Tagore exponent Suchitra Mitra remembered through music on her birth centenary

Suchitra Mitra is one of the first names that we think of when we talk about Rabindra Sangeet. Tuesday marked the birth centenary of the legendary musician and many remembered her through her music. Purabi, a non-profit music institution, named by Suchitra Mitra herself too organised a cultural soiree to celebrate her life and works.

A brainchild of Mandira Mukherjee, head of the institution and a disciple of Mitra, the event was inaugurated by noted Bengali poet and Sahitya Akademi awardee Subodh Sarkar.“I tried my best to put across all that I’ve learnt from my mentor. We organise a two-day festival dedicated to her, every ten years and this year was special because it marked her birth centenary,” shared Mandira.
Talking about the Tagore exponent, Subodh Sarkar shared with the audience, “Suchitra Mitra had a unique style of singing. Her voice has immortalised numerous Tagore songs such as Krisnakali”.

The first half of the evening comprised of Brahma Sangeet, sung in chorus by several Tagore song institutes while the second half saw dancers Madhubani Chatterjee, Kaushik Chakraborty and Drabin Chatterjee who performed to Tagore’s dance drama Chitrangada. More than 50 singers also performed popular Tagore renditions sung by Mitra, on stage. “It was extremely rewarding to perform to a full house on this special occasion. I’ve grown up listening to her songs, and her soft voice will always be imbibed in my mind. I played the role of Chitrangada, and Mandira di made sure to include the spirit of her songs in the performance,” shared Madhubani Chatterjee.