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Meet Sandhya Mukherjee, the 90-year-old Bengali music legend who turned down Padma Shri

Sandhya Mukherjee's songs played a key role in Bangladesh's liberation war as they motivated the soldiers and also mobilised the masses by creating a patriotic fervour.

Singing legend Sandhya Mukherjee (Photo: Facbeook @Sandhya Mukhopadhyay)Singing legend Sandhya Mukherjee (Photo: Facbeook @Sandhya Mukhopadhyay)

Sandhya Mukerjee passed away on Tuesday February 15

In January 1972, when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, fondly called ‘Bangabandhu’, returned from prison to a newly independent nation, he was greeted by the song “Bangabandhu phire elo tomar, swopner swadhin Banglai…(Bangabandhu has returned to his dream – an independent nation of Bengal)” on Swadhin Bangla Betar (Free Bengal Radio).

Written by Abidur Rahaman and composed by Sudhin Dasgupta, one of the most prolific composers from West Bengal, the gentle yet powerful song was made all the more memorable by the effervescent voice of Sandhya Mukherjee.

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The song was a tranquil and emotional reminder of the suffering and sacrifices of a large number of people, just like many others Mukherjee sang as radio music played a significant role during Bangladesh’s liberation war. Her songs not only motivated Mukti Bahini (the liberation army) soldiers but also played a crucial role in mobilising the common man by creating a patriotic fervour in people’s hearts and minds.

Years later, Mukherjee is in the news again. On the eve of India’s Republic Day this year, Mukherjee, now 90, was conferred with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour in the country, for her contribution to music. She, though, has refused to accept the honour, calling it “insulting and demeaning”. She said it was too late in the day to give her a Padma Shri and that a junior artiste would be more deserving.

Festive offer

Mukherjee was born and brought up in Kolkata and learned music from A T Kannan and Chinmoy Lahiri before training under Patiala gharana legend Ut Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. She began her musical career in film music in Mumbai with the Madhubala-Dilip Kumar starrer Taraana (1951) under composer Anil Biswas. She sang a duet ‘Bol papiha bol’ with Lata Mangeshkar in the film.

Mukherjee went on to sing for around 17 Hindi films before returning to Kolkata and settling there as an eminent playback singer in Bengali cinema. Her most significant duets were with Bengali singer Hemanta Kumar, especially when she did the playback for actor Suchitra Sen.

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In Kolkata, she was actively involved in creating awareness about the issues of the people of erstwhile East Pakistan. She helped musician Samar Das in setting up the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, the radio broadcasting centre of Bengali nationalist forces that played a crucial role in relaying Bangabandhu’s message to the people.

Mukherjee joined other Indian Bengali artistes in raising money for millions of refugees who had come from then East Pakistan to West Bengal. After the formation of Bangladesh, she was among the first foreign artists to visit the newly independent country for a concert. Her 1971 performance at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka to celebrate the State Language Day – a homage to Bengali, is still remembered.

She won a national award in 1971 for her songs in the 1970 Bengali drama Nishi Padma and the Banga Bibhushan Samman, an honour instituted by the West Bengal government, in 2011.

First uploaded on: 27-01-2022 at 16:25 IST
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