Salil Chowdhury (photo from personal collection)

Salil Chowdhury (Bangla: সলিল চৌধুরী) (1922-1995) was a famous Bengali composer,poetand a playwrigtht. He was born on November 19, 1922 and died on September 5, 1995, just before his 73nd birthday. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the Bengali language. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... For other uses, see Bengal (disambiguation). ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

One of India's original musical geniuses, he was widely recognised and acknowledged in the Bombay film industry as one of the most prodigious composers ever. He was also an accomplished arranger and was proficient in several musical instruments, including flute, the piano, and the esraj. Regarded as one in the league of intellectuals having born in the state of West Bengal, he was also widely acclaimed and admired for his inspirational and original poetry. He was fondly and reverently called Salilda in Bollywood. This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... For other uses, see Flute (disambiguation). ... Pianoforte redirects here. ... , West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo IPA: ) is a state in eastern India. ... Bollywood (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. ...

Early childhood

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Much of Salil Chowdhury's early childhood was spent in the tea gardens of Assam, where his father was a medical doctor. A lot of his childhood was spent in listening to the Western Classical collection of his father, which shaped his musical thinking. Salil's father was reputed to stage plays with coolies and other low-paid workers of the tea-gardens. His father's strong anti-British feelings, and constant concern for the condition of the tea-estate workers were a source of inspiration to him. He graduated from Bangabashi College, 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. Image File history File links Question_book-new. ... , Assam  ) (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm [É”xÉ”m]) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city Guwahati. ... Occident redirects here. ... The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1750 to 1830, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... Coolie refers to unskilled laborers from Asia of the 1800s to early 1900s who were sent to the United States, Australia, New Zealand, North Africa and the West Indies. ... The term anti stems from a Canadian TKer who goes by the alias /|r51-AnTi. ... , “Calcutta” redirects here. ... Politics is the process by which decisions are made within groups. ...

Early Influences

Living through the Second World War, the Bengal famine and the precarious political situation of the 1940s, he became acutely aware of his social responsibilities. This is when he joined the IPTA (Indian Peoples Theater Association) and became a member of the Communist Party of India. During this period he wrote numerous songs and, together with IPTA, took them to the masses. The theatrical outfit travelled through the villages and the cities and his songs became exceptionally popular and went on to become the voice of the masses. These songs were influential, echoing protest and human empowerment, that made people conscious of the rampant social injustice surrounding them. In fact, Salil always retained his strong feelings against the social injustice and he very often wrote songs which reflected this outlook. He called these songs the 'Songs of consciousness and awakening'. These compositions became ringing songs of cheer during India’s Independence movement and, interestingly, are still performed all over Bengal. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Also Bengali Famine, Bengal Famine of 1943 Catastrophic famine that devastated the eastern Indian state of Bengal in 1943 and 1944, during World War II. Severe famines in Bengal had also occurred in both the late 18th and late 19th centuries. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Heraldry is the science and art of designing, displaying, describing and recording coats of arms. ... Social refers to human society or its organization. ... Justice is a concept involving the fair and moral treatment of all persons, especially in law. ... Consciousness defies definition. ... Look up awakening in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Transformation of Bengali music

Salil Chowdhury's Bengali songs brought in sweeping changes to Bengali music dramatically and almost abruptly. The people of West Bengal where thrilled with the new wave of music introduced by Salil Chowdhury. The new wave seeped in with Salil Chowdhury continued its influence on Bengali music for the next three decades. , West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo IPA: ) is a state in eastern India. ... For other senses of this word, see decade (disambiguation). ...

Distinct phases in his music

There are two distinct phases in Salil's life. The first phase, very much non-professional in intent and appearance, started in the pre-independence era of the 1940s and went on till mid '50s. This was followed by the second phase which was more professional in its content. During the first phase he was a brilliant lyricist,songwriter,poet and a playwright. He was much more mature composer than anything else in the second phase. The composer in Salil reached the greatest heights in his second phase which basically started when he arrived in Bombay to compose music for the film 'Do Bigha Zameen'. This was the Hindi version of the successful Bengali Film 'Rikshawalla'. He himself wrote the story of 'Rikshawaala' and composed its music as well. Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition (chords) or melody to songs, or both. ... Sexual maturity is the stage at which an organism can reproduce. ...

Career

Since Do Bigha Zameen, he has composed for over 75 Hindi films, over 40 Bengali films, around 26 Malayalam films, and several Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Oriya and Assamese films. To the music connoisseurs, he was better known as the non-conformist music composer whose unceasing search for perfection towered above everything else in his life. Do Bigha Zameen is a classic Hindi movie, directed by Bengali film directorBimal Roy the movie has a heavy socialist theme as did most movies of that time. ... -1... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Malayalam (മലയാളം ) is the language spoken predominantly in the state of Kerala, in southern India. ... Marathi (मराठी ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western India. ... Tamil ( ; IPA: ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people, originating on the Indian subcontinent. ... Telugu redirects here. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ... Gujarati (ગુજરાતી GujÇŽrātÄ«; also known as Gujerati, Gujarathi, Guzratee, and Guujaratee[3]) is an Indo-Aryan language descending from Sanskrit, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A connoisseur (Fr. ... In English history, Conformists were those whose religious practices conformed with the requirements of the Act of Uniformity and so were in concert with the Established Church, the Church of England, as opposed to those of Nonconformists whose practices were not acceptable to the Church of England. ...

Legacy

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. Raga (rāg /राग (Hindi), raga (anglicised from rāgaḥ/रागः (Sanskrit)) or rāgam /ராகம் (Tamil)) are the melodic modes used in Indian classical music. ...

Quotes on Salil Chowdhury

The noted playback singer, KJ Yesudas said: 'When Salil and I sat together by the piano and heard his compositions, I was overwhelmed by a divine feeling that his music brought and I have never felt this magnitude of divinity in any other composer’s music.'^{[citation needed]} Raj Kapoor once said about Salil: 'He can play almost any instrument he lays his hands on, from the tabla to the sarod, from the piano to the piccolo'.^{[citation needed]} Kattassery Joseph Yesudas (usually referred to as Dr. K. J. Yesudas or Jesudas, Malayalam: കാട്ടശ്ശേരി ജോസഫ് യേശുദാസ് , also nicknamed Gana Gandharvan) (born January 10, 1940) is one of the most eminent Indian classical musicians and leading Playback singer of film songs in many Indian languages. ... Raj Kapoor (Hindi: राज कपूर, , Urdu: راج کپور, Rāj KapÅ«r, December 14, 1924 - June 2, 1988) was a legendary Indian actor, producer and director of Bollywood movies. ...

Partial discography

• Hindi films
  • 1953 Do Bigha Zameen
  • 1954 Biraj Bahu; Naukri
  • 1955 Amaanat; Taangewaali
  • 1956 Awaaz; Parivaar; Jagte Raho
  • 1957 Aparadhi Kaun; Ek Gaaon ki Kahaani; LaalBatti; Musafir, Zamaana
  • 1958 Madhumati
  • 1960 Jawaahar; Honeymoon; Qaanoon; Parakh; Usne Kaha Tha
  • 1961 Chaardeewaari; Chhayaa; Kaabuliwaala; Maaya; Memdidi; Sapan Suhaane
  • 1962 Half Ticket; Jhoola; Prem Patra
  • 1965 Chand Aur Suraj; Poonam Ki Raat
  • 1966 Pinjre Ki Panchhi; Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose; Jawaab Aayega
  • 1969 Ittefaq; Sara Akaash
  • 1970 Anand
  • 1971 Gehraa Raaz; Mere Apne
  • 1972 Annadata; Anokha Daan; Anokha Milan; Mere Bhaiyaa; Sabse Bada Sukh
  • 1974 Rajnigandha
  • 1975 Mausam; Chhoti Si Baat; Sangat
  • 1976 Jeevan Jyoti; Mrigayaa; Udan Choo
  • 1977 Minoo; Anand Mahal
  • 1979 Kaala Patthar; Jeena Yehaan
  • 1980 Chehre Pe Chehra; Chemmeen Lahrein; Chirutha; Kuhaasa; Naani Maa; Room no.203; Daisy
  • 1981 Plot no. 5; Agni Pareeksha; Atmadaan
  • 1982 Dil Ka Saathi Dil; Darpok ki Dosti; Artap
  • 1984 Kanoon Kya Karega
  • 1986 Zevar
  • 1988 Trishaagni
  • 1989 Kamla Ki Maut; Nehru the Jewel of India
  • 1990 Triyaatri
  • 1991 Netraheen Saakshi;
  • 199? Aakhiri Badlaa
  • 199? Tiriacharittar (or Striyascharittram)
  • 1994 Swami Vivekananda
  • 1995 Mera Damaad
  • ???? Hamaari Shaadi; Maange Miley na Pyaar; Raat Ki Uljhan; Mitti Ka Dev

• Bengali films
  • 1949 Poribartan
  • 1951 Barjaatri
  • 1952 Paasher Baari
  • 1953 Baansher Kella
  • 1953 Bhor Hoye Elo
  • 1954 Aaj Sondhaay
  • 1954 Mohila Mahal
  • 1955 Rickshawaala
  • 1956 Raat Bhore
  • 1956 Ak din Raatre
  • 1959 Baadi Thekey Paaliye
  • 1960 Ganga
  • 1961 Rai Bahadur
  • 1964 Kinu Goaalaar Goli
  • 1964 Ayanaanto
  • 1964 Laal Paathor
  • 1966 Paari
  • 1972 Marjina Aabdullah
  • 1972 Raktaakto Baangla †This film was made in Bangladesh
  • 1977 Kobita
  • 1977 Sister
  • 1979 Jibon Je Rakam
  • 1979 Srikaanter Will
  • 1979 Rupali Soikate †This film was made in Bangladesh
  • 1980 Byapika Bidaay
  • 1980 Parabesh
  • 1980 Akaler Sandhaney
  • 1980 Antarghaat
  • 1982 Artap
  • 1985 Protiggya
  • 1985 Debikaa
  • 1985 Mowchor
  • 1986 Jibon
  • 1989 Swarnatrishaa
  • 1990/91 Aashrita **(background: Salil) (MD:Hridaynath Mangeskar)
  • 1994 Mahabharoti
  • 19?? Komol Gandhaar
  • 19?? Haraaner Naatjamaai
  • 19?? Ei Ritur Akdin
  • 19?? Chalo Kolkataa
  • 19?? Obhisake
  • 19?? Aswamedher Ghoraa
  • 19?? Sei Samoy

• Malayalam films
  • 1965 Chemmeen
  • 1968 Ezhuraathrikal
  • 1970 Abhayam
  • 1973 Swapnam
  • 1974 Nellu
  • 1975 Neelaponman
  • 1975 Raagam
  • 1975 Rasaleela
  • 1975 Thomasleeha (or St. Thomas)
  • 1975 Prateeksha
  • 1976 Aparadhi
  • 1976 Thulavarsham
  • 1977 Dweep
  • 1977 Samayamayilla Polum
  • 1977 Etho Oru Swapnam
  • 1977 Madanolsavam
  • 1977 Vishukkanni
  • 1978 Devdasi
  • 1979 E Ganam Marakkumo
  • 1979 Chuvanna Chirakkukal
  • 1979 Puthiya Velicham
  • 1980 Air Hostess
  • 1982 Anthiveylile Ponnu
  • 1990 Vaasthuhaara (background music only)
  • 1994 Thumboli Kadappuram
  • 1984 Vellam (background music only)

• Tamil films
  • 1971 Uyir (Salil composed background music only - MD was Ramana Sridhar)
  • 1973 Karumbu
  • 1978 Parumavazhai
  • 1979 Azhiyatha Kolangal
  • 1980 Thooraththu Idimuzhakkam

• Kannada films
  • 1971 Samsayaphala
  • 1975 Onde Rupa Eradu Guna
  • 1977 Chinna Ninna Muddaduve; Kokila

• Other films
  • Gujrati 1971 Ghar Sansaar
  • Assameese 1970 Aparajeyo
  • Assameese 1985 Manas Kanya
  • Oriya 1981 Batasi Jhada
  • Marathi 1962 Sunbai
  • Telugu 1974 Chairman Chalamayya

Do Bigha Zameen is a classic Hindi movie, directed by Bengali film directorBimal Roy the movie has a heavy socialist theme as did most movies of that time. ... Biraj Bahu is a 1955 Hindi movie produced by Hiten Choudhury and directed by Bimal Roy. ... Jagte Raho is a 1956 film directed by Amit Mitra and Sombhu Mitra, starring Raj Kapoor. ... Musafir is a 1957 Hindi movie. ... Madhumati is a 1958 Indian Hindi Movie. ... Memdidi is a 1961 Hindi movie produced by L. B. Lachman and directed by Hrishikesh MukherjeeThe film stars David, Jayant, Lalita Pawar, Asit Sen and Tanuja. ... Half ticket directed by Kalidas was a 1962 Bollywood classic film starring Kishore Kumar and Madhubala. ... Chand Aur Suraj is a 1965 Hindi movie. ... Ittefaq is a 1969 Hindi movie produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his brother Yash Chopra. ... Look up Anand in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Mere Apne is a 1971 Hindi film produced by Romu, Raj and N. C Sippy. ... Rajnigandha is the name of a Hindi movie released in 1974 and directed by Basu Chatterjee. ... Mausam is a 1975 Indian movie directed by Gulzar. ... Chhoti Si Baat (Devnagari: छोटी सी बात) is a 1975 Hindi romantic comedy film. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

Awards and Recognitions

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1988

-1...

See also

• List of notable Calcuttans

// The socio-cultural capital and aesthetic conscience of India Kolkata has been regarded since ages as the cultural capital of India. ...

External links

• A comprehensive website on Salil Chowdhury
• Salil Chowdhury at the Internet Movie Database
• The World of Salil Chowdhury, a comprehensive informational resource on Salil's background and work, including editorial articles and anecdotes created by Gautam Choudhury.
• A Biography
• [1], an article by Suman Chatterjee in Uttaran.
• [2], an article by Manab Mitra on Salil Chowdhury
• [3], article by Salil Chowdhury on the evolution of modern Bengali music
• [4], Lata Mangeshkar on Salil Chowdhury
• [5], "Few Moments with Salil Chowdhury" - An extended interview of Salil Chowdhury in 1978 by Kalpana Biswas - first appeared in the Bengali monthly publication "Kaalpurush"
• [6], "Sachin Shankar and Salil" - In the 1970's Salil composed some memorable music for a number of ballets directed by the noted Ballet dancer Sachin Shankar and performed by the Sachin Shankar Ballet Unit.