Birendra Krishna Bhadra
Encyclopedia
Birendra Krishna Bhadra (1905–1991) was an India
n broadcaster, playwright, actor and theatre director from Kolkata
, and a contemporary of Pankaj Mallick and Nazrul Hasan. He worked for the All India Radio
, India's National Radio broadcaster for several years during its early, starting 1930s, and during this period he produced and adapted several plays..
Today, he is most known for his soaring Sanskrit recitation through a two hour audio program, Mahishashura Mardini (Annihilation of Mahisasura) (1931), a collection of shloka
s and songs broadcast by All India Radio
Calcutta (now Kolkata) at 4 am, in the dawn of Mahalaya.. He also acted and directed several plays in Bengali theatre
and even wrote screenplay for film, Nishiddha Phal (1955) .
. Later the family shifted to 7, Ramdhan Mitra Lane, the house bought by his grandmother Yogo Maya Devi. His father, Kali Krishna Bhadra was a linguist, fluent in 14 languages, and employed as an interpreter in a lower court and later became a known figure in the Bengali literary circles of the time. Kali Krishna married Sarala Bala Devi the second child of the then famous Police Court lawyer Kalicharan Ghosh, and in 1927 was awarded the title of Roy Bahadur. Roy Bahadur Kali Krishna had two sons, Bhupendra Krishna and Birendra Krishna.
In 1926, he passed Intermediate, and in 1928 graduated from Scottish Church College, Kolkata.
, Kolkata started broadcasting a two hour program called Mahishashura Mardini which describes the epic battle of goddess Durga
with the demon king Mahishashura. The script of this program was written by Bani Kumar and the music was directed by Pankaj Kumar Mallik
. Birendra Krishna Bhadra recited. In 2011 Durga Puja
opens with the same recital by Birendra Krishna Bhadra.
Bhadra wrote some plays including Mess No. 49, and directed a theatre production Sahib Bibi Gulam, a stage adaptation of the celebrated novel of famous author, the Bimal Mitra
. In 1952, he dramatized Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
's Subarna Golak.
, every Mahalaya, marking the beginning of Durga Puja
festivities. So popular was his version of the recitation that when in 1976, the voice of noted Bengali actor, Uttam Kumar
was employed for the programme, it didn't get favorable response from the audience and it was shifted back to the original version of Biren Bhadra .
On the Mahalaya day in 2006, Sujata Bhadra, daughter of the late Birendra Krishna Bhadra, got a cheque for Rs 50917 from music company, Saregama India Ltd as a royalty for her father's famous work.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n broadcaster, playwright, actor and theatre director from Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, and a contemporary of Pankaj Mallick and Nazrul Hasan. He worked for the All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
, India's National Radio broadcaster for several years during its early, starting 1930s, and during this period he produced and adapted several plays..
Today, he is most known for his soaring Sanskrit recitation through a two hour audio program, Mahishashura Mardini (Annihilation of Mahisasura) (1931), a collection of shloka
Shloka
A ' is a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anuṣṭubh. It is the basis for Indian Epic verse, and may be considered the Indian verse form par excellence, occurring, as it does, far more frequently than any other meter in classical Sanskrit poetry. The Mahabharata and Ramayana, for...
s and songs broadcast by All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
Calcutta (now Kolkata) at 4 am, in the dawn of Mahalaya.. He also acted and directed several plays in Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people....
and even wrote screenplay for film, Nishiddha Phal (1955) .
Early life and education
Birendra Krishna Bhadra was born on August 4, 1905, to Roy Bahadur Kalikrishna and Sarala Bala Devi at a rented house in Ahiritola his maternal home, in north KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. Later the family shifted to 7, Ramdhan Mitra Lane, the house bought by his grandmother Yogo Maya Devi. His father, Kali Krishna Bhadra was a linguist, fluent in 14 languages, and employed as an interpreter in a lower court and later became a known figure in the Bengali literary circles of the time. Kali Krishna married Sarala Bala Devi the second child of the then famous Police Court lawyer Kalicharan Ghosh, and in 1927 was awarded the title of Roy Bahadur. Roy Bahadur Kali Krishna had two sons, Bhupendra Krishna and Birendra Krishna.
In 1926, he passed Intermediate, and in 1928 graduated from Scottish Church College, Kolkata.
Career
He adapted and restructured several classics to produce notable radio plays. In the 1930s All India RadioAll India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
, Kolkata started broadcasting a two hour program called Mahishashura Mardini which describes the epic battle of goddess Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
with the demon king Mahishashura. The script of this program was written by Bani Kumar and the music was directed by Pankaj Kumar Mallik
Pankaj Mullick
Pankaj Mullick, also known as Pankaj Kumar Mullick was a Bengali Indian music director, who was a pioneer of film music in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema at the advent of playback singing, as well as an early exponent of Rabindra Sangeet.He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1970, followed by the...
. Birendra Krishna Bhadra recited. In 2011 Durga Puja
Durga Puja
Durga puja ; দুর্গা পূজা,ଦୁର୍ଗା ପୂଜା,‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava ; , is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and...
opens with the same recital by Birendra Krishna Bhadra.
Bhadra wrote some plays including Mess No. 49, and directed a theatre production Sahib Bibi Gulam, a stage adaptation of the celebrated novel of famous author, the Bimal Mitra
Bimal Mitra
Bimal Mitra was a prominent Bengali writer who wrote several novels.Bimal Mitra was equally adept in writing in Bengali as well as in Hindi, and has more than one hundred novels and short stories to his credit...
. In 1952, he dramatized Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was a famous Bengali writer, poet and journalist. He was the composer of India’s national song Vande Mataram, originally a Bengali and Sanskrit stotra personifying India as a mother goddess and inspiring the activists during the Indian Freedom Movement...
's Subarna Golak.
Legacy
His rendition, Mahisasura Mardini, is still played by All India RadioAll India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
, every Mahalaya, marking the beginning of Durga Puja
Durga Puja
Durga puja ; দুর্গা পূজা,ଦୁର୍ଗା ପୂଜା,‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava ; , is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and...
festivities. So popular was his version of the recitation that when in 1976, the voice of noted Bengali actor, Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar is one of the most famous names of Indian Bengali Cinema.Born Arun Kumar Chatterjee in 1926 at Ahiritola, North Calcutta he is widely known as Uttam Kumar and Mahanayak . He remains as much of a cultural icon as he had been in his lifetime...
was employed for the programme, it didn't get favorable response from the audience and it was shifted back to the original version of Biren Bhadra .
On the Mahalaya day in 2006, Sujata Bhadra, daughter of the late Birendra Krishna Bhadra, got a cheque for Rs 50917 from music company, Saregama India Ltd as a royalty for her father's famous work.
Works
- Hitopadesa, Publisher: Hanthawaddy publication, 1948.
- Bisvarūpa-darśana. Publisher: Kathakali, 1963.
- Rana-berana, Publisher: Bihar Sahitya Bhavan, 1965.
- Bratakathā samagra, Publisher: Mandala end Sansa, 1985.
- Śrīmadbhagabata: sampurna dvādaśa skandha, with Upendracandra Śāstri. Publisher: Mandala eyāṇḍa Sansa, 1990.