyay, Son-in-law of great instrumentalist of Vishnupur Gharana, Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay. Nrisingha Prosad used to play Surshringar and Sur-rabab; While Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay was expertise in instruments like Veena, Surbahar, Sitar, Surshringar and was also an efficient Dhrupad singer. He was very down-to-earth musician who always engrossed in music.
He used to live near the bank of river Ganges, not far away from the maternal house of Radhu Babu in Chakraberiya. Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay had taken rigorous taalim from several musicians like Kashim Ali Khan, Court musician of wajid ali shah and also from eminent Hindu instrument players.
Nabab Wajed Ali Shah
One incident relating Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay is worth mentioning here, though it was not happened in Kolkata. It was a historical event in the history of Indian music. In 1924, Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay got invitation in Ahmadabad Music Conference. Before his performance there, all the musicians attended the Conference came to an inference that Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay would perform any composition from Jatra which was much vogue in Bengal at that time. But with great astonishment, Pramatha Nath took five long hours rendering Alap and Madh Jod in Bhimpalashi and after that he modestly announce if the listeners were interested to listen further, he would definitely play the next following day. Stalwart musicians of different Gharanas like Nasiruddin Khan Dagar, Tansen Pande were amazed and sway away with the performance. After that mind blowing performance, several students started coming from outside Bengal especially from Pune to take lessons from Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay was fascinated with the knowledge and playing techniques of Radhika Mohan Moitra. So he handed over his favourite disciple and Son-in-law Nrisingha Prosad Mukhopadhyay to Radhu Babu for taalim. He was then 96 years old. Radhu Babu was a devoted listener of Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay from his early life. Therefore, he took the responsibility very seriously to train Nrisingha Prosad after the death of Pramatha Nath Bandyapadhyay. Radhu Babu was very meticulous on his teaching process. He himself started practicing all three types of Surshringar, so that Nrisingha Prosad Mukhopadhyay would receive the best taalim. Samarendra Nath Shikdar had recorded many compositions of Nrisingha Prosad Mukhopadhyay in all India Radio but all of them were in wire tape recording, so none of them can be restored in present days.
Residence of Somjit Dasgupta Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
About Somjit Dasgupta
Disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. Preserving rare musical instruments including the instruments belonged to Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. He plays different instruments like Sarod, Surshringar, Mohan Veena, etc.
