Kanika Banerjee (12 October 1924 – 5 April 2000) was an
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
Rabindra Sangeet
''Rabindra Sangeet'' ( bn, রবীন্দ্র সঙ্গীত; ), also known as Tagore Songs, are songs from the Indian subcontinent written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in Li ...
singer.
Biography
Early life
Born on 12 October 1924 at
Sonamukhi
Sonamukhi is a town and a municipality in the Bishnupur subdivision of the Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
It is famous for its Kali and Karthik and Godashiv puja .
Geography
Location
Sonamukhi is located at . It has an ...
in Bankura district, Kanika joined
Visva-Bharati University
Visva-Bharati () is a public central university and an Institution of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which means the communion of the w ...
,
Santiniketan
Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his son ...
in
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. She was trained in both classical and Rabindrasangeet in ''Sangeet Bhavana'' (School of Music) at Santiniketan. Shantiniketan (which literally means ''Abode of Peace'') was built on the model of an ''Ashram'' (educational hermitage). For this reason, Kanika is also occasionally referred to as ''Ashram Kanya'' or 'girl of the Ashram'. She was fortunate to take music lessons from none other than
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
. It was Tagore who named her ''Kanika'' (her original name being ''Anima''), also the name of one of his books on
Poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
. Her other gurus were
Dinendra Nath Tagore,
Sailajaranjan Majumdar
Sailajaranjan Majumdar (19 July 1900–24 May 1992) was a distinguished exponent and teacher of Rabindra Sangeet.
Early life
The son of Ramanikishore and Saralasundari Majumdar, Sailajaranjan was born at Baham, Netrokona, now in Bangladesh, on ...
,
Indira Devi Chaudhurani
Indira Devi Chaudhurani (29 December 1873 – 12 August 1960) was an Indian literary figure, author and musician. Born to the Tagore family, Indira was the younger child of Satyendranath Tagore and Jnanadanandini Devi and younger sister of Sur ...
and
Santidev Ghosh
Santidev Ghose (also Santidev Ghosh, Shantidev Ghosh and Santideb Ghosh) (Santiniketan, 7 May 1910 – 1 December 1999) was an Indian author, singer, actor, dancer and maestro of Rabindra Sangeet.
Sagarmoy Ghosh, the renowned editor of Bengal ...
. She participated in dance-dramas directed by Rabindranath and toured all over India as a member of his cultural troupe.
Career
Kanika Bandyopadhyay joined
Sangit Bhavana
Sangit Bhavana (Institute of Dance, Drama and Music), of Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, started functioning as a part of Kala Bhavana in 1919 and as a separate institution in 1933. It was established by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tag ...
as a teacher and in due course became Head of the Department of Rabindrasangeet and later its Principal. She was made Professor Emeritus of Visva-Bharati.
Since 1943, Kanika had been a regular artiste of the
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
station of
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All a ...
and gave performances at the national level in the musical programmes arranged by other stations as honoured artiste. Her gramophone records came out even in the lifetime of the Poet (Tagore) and there are over 300 gramophone discs to her credit. She was also a singer of Bhajans, Nazrulgeeti (songs by
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam ( bn, কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম, ; 24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, Bengali literature, writer, Bangladeshi music, musician, and is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul is regarded as one ...
) and
Atulprasad's songs. However the first song recorded by her was neither a Tagore song nor a Nazrul Geeti but a Bengali Adhunik song composed by Niharbindu Sen.
Kanika was invited to sing by programme organizers not only in India but also in Europe and America and was acclaimed everywhere for her unique rendering of the subtle nuances of emotions expressed in Rabindranath's lyrical compositions. She has written three books on this genre. Her life has been well documented on film by noted film directors. She was associated with the Elmhirst Institute of Community Studies during the last years of her life.
She received the highest accolade from Visva-Bharati University, the Desikottama.
Awards and accolades
In appreciation of her outstanding contribution to Rabindra Sangeet she was awarded the Gold Disc of the Gramophone Company of India in 1980. She received the best Bengali playback singer award from the
Bengal Film Journalists’ Association in 1973. Kanika bagged the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
for the year of 1979. In 1986, she received
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
award from the Government of India. Her Alma Mater (also home turf) Vishva-Bharati University, bestowed upon her Desikottama, its highest award in 1997.
Death
Kanika died at the age of 76, on Wednesday 5 April 2000, at
SSKM Hospital
IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, or in its full name Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, colloquially known as P.G. Hospital (Presidency General Hospital), also known as PGI Kolkata, is ...
in Calcutta after a prolonged illness involving lung and cardiac problems. She left behind her a school of music, with numerous students, who bore the legacy of her very own stylization of Rabindrasangeet. Of her students,
Rezwana Chowdhury Banya
Rezwana Choudhury Bannya is a Bangladeshi singer and academic. She is an exponent of Rabindra Sangeet, the songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore. She is regarded as a legendary Tagore singer by Tagore music aficionados. She has won ...
, the singer from Bangladesh, is perhaps the most well-known, for her striking similarity to Kanika's singing style. Indian Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...
gave a condolence speech saying that Kanika "was among the best exponents of Rabindra Sangeet. Generations of music lovers were charmed by her golden voice."
/ref>
Excerpt from obituary
In his obituary: "Nightingale of Rabindrasangeet is no more" published on 5 April 2000, Sankar Ray beautifully summarises his experience of Kanika Bandyopadhyay as a singer:
''My memory takes me back to a rainy evening in 1960. All India Radio was broadcasting a programme directly from Santiniketan Ashramik Sangha. Amidst heavy rain, a melodious voice reverberated around. It was Kanika Bandyopadhyay rendering Saghana Gahana Ratri Jharichhey Shrabanadhara (heavy downpour amidst the darkness of night). I still remember the melodious voice of Mohardi as she used to be known....For those for us whose youth had been conditioned by the aesthetic and cultural traditions set out by singers like Kanika Bandyopadhyay, Debabrata Biswas, Subinoy Ray, and Rajeshwari Dutta, it is difficult to write on Mohardi. Next time when I shall go to Shantiniketan, no more shall I have the opportunity to be amidst the melodious breeze that carried her voice as often she used to sing from her house there. Farewell, Mohardi, you remain as ever-lit star in the horizon of our aesthetic sense.''
Musical style
Kanika Bandyopadhyay was a contemporary of other notable exponents of Rabindrasangeet, namely Hemanta Mukhopadhyay
Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemant Kumar and Hemanta Mukherjee, was a legendary Indian music composer and playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, as well as other Indian ...
, Chinmoy Chattopadhyay
Chinmoy Chattopadhyay (Bengali: চিন্ময় চট্টোপাধ্যায়; also Chinmoy Chatterjee; 7 October 1930 – 26 July 1987) was a Bengali singer primarily known for singing Rabindrasangeet songs. He is widely consider ...
, Suchitra Mitra, Debabrata Biswas
Debabrata Biswas (also known as George Biswas and George-''da''; 22 August 1911 – 18 August 1980), was an Indian Rabindra Sangeet singer.
Early life
Biswas was born in 1911 in Barisal and then later came to Kishoreganj of Mymensingh distri ...
, Sagar Sen
Sagar Sen (15 May 1932 – 4 January 1983) was a Bengali people, Bengali singer. Though primarily known as an exemplary Rabindrasangeet artiste, he had recorded numerous Music of Bengal, Bengali modern songs and directed a few as well.
Career
...
, Sumitra Sen
Sumitra ( sa, सुमित्रा, IAST: Sumitrā) is a princess of Kashi in Hindu mythology. The wise Sumitra is the third queen consort of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala, who ruled from Ayodhya. She is the mother of the twins Lakshman ...
, Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, Santidev Ghosh
Santidev Ghose (also Santidev Ghosh, Shantidev Ghosh and Santideb Ghosh) (Santiniketan, 7 May 1910 – 1 December 1999) was an Indian author, singer, actor, dancer and maestro of Rabindra Sangeet.
Sagarmoy Ghosh, the renowned editor of Bengal ...
and Subinoy Roy. In particular, her musical style has often been compared and contrasted with that of Suchitra Mitra. While both singers excelled in songs of love and worship (puja and prem), Kanika's oeuvre was melodious yet melancholy, plaintive yet soul-stirring, whereas Suchitra was bold and strong in her renditions.
Personal life
Kanika was married in 1945 to Birendra Chandra Bandypadhyay, former deputy librarian of Viswa Bharati University and a renowned poet. The couple had no children; but later she adopted her younger sister's only son Priyom (Tanaji, the name given by Mohor di). In her later life, Kanika receded to a reclusive lifestyle and led the simple life of an ashramite in Santiniketan
Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his son ...
.
External links
Kanika Banerjee (Bandyopadhyay)
IMDb
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandyopadhyay, Kanika
1924 births
2000 deaths
Bengali musicians
Bengali singers
Emeritus Professors in India
Indian women playback singers
Bengali playback singers
Artists from Kolkata
Performers of Hindu music
Visva-Bharati University alumni
Academic staff of Visva-Bharati University
Rabindra Sangeet exponents
20th-century Indian singers
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
20th-century Indian women singers
Women musicians from West Bengal
20th-century women composers
19th-century women composers
Singers from Kolkata