Vidyapati Thakur (1352? - 1448?), also known by the sobriquet Maithil Kavi Kokil (the poet cuckoo of Maithili) was a Maithili poet and a Sanskrit writer. He was born in the village of Bishphi in Madhubani district of Bihar state, India. He was son of Ganapati. The name Vidyapati is derived from two Sanskrit words, Vidya (knowledge) and Pati (master), connoting thereby, a man of knowledge.

Vidyapati's poetry was widely influential in centuries to come, in the Hindustani as well as Bengali and other Eastern literary traditions. Indeed, the language at the time of Vidyapati, the prakrit-derived late abahatta, had just began to transition into early versions of the Eastern languages, Bengali, Oriya, Maithili, etc. Thus, Vidyapati's influence on making these languages has been described as "analogous to that of Dante in Italy and Chaucer in England."

Vidyapati, Maithili poet

Vidyapati is as much known for his love-lyrics as for his poetry dedicated to Lord Shiva. His language is closest to Maithili, the language spoken around Mithila (a region in the north Bihar), closely related to the abahattha form of early Bengali.

The love songs of Vidyapati, which describe the sensuous love story of Radha and Krishna, follow a long line of Vaishnav love poetry, popular in Eastern India, and include much celebrated poetry such as Jayadeva's Gita Govinda of the 12th century. This tradition which uses the language of physical love to describe spiritual love, was a reflection of a key turn in Hinduism, initiated by Ramanuja in the 11th century which advocated an individual self realization through direct love. Similar to the reformation in Christianity, this movement empowered the common man to realize God directly, without the intervention of learned priests. Part of the transformation was also a shift to local languages as opposed to the formal Sanskrit of the religious texts.

The songs he wrote a prayers to Lord Shiva are still sung in Mithila and form a rich tradition of sweet and lovely folk songs.

Folklore says that he was such a great devotee of Lord Shiva that the lord was really pleased with him. And once He decided to come to live in his house as a servant. As the servant He is said to have taken the name Ugna. At several places in the region, Lord Shiva is still worshipped by this name. It is said that the lord in form of servant had imposed a condition on Vidyapati that he could not disclose his identity to anyone else or else he would go away. When Vidyapati's wife was angry at her servant and started to beat him Vidyapati could not tolerate the same and asked her wife not to beat Lord Shiva himself and since then the lord disappeared and never was he seen again.

Love songs

All My Inhibition

All my inhibition left me in a flash, When he robbed me of my clothes, But his body became my new dress. Like a bee hovering on a lotus leaf He was there in my night, on me!

More examples

Other works

Vidyapati, mainly known for his love songs and prayers for Lord Shiva, also wrote on other topics including ethics, history, geography, and law. His works include: deals with moral teachings.Recently Publications Division of Government of India has brought out the Hindi Translation of Purusha Pariksha by Akhilesh Jha. There are 25 stories in the book selected from 44 stories in the original work. Besides, there are scholarly introductions to both Vidyapati and Purusha Pariksha in the book.

Likhanabali is about writing

Bhu-Parikrama, literal meaning, around the world, is about local geography

is autobiographical in nature is about charity

Vidyapati and Bengali literature

The influence of the lyrics of Vidyapati on the love of Radha and Krishna on the Bengali poets of the medieval period was so overwhelming that they largely imitated it. As a result, an artificial literary language, known as Brajabuli was developed in the sixteenth century. Brajabuli is basically Maithili (as prevalent during the medieval period) but its forms are modified to look like Bengali.. The medieval Bengali poets, Gobindadas Kabiraj, Jnandas, Balaramdas and Narottamdas composed their padas (poems) in this language. Rabindranath Tagore also composed his Bhanusingha Thakurer Padabali (1884) in this language (he initially promoted these lyrics as those of a newly discovered poet, Bhanusingha). Other 19th century figures in the Bengal Renaissance like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee have also written in the Brajabuli.

Vidyapati and Oriya literature

Vidyapati's influence reached Orissa through Bengal. The earliest composition in Brajabuli is ascribed to Ramananda Raya, the governor of Godavari province of the King of Orissa Gajapati Prataprudra Dev. He was a disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He recited his Brajabuli poems to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when he first met him on the bank of river Godavari at Rajahmundry, southern provincial capital of Kingdom of Orissa in 1511-12. Other notable Oriya poets influenced by Vidyapati's poems were Champati Ray and king Pratap Malla Dev (1504–32).

Notes

External links

27 poems transl. Deben Bhattacharya, from Love Songs of Vidyapati, (UNESCO) 1963

Vidyapati Padmavati

Maharsi Sri Aurobindo on Vidyapati by Binod Bihari Verma

Category:1350s births Category:1440s deaths Category:Hindu poets Category:Bengali people Category:People from Bihar Category:Culture of Mithila Category:Writers of Mithila Category:Maithili poets

Name	Pahari Sanyal
Birthname	Nagendranath Sanyal
Birth date	February 22, 1906
Birth place	Darjeeling, Bengal Province, British India
Death place	Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Death date	February 10, 1974
Occupation	Actor
Spouse	Meera Devi
Yearsactive	1933 - 1974 (till death)

Pahari Sanyal, () (22 February 1906–10 February 1974) born Nagendranath Sanyal, was a stalwart Bengali character actor whose status was as towering as that of others such as Chhabi Biswas and Kamal Mitra.

Sanyal acted in many famous Bengali films Like "Harano Sur", "Bhanu Goyenda Jahar Assistant", "Shilpi" etc. Besides being an adept character actor, Sanyal gave a superlative performance in his portrayal of iconoclastic Bengali reformer Vidyasagar. He played a small but meaty role of an ornithologist in Ray's timeless classic Kanchenjungha. He was seen in some of the acclaimed Hindi films such as Raj Kapoor starrer Jagte Raho and English films such as Merchant-Ivory venture, The Householder.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable" border="1" width="70%" |- style="background:#cccccc; text-align:center;" ! Year !! Film !! Role |- | 1956 || Jagte Raho || Shashan, Meenu's husband |- | 1957 || Harano Sur || Rama's father |- | 1962 || Kanchenjungha || Jagadish |}

External links

Category:1906 births Category:1974 deaths Category:Bengali actors Category:University of Calcutta alumni

Kanan Devi (1916 - 17 July 1992) was among the early singing stars of Indian cinema, and is credited popularly as the first star of Bengali Cinema. Her singing style, usually in rapid tempo, was used instrumentally in some of the biggest hits of New Theatres, Calcutta.

Biography

Kanan Devi was born as Kanan Dassi in Howrah, West Bengal in or around 1916. In her autobiography, Kanan Devi has observed that she was born illegitimately. She belonged to a poor family and after the death of her adoptive father, she and her mother were left to earn and live on their own and had to do all sorts of work to drag on their lives.

Her name was soon changed to Kanan Bala. When she was only ten, a well wisher introduced her to Jyoti Studios where she was cast in a small role in Joydev (1926). She later worked with Radha Films, in films mainly by Jyotish Banerjee. After being noticed in Khooni Kaun and Maa (1934), she entered New Theatres, Calcutta. She came in contact of maestro Raichand Boral who coached her and familiarized her in the Hindi accent. She received her initial musical training under Ustad Alla Rakha. She was employed as a singer at the Megaphone Gramaphone Company, receiving further training under Bhishmadev Chatterjee. She later learnt Rabindra Sangeet under Anadi Dastidar. Her name was soon again changed to Kanan Devi for the purpose of films.

New Theatres's P.C. Barua wanted her to play the lead in his Devdas (1935), but, due to some reasons she could not act in the film. She later played the lead in Barua's Mukti (1937), which was perhaps her finest performance, making her the studio's top star. The films of New Theatres established her as a superhit singer. It was her association with K. C. Dey that people enjoyed the most. Kanan Devi remained the top star of New Theatres until she resigned her contract in 1941 and began to freelance in Bengali and Hindi films. M.P. Productions's Jawaab, was perhaps her biggest hit. Her song Yeh Duniya Hai Toofan Mail was well received. She repeated the same feast in Hospital (1943), Banphool (1945), and Rajlakshmi (1946).

She moved to Bombay in 1948. She was seen for the last time in Hindi cinema in Chandrashekhar (1948) with Ashok Kumar. Kanan Devi turned producer with Shrimati Pictures in 1949 and later launched the Sabyasachi Collective with the film Ananya (1949). Her own productions were mainly based on the stories of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Kanan Devi married her first husband, Shri Ashok Maitra, but their marriage was short-lived and ended in a divorce. However, she did express gratitude towards him for giving her social recognition for the first time in her life. Later, she married her second husband Haridas Bhattacharya, had her first and only child, a son, Siddharta Bhattacharya, and settled down, raising her family in Calcutta. She also worked as the president of Mahila Shilpi Mahal, an organization that helps aged and needy female artistes of the yesteryears and for the upliftment of Bengali cinema. Kanan Devi, the first lady of the Bengali screen was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for her contribution to Indian cinema, in 1976. She died on 17 July 1992 in Belle View Clinic, Calcutta when she was around seventy-six years of age.

Filmography

Actor

{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" |- ! Year ! Film Name ! Director ! Co-star !Remarks |- | 1926||Joydev ||Jyotish Bannerji ||Actor|| |- | 1931||Rishir Prem ||Jyotish Bannerji ||Actor|| |- | 1931||Jore Barat ||Jyotish Bannerji ||Actor||Short |- | 1932||Bishnumaya ||Jyotish Bandyopadhyay ||Actor|| |- | 1932||Prahlad ||Priyanath Ganguly ||Actor|| |- | 1932||Vishnu Maya ||Jyotish Bannerji ||Actor|| |- | 1933||Sree Gouranga ||Prafulla Ghosh ||Actor|| |- | 1933||Char Darvesh ||Prafulla Ghosh ||Actor||Fantasy |- | 1934||Maa ||Prafulla Ghosh ||Actor|| |- | 1934||Hari Bhakti ||Prafulla Ghosh ||Actor|| |- | 1935||Kanthahaar ||Jyotish Bannerji ||Actor|| |- | 1935||Manmoyee Girls School ||Jyotish Bannerji ||Actor|| |- | 1935||Basabdatta ||Satish Dasgupta ||Actor|| |- | 1936||Bishabriksha ||Phani Burma ||Actor|| |- | 1936||Krishna Sudama ||Phani Barma ||Actor|| |- | 1936||Khooni Kaun ||G. R. Sethi ||Actor |- | 1936||Maa ||Prafulla Ghosh ||Actor |- | 1937||Vidyapati ||Debaki Bose ||Actor |- | 1937||Mukti ||Pramathesh Chandra Barua ||Actor |- | 1937||Mukti ||Pramathesh Chandra Barua ||Actor |- | 1937||Bidyapati ||Debaki Bose ||Actor |- | 1938||Saathi ||Phani Majumdar ||Actor |- | 1938||Street Singer ||Phani Majumdar ||Actor |- | 1939||Sapera ||Debaki Bose ||Actor |- | 1939||Jawani-Ki-Raat ||Hemchandra Chunder ||Actor |- | 1939||Sapurey ||Debaki Bose ||Actor |- | 1940||Parajay ||Hemchandra Chunder ||Actor |- | 1940||Haar Jeet ||Amar Mullick ||Actor |- | 1940||Abhinetri ||Amar Mullick ||Actor |- | 1941||Parichay ||Nitin Bose ||Actor |- | 1941||Lagan ||Nitin Bose ||Actor |- | 1942||Shesh Uttar ||Pramathesh Chandra Barua ||Actor |- | 1942||Jawab ||Pramathesh Chandra Barua ||Actor |- | 1943||Jogajog ||Sushil Majumdar ||Actor |- | 1943||Jogajog ||Sushil Majumdar ||Actor |- | 1944||Bideshini ||Premendra Mitra ||Actor |- | 1945||Path Bendhe Dilo ||Premendra Mitra ||Actor |- | 1945||Banphool ||Niren Lahiri ||Actor |- | 1945||Raj Lakshmi ||Premendra Mitra ||Actor |- | 1946||Tumi Aar Aami ||Apurba Kumar Mitra ||Actor |- | 1946||Krishna Leela ||Debaki Bose ||Actor |- | 1946||Arabian Nights ||Niren Lahiri ||Actor |- | 1947||Chandrasekhar ||Debaki Bose ||Actor |- | 1947||Chandrasekhar ||Debaki Bose ||Actor |- | 1947||Faisla ||Apurba Kumar Mitra ||Actor |- | 1948||Bankalekha ||Chitta Bose ||Actor |- | 1948||Anirban ||Soumyen Mukherjee ||Actor |- | 1949||Ananya ||Sabyasachi ||Actor |- | 1949||Anuradha ||Pranab Roy ||Actor |- | 1950||Mejdidi ||Ajay Kar ||Actor |- | 1952||Darpachurna ||||Actor |- | 1954||Nababidhan ||Haridas Bhattacharya ||Actor |- | 1955||Debatra ||Haridas Bhattacharya ||Actor |- | 1956||Asha ||Haridas Bhattacharya ||Actor |- | 1959||Indranath Srikanta-O-Annadadidi ||Haridas Bhattacharya ||Actor. |- |}

Playback Singer

# Asha (1956) (playback singer) # Debatra (1955) (playback singer) # Naba Bidhan (1954) (playback singer) # Darpachurna (1952) (playback singer) # Mejdidi (1950) (playback singer)

# Ananya (1949) (playback singer) # Anirban (1948) (playback singer) # Bankalekha (1948) (playback singer) ... aka The Crooked Writing # Faisla (1947) (playback singer) # Chandrashekhar (1947) (playback singer) # Arabian Nights (1946) (playback singer) # Krishna Leela (1946) (playback singer) ... aka Radha Krishna Prem ... aka The Story of Lord Krishna # Tum Aur Main (1946) (playback singer) # Tumi Aar Aami (1946) (playback singer) # Ban Phool (1945) (playback singer) # Path Bendhe Dilo (1945) (playback singer) # Rajlaxmi (1945) (playback singer) # Bideshini (1944) (playback singer) # Jogajog (1943) (playback singer) # Jawab (1942) (playback singer) ... aka Shesh Uttar (India: Bengali title) ... aka The Last Reply # Lagan (1941) (playback singer) # Parichay (1941) (playback singer) ... aka Acquaintance ... aka Marriage # Abhinetri (1940) (playback singer) # Haar Jeet (1940) (playback singer)

# Jawani Ki Reet (1939) (playback singer) # Parajay (1939) (playback singer) # Sapera (1939) (playback singer) ... aka The Snake-Charmer (India: English title) # Sapurey (1939) (playback singer) ... aka The Snake-Charmer (India: English title) # Bidyapati (1937) (playback singer) # Mukti (1937/I) (playback singer) ... aka Freedom ... aka The Liberation of the Soul # Mukti (1937/II) (playback singer) # Vidyapati (1937) (playback singer) # Bishabriksha (1936) (playback singer) ... aka The Poison Tree # Krishna Sudama (1936) (playback singer) ... aka Krishna and Sudama # Manmoyee Girls School (1935) (playback singer) # Maa (1934) (playback singer) # Char Darvesh (1933) (playback singer) ... aka Merchant of Arabia (India: English title) # Vishnumaya (1932) (playback singer) ... aka Doings of Lord Vishnu # Jore Barat (1931) (playback singer) # Prahlad (1931/I) (playback singer)

Producer

# Abhaya O Srikanta (1965) (producer)

# Indranath Srikanta O Annadadidi (1959) (producer) # Rajlakshmi O Srikanta (1958) (producer) # Andhare Alo (1957) (producer) # Asha (1956) (producer) # Debatra (1955) (producer) # Naba Bidhan (1954) (producer) # Darpachurna (1952) (producer) # Mejdidi (1950) (producer)

# Ananya (1949) (producer) # Bamuner Meye (1949) (producer)

References

External links

www.kanandevi.com

Category:1916 births Category:1992 deaths Category:Bengali film actors Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian female singers Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian film singers