IPTA can refer to:

• Indian People's Theatre Association
• International Pulsar Timing Array

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

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Salil Chowdhury
Salil Chowdhury (1922-1995)
Background information
Birth name	Salil Chowdhury
Also known as	Salil da
Born	(1922-11-19)November 19, 1922[1]
Origin	Chingripotha, 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India[1]
Died	September 5, 1995(1995-09-05) (aged 72)
Occupations	Music Director, Composer, Poet, Lyricist and Story-writer

Salil Chowdhury (Bengali: সলিল চৌধুরী, Hindi: सलिल चौधरी, Malayalam: സലില്‍ ചൗധരി) was an Indian music composer, who mainly composed for Bengali, Hindi, and Malayalam films. He was also a poet and a playwright. He is affectionately called Salilda by his admirers.

His musical genius was widely recognized^[1] and acknowledged in the Indian film industry. He was an accomplished arranger and was proficient in several musical instruments, including flute, the piano, and the esraj. He was also widely acclaimed and admired^[1] for his inspirational and original poetry.

Career[link]

Early influences[link]

Salil's childhood was spent^[1] in the tea gardens of Assam. From an early age he listened to the Western Classical collection of his father.^[1] His father was reputed to stage plays with coolies and other low-paid workers of the tea-gardens. He graduated from Bangabasi College, an affiliate of the University of Calcutta in Kolkata and it was during this period of time that his political ideas were formulated quickly along with a considerable maturity in his musical ideas. He was a man with excellent talent.

In 1944, a young Salil came to Calcutta for his graduate studies. He joined the IPTA^[1] (Indian Peoples Theater Association) the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India. He started writing songs^[1] and setting tunes for them.^[1] The IPTA theatrical outfit travelled through the villages and the cities bringing these songs to the common man. Songs like Bicharpati, Runner and Abak prithibi^[1] became extremely popular with the general population at the time.

Songs like Gaayer bodhu, which he composed at the age of 20, brought about a new wave of Bengali music.^[1] Almost every notable singer at the time from West Bengal had sung at least one of his songs. A few examples are Hemanta Mukherjee, Shyamal Mitra, Manabendra Mukherjee, Pratima Banerjee, etc. His family was original from Village Baharu, of 24 Pgs(S)

Film career[link]

His first Bengali film "Paribortan" (translation: Transformation) was released in 1949. "Mahabharati" released in 1994 was the last of his 41 Bengali films.

Salil da's debut in the Hindi Film Industry came in 1953^[1] as the Music Director for Do Bigha Zamin by Bimal Roy. The film was the cinematic version of Salil Chowdhury's short story named "Ricksawala".^[1] It also took his career to new heights when it became the first film to win the Filmfare Best Movie Award and won the international Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

After about 20 years in Bengali and Hindi films, Salil da entered Malayalam films in 1964 with Chemmeen.^[1] Almost all of his Malayalam songs became popular irrespective of the performance of the films they were made for.

He went on to compose for over 75 Hindi films, over 40 Bengali films, around 26 Malayalam films, and several Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Oriya and Assamese films.

The western influence[link]

Salil da's music showed an equally rich blend of Western and Indian classical music.

Some of his straight adaptations of Western Classical Music include

• "Itana na mujhse tu pyar badha" from Chhaya - based on Mozart's Symphony No. 40
• "Raaton ke saaye ghane" from Annadata - based on works by Chopin

Salil Choudhry broke into mainstream Hindi music with his stirring compositions for Madhumati starring Dilip Kumar and Vaijaintimala. Songs like "aaja re paradesi" and "dil tadap tadap" are immortal classics.

Family[link]

Salil Chowdhury was married to Smt. Sabita Chowdhury. He has two daughters and two sons.

Salilda's daughter, Antara Chowdhury is currently a performing artist in her own right. She recently sang for Sudhir Mishra's hit Khoya Khoya Chand in a duet with Sonu Nigam. Antara has many forthcoming projects intended to preserve the legacy of her father and bridge the gaps between old and new generations. A new album entitled Generations: Volume 1 produced by her brother, Bobby Chowdhury with compositions by Salil Chowdhury and Sanjoy Chowdhury is slated to be released Spring 2008. Hindi and Bengali singles from the album have been released on the iTunes Music Store worldwide. These include in Hindi, "kyon beheke hain / stranger" and "chale ayona / so far away" with lyrics by Yogesh and music by Sanjoy and in Bengali, "esho boshona / sit beside me" and "dur ojanate / far away" with lyrics by Salil Chowdhury and Tarun respectively and music by Sanjoy.

Legacy[link]

Salil's music was a unique blending of the Eastern and the Western music traditions. He had once said: 'I want to create a style which shall transcend borders - a genre which is emphatic and polished, but never predictable'. He dabbled in a lot of things and it was his ambition to achieve greatness in everything he did. But at times, his confusion was fairly evident - 'I do not know what to opt for: poetry, story writing, orchestration or composing for films. I just try to be creative with what fits the moment and my temperament' he once told a journalist.

Salil's love for Western classical music started when he was a young boy growing up in an Assam tea garden where his father worked as a doctor. His father inherited a large number of western classical records and a gramophone from a departing Irish doctor. While Salil listened to Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, etc. everyday, his daily life was surrounded by the sound of the forest, chirping of the birds, sound of the flute and the local folk-music. This left a lasting impression in young Salil. He became an excellent self-taught flute player and his favourite composer was Mozart. His compositions often used folk melodies or melodies based on Indian classical ragas but the orchestration was very much western in its construction. He developed a unique style which was immediately identifiable

This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. (September 2009)

^{[citation needed]}

Filmography[link]

(84 titles)
1995 Mera Damad (as Salil Chowdhury)

1995 Thumboli Kadappuram

1994 Triyacharitra

1994 Swami Vivekananda (film)

1991 Khilaaf (as Salim Chowdhury)

1991 Vasthuhara (as Salil Chowdhury)

1990 Nehru: The Jewel of India

1989 Aakhri Badla (music / as Salil Choudhary)

1989 Kamla Ki Maut

1988 Trishagni

1987 Zevar (as Salil Chaudhri)

1984 Kanoon Kya Karega

1981 Agni Pareeksha

1981 In Search of Famine

1981 Batasi Jhada

1981 Plot No. 5

1980 Doorathu Idhi Muzhakkam

1979 Azhiyatha Kolangal

1979 Chuvanna Chirakukal

1979 Jeena Yahan

1979 Puthiya Velicham

1978 Ee Ganam Marakkumo

1978 Madanolsavam

1978 Samayamayilla Polum

1978 Yeatho Oru Swapnam

1977 Mrigayaa

1977 Anand Mahal

1977 Aparadhi

1977 Vishukkani

1976 Jeevan Jyoti

1976 Thulavarsham

1975 Chhoti Si Baat

1975 Neela Ponman

1975 Raagam

1975 Rasaleela

1974 Nellu

1974 Rajnigandha (as Salil Chowdhary)

1973 Swapnam

1972 Annadata (as Salil Chowdhury)

1972 Anokha Milan

1972 Mere Bhaiya

1972 Sabse Bada Sukh

1971 Anand (as Salil Chowdhury)

1971 Mere Apne (as Salil Chowdhury)

1970 Abhayam (co-composer)

1969 Sara Akash

1968 Anokhi Raat (background music / as Salil Chowdhury)

1968 Chehere (TV series)

1968 Ezhu Rathrikal

1967 Chemmeen

1966 Pinjre Ke Panchhi

1965 Chand Aur Suraj (music)

1965 Poonam Ki Raat

1964 Lal Patthar

1962 Half Ticket (as Salil Chowdhury)

1962 Jhoola

1962 Prem Patra (as Salil Chowdhury)

1961 Kabuliwala

1961 Char Diwari

1961 Chhaya (as Salil Chowdhury)

1961 Maya (music / as Salil Chowdhury)

1961 Mem-Didi (as Salil Chowdhary)

1961 Sapne Suhane

1960 Parakh (as Salil Chowdhury)

1960 Honeymoon

1960 Kanoon

1960 Usne Kaha Tha

1959 The River

1958 Bari Theke Paliye

1958 Madhumati (as Salil Chowdhury)

1957 Apradhi Kaun? (as Salil Chowdhury)

1957 Ek Gaon Ki Kahani

1957 Gotoma the Buddha

1957 Lal Batti

1957 Musafir

1956 Aawaz

1956 Jagte Raho (as Salil Chaudhary)

1956 Parivar

1955 Amaanat

1955 Swami Vivekananda

1955 Tangewali

1954 Biraj Bahu

1954 Naukari

1953 Do Bigha Zamin

Awards and recognitions[link]

• 1958 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award for Madhumati
• 1988 - Sangeet Natak Akademi Award

See also[link]

• List of notable Calcuttans
• A short biography of Salil Chowdhury

References[link]

External links[link]

• A comprehensive website on Salil Chowdhury
• Salil Chowdhury at the Internet Movie Database

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

Debabrata Biswas (Bengali: দেবব্রত বিশ্বাস) (22 August 1911 - 18 August 1980), also known as George Biswas (Bengali: জর্জ বিশ্বাস) or George-da (Bengali: জর্জদা), was an Indian Rabindra Sangeet singer.

Early life[link]

He was born in 1911 in Barishal and then later came to Kishorgonj of Mymensing district of British colonial undivided Bengal province of India, when King George V was visiting India for the Delhi Durbar, so he was nicknamed George. He was popularly called George Biswas and George-da which means Brother George.

Career[link]

His music, though not always technically pristine, was notable for its exceptional depth of emotional expression verging on the dramatic. His early gramophone recordings of Tagore songs brought out in the early 1940s demonstrate soulful full-throated expression of melody with a strict adherence to the rules and norms of tradition, written and unwritten, which he felt obliged to break in the early 1960s - considered by most to be his heyday up to the year 1969. His renderings in this period show amazing power of voice and modulation, compounded with overt emotional expression of a kind hitherto unpractised by his contemporaries and even himself. His voice at this period ranged at ease within the three octaves and with varied tempos and rhythms and showed greater variety of emotional expression from the thunderous and rumbling to the soft and mellow. Somewhat audacious and overpowering in his personal feelings and mores, his enunciation of the words of over-used and hackneyed Tagore lyrics extracted new meanings and freshness from the compositions. Some of his numbers which surely goes deep into the heart of Bengalis are Akash bhora surjo tara, Je ratey mor duarguli, Pinakete lagey tonkar, Tomar kache ebor magi etc.

Conflict[link]

Authoritarian eyebrows started to be raised from 1964 onwards with the liberties he started taking by challenging the published tune-notations, scansion, traditional tempo, beat and rhythms which people were accustomed to associate with Tagore lyrics, as well as with his inclination towards the use of western musical instruments for the purposes of accompaniment and interlude - an obsession that remained with him till his death. He challenged the sensibilities of Tagore song listeners with the use of the Spanish guitar, the saxophone,the clarionet, the piano and the cello along with the sitar,the sarode, the esraj and the violin; and all this in the name of 'interpretation' and 'freedom of expression'. His popularity swelled beyond bounds with the masses, young and old - connoisseurs and dilletante alike for, despite these excesses, the power and intrinsic purity of style and spirit of his renditions were unparalleled.

In the later part of the 1960s Debabrata was seriously challenged by the authorities over his audacious style and quite a number of his records were prohibited from commercial production for reasons attributed to wrong spirit, wrong tempo and other melodic excesses not regarded as harmonious to the purity of Tagore compositions. Although initially he did brace himself to meet the challenge,he retreated later and on his own volition stopped all record production. As further controversy fuelled,his public live performances continued with an even increasing demand but with age (now he was 60)and a declining voice and his lifelong affliction of the asthma, he withdrew from public appearance, venting his anguish and frustrations in his autobiographical reflections : Bratyo Janer Rudhha Sangit' (or The Stifled Music of an Untouchable), published in 1979, a year before his death on August 18, 1980.

Personal life[link]

A bachelor, a teetotaller, an excellent cook of spiced food, a visitor to the Calcutta Horse Racing Turf, a traditionalist at heart yet posing as a bohemian in a tongue-in- cheek style, and by any standards an eccentric, he lived a simple, modest and spartan life at his rented flat in South Calcutta, retiring in 1971 from the Life Insurance Corporation of India where he held a clerical position throughout his tenure; this, despite his being a post-graduate in economics from the Calcutta University. A confirmed communist throughout his life, he held his party membership with the Communist Party of India till the mid 1950s. However, he was hurt at the fact that a conflict had arisen among the core groups of the Communist Party itself. Hence, when Communist Party of India (Marxist) was formed, he was in a confused state. However, he remained in touch with the communist party till his death. In one of his memoirs he has said: "When the party got divided into two sections, I was confused, because I was attached to the members of both, Communist Party of India or CPI, as well as the newly formed Communist Party of India (Marxist). So, I decided to remain away from active politics. However, I must confess that I have been lucky to get the true love of all the members of both the wings of the communist party all through my life."

Apart from Rabindrasangeet, he is known to have held the masses spellbound with his booming and baritone voice singing Ganasangit or Peoples' Songs in party gatherings, meetings and plenary sessions up to the mid-1950s. He remains one of the towering personalities of the peak era of Indian People Theatre Association (IPTA) as a cultural delegate of which he visited China twice in the early 1950s with other great cultural luminaries from India. He recorded his experiences with China in a well-written but somewhat simplistic and naive book titled Antaranga Chin or China of My Heart.

A broad-hearted man of caustic humour even to the point of self-mockery, buffonery and feigned frivolity, he was fond of sketching and often gave drawings along with autographs. One such signature features himself praying to Tagore and another showing Tagore hitting a sixer with a cricket bat. Immensely popular as he was, he had shunned the press and the media all his life, even not allowing his own photographs or career history on blurbs or record cases.

He lent his voice to a number of films and after his death was the subject of a documentary film by his name, based on archival footage and interviews.

To this day he remains the most popular exponent in the art of Rabindrasangeet, a model of orthodoxy when orthodox and an icon of protest against establishment, organised media and cultural dictatorship when breaking away from the orthodox. Even after 30 years from his death, his records remain in supreme demand.

References[link]

• Website on Debabrata Biswas