One of the most distinguished Rabindrasangeet singers, Suchitra Mitra, was born on this day. This is her 99th birthday.
Her father was the delete writer Saurindra Mohan Mukherjee.
In 1941, Mitra went to Santiniketan to study music and learnt to sing Tagore’s songs from stalwarts such as Santidev Ghosh, Indira Devi Chaudhurani and Sailajaranjan Majumdar. Later, she studied at Scottish Church College and in Calcutta, and co-founded Rabitirtha, a leading Rabindrasangeet centre. Mitra is remarkable for her robust, mannerism-free voice, which she combined with her subtle understanding of the depth of Tagore’s words, emotions and music. She took Tagore’s songs to many parts of the world and was celebrated herself as one of the greatest exponents of Rabindrasangeet.
She had been engaged with Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). Mitra taught at Rabindra Bharati University. She was also appointed sheriff of Calcutta. She remains one of the most beloved Rabindrasangeet singers.
