Manna Dey

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Prabodh Chandra Dey (born 1 May 1919), better known by his nickname Manna Dey (Bengali: মান্না দে), is one of the greatest playback singers in Hindi and Bengali films. Along with Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, he dominated Indian film playback music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He has recorded more than 3500 songs over the course of his career. He was also awarded the "Dadasaheb Phalke Award" - the highest honour in Indian cinema for the year 2007 on 21 October 2009 by the President of India Prathiba Patil.

Biography

Dey was born to Purna Chandra (father) and Mahamaya Dey (mother) on 1 May 1919. Besides his parents, his youngest paternal uncle Sangeetacharya (meaning "Venerable Teacher of Music" in Sanskrit). K. C. Dey highly inspired and influenced him. Dey received his early education in a small pre-primary school named Indu Babur Pathshala. Thereafter he attended Scottish Church Collegiate School and Scottish Church College,^[1] followed by Vidyasagar College where he received his graduate education. From his childhood Dey has pursued wrestling and boxing.

During Dey’s years at Scottish Church College, he sang to entertain his classmates. He began taking singing lessons from his uncle, Krishna Chandra Dey and Ustad Dabir Khan. During this period, Manna Dey stood first for three consecutive years in three different categories of inter-collegiate singing competitions.

In 1942, Dey accompanied Krishna Chandra Dey on a visit to Mumbai. There he started working as an assistant, first under Krishna Chandra Dey, and then under Sachin Dev Burman. Later he assisted other music composers and then started to work independently. While working independently as a music director for various Hindi movies, Manna Dey continued to take musical lessons in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan.

Dey started his career in playback singing with the movie, Tamanna, in 1943. The musical score was by Krishna Chandra Dey and Manna sang a duet with Suraiya. The song was an instant hit. He sang a solo penned by Sachal Dev Burman, Upar Gagan Vishal, in the 1950 movie, Mashal. In 1952, Dey sang for a Bengali and a Marathi movie with the same name and storyline, Amar Bhupali. This established him as a leading playback singer.

Dey recorded a popular duet, Ketaki Gulab Juhi, with classicist Bhimsen Joshi. With Kishore Kumar, he sang duets of different genres such as, Yeh Dosti Hum Nehi Torenge (Sholay) and Ek Chatur Naar (Padosan). Dey sang with singer/composer, Hemant Kumar (Hemanta Mukherjee), in Bengali movies, and also for some other Bengali composers. He sang a duet, "Ke Prothom Kachhe Esechi", with Lata Mangeshkar in the movie Sankhyabela. Dey pioneered a new genre in Indian music wherein Indian classical music is blended with pop music.^{[citation needed]} Dey also performed Rabindra Sangeet and has recorded over 3500 songs.

Personal life

On 18 December 1953, Manna Dey married Sulochana Kumaran from Kerala. They have two daughters: Shuroma, born on 19 October 1956, and Sumita, born on 20 June 1958.

Manna Dey currently lives in Bangalore in the township of Kalyannagar after spending more than fifty years in Mumbai. He also maintains a Calcutta address. He still travels widely in the world to present musical programs.

His Bengali-language autobiography, Jiboner Jalsaghorey, has been published in English as Memories Come Alive, in Hindi as Yaden Jee Uthi and in Marathi as Jiboner Jalsaghorey.

Jibaner Jalsaghore, a documentary on Dey's life, was released in 2008. Manna Dey Sangeet Academy is developing a complete archive on Manna Dey.

Accolades and awards

Dey has been honored with the titles Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

The following is the list of Manna Dey's other awards:

• 1969 National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the Hindi Film Mere Huzur
• 1971 National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the Bengali film Nishi Padma
• 1971 Padma Shri Award by Government of India
• 1985 Lata Mangeshkar Award awarded by Government of Madhya Pradesh
• 1988 Michale Sahittyo Puraskar awarded by Renaissance Sanskritik Parishad, Dhaka
• 1990 Shyamal Mitra Award by Mithun Fans Association
• 1991 Sangeet Swarnachurr Award awarded by Shree Khetra Kala Prakashika, Puri
• 1993 P.C.Chandra Award by P.C.Chandra Group & others
• 1999 Kamala Devi Roy Award by Kamala Devi Group
• 2001 Anandalok Lifetime Award by Anandabazar Group
• 2002 Special Jury Swaralaya Yesudas Award for outstanding performance in music
• 2003 Alauddin Khan Award by Government of West Bengal
• 2004 National Award as Playback singer by Government of Kerala
• 2004 D. Litt Honouris Causa by Rabindra Bharati University
• 2005 Life Time Achievement award by Government of Maharashtra
• 2005 D.Litt Honouris Causa by Burdwan University
• 2005 Padma Bhushan Award by Government of India
• 2007 First AKSHAYA Award by Government of orissa
• 2008 D.Litt Honouris Causa by Jadavpur University
• 2009 Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2007

Filmography

References

External links

• Manna Dey official website
• Manna Dey unofficial website
• Manna Dey interview at 90 in Anandabazar Patrika
• Manna Dey's interview by Chandan Mitra
• Manna Dey's interview by Shekhar Gupta
• "Ai Mere Pyare Watan" Little India article
• "Being Manna Dey: The modest musical maestro" - IBNLive interview