Jyotirindra Moitra Botukda
Jyotirindra Moitra (November 18, 1911 – October 25, 1977), popularly known as Botukda, was a multifaceted musical maestro, composer, lyricist and poet as well as an activist associated with the IPTA. Noted best for his works in Meghe Dhaka Tara and Komal Gandhar, he worked with Ritwik Ghatak, Satyajit Ray and other stalwarts in several films as music director, composer, lyricist or playback singer. Jyotirindra came into prominence during the Bengal famine of 1942 when he composed songs in protest against the Bengal famine in the company of prominent fellow members of the IPTA including Salil Chowdhury, Benoy Ray among others. His creation 'Nabajeeboner Gaan' (meaning song of the new life), is one of the best literary work in the backdrop of the manmade famine inflicted on the people of Bengal by the British Raj.
Early life, education and training in music[edit]
Born of parents Jogendranath and Sarala Devi in Sreerampur, he was the 5th child among 12 brothers and sisters.He grew up in the famed 'Sitlai House' in Pabna (now in Bangladesh). He was named 'Batuk' after the deity 'Batuk Bhairab', whose blessings were supposed to have saved the life of young Jyotirindra from a fatal ailment.
Jyotirindra grew up in an environment charged with patriotic feelings. His father was an ardent follower of the Indian National Congress and supported the Indian freedom struggle. Many national leaders including Mahatma Gandhi and Deshbandhu C. R. Das visited their home. Jogendranath was in touch with Netaji Subhash Bose also and supported his militant struggle for independence. Jyotirindra's maternal uncle was Tulsi Goswami, a barrister, a great orator and a front ranking leader of the struggle for independence in Bengal. He was one of the 'Big five' Congress leaders who spearheaded the movement after the death of C. R. Das. Young Jyotirindra was highly influenced by his personality.
Along with politics, music and literature also held important places in 'Sitlai House'. Indian classical music soirees were also held in 'Sitlai House' and many renowned 'Ustads' performed there. 'Sitlai House' had a huge library rich with thousands of Indian and foreign books including the Vedas, Upanishad and classics. This was a treasure trove to young Jyotirindra. Jyotirindra was also a pet-lover and had birds, tiger cubs and bears as pets. This exposure to a wide variety of cultures made Jyotirindra broad-minded and free of any narrow, sectarian attitude. He never looked down upon any genre of music nor did he sneer at any person, however limited his knowledge might be.
Jyotirindra passed Matriculation examination from Mitra Institution, Calcutta in 1927. After leaving school, Jyotirindra got himself admitted to St. Xavier's College from where he graduated with Honours in Chemistry in the year 1931. Thereafter he decided to study literature, his first love, rejecting a chance to study medicine. He secured his Post Graduate degree in English literature in 1933. Debabrata Biswas, the renowned Rabindrasangeet exponent, was his Masters' degree classmate.
The love for music was ingrained in his persona from a tender age. He started learning Indian classical music from his uncle Haricharan Chattopadhyay when he was about 8 years of age. Later in life, he was trained under the famous Guru, Bhishmadev Chattopadhyay for many years starting from 1936–37. 'Sitlai House' was situated on the bank of Padma, bang opposite Silaidaha, the residence of Rabindranath Tagore. Jogendranath was close to the poet and the latter used to visit 'Sitlai House'. Many letters of 'Chhinnapatra' were written by the poet on a boat belonging to 'Sitlai House'. The poet and his creations had a huge influence on the psyche of Jyotirindra. Years later, he would compose the music for the documentary film on Tagore by Satyajit Ray – one of the most significant contributions of Moitra as a music director. Rabindrasangeet, especially, influenced his idea of music in a big way. He learnt Rabindrasangeet from doyens including Sarala Devi, Indira Devi, Dinendranath Tagore, Anadi Dastidar, Santidev Ghosh and Sailaja Ranjan Majumdar. Only two songs (Rabindrasangeet) sung by Jyotirindra are available on vinyl records. The songs are some of the best examples of Rabindrasangeet, influenced by classical Indian 'ragas'.
Jyotirindra also started writing poems from a tender age. Most of these, composed in his adolescent years, are lost. His first poem was published in 'Parichay', a quarterly journal in 1934. Other poems were published in 1938 in the literary magazine 'Agranee' under the alias 'Trishanku'. The name expressed the dilemma that the poet was facing at that time, of abandoning his old political beliefs and embracing Communism. The pinnacle of his poetic ability was reached in 'Rajdhanee O Madhu Bangshir Goli' (the last-named poem immortalised by the recitation of Sombhu Mitra, the thespian), his first published anthology of poems. This was followed by the masterpiece 'Nabajeeboner Gaan'. This consisted of a collection of songs composed in a unique 'choir' fashion, which were also composed by Moitra himself. During his stay in Delhi, he published his collection of poems 'Je Pothei Jao'. Later he also published the anthology 'Berlin er Haat Dhore Surer Mejaje', in which he introduced prose-like poems.
Personal life[edit]
Jyotirindra got married to Urmila, eldest daughter of Advocate Binayendra Prasad and Kanaklata Bagchi, in 1938. For an entire lifetime, Urmila would be protecting her immensely talented, yet simple and innocent husband from the ravages of day-to-day domestic problems – so that he could immerse himself in his creative pursuits. The couple had four children – Santanu, Sudeshna, Siddhartha and Susmita. Urmila had a premature death in 1973. His close friends included Chinmohan Sehanobis (along with his wife Uma), whom he befriended in college, the world renowned physicist Satyendra Nath Bose (who shared his love for music), the poet Bishnu De (and his wife, Pranati) among others.
Professional life and cultural activities (1955–1973)[edit]
In 1955–56, Moitra migrated to Bokaro with his family where he took up a teaching job in a school. In 1957, he moved to New Delhi and stayed there till 1973. During his stay in Delhi, he was actively engaged in many projects, the most noteworthy of which was the 'Ramleela' ballet presented by Sriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. This ballet became the high point of Delhi's cultural scene. He cleverly assimilated Tulsidas's 'doha' and 'choupai' in the songs of the ballet. Other than composing the music, he also participated in background acting in the play. The performance went on for 7 days and was inaugurated by the President of India. He founded the 'Karolbagh Bangiya Samsad', an association that undertook cultural and social welfare projects. It also felicitated eminent personalities from different walks of life. He also composed the music for 'Lambakarna Pala', an immortal creation of Parashuram (Rajsekhar Basu) dramatised by Abanindranath Tagore. Performed in a 'jatra' form, this highly lauded production from 'Karolbagh Bangiya Samsad', was a big hit with the audience in both Delhi and Calcutta. n 1962, he travelled to Russia to attend the International Music Composers' Conference. There he composed a slogan for the Conference – 'Composers of the World Unite', emulating 'Workers of the World Unite' by V.I. Lenin. He also visited Georgia, Poland and other East European countries as a part of this tour. He was very impressed by the active nature and devotion to work of the people of these countries – he often talked about how hundred year old people still worked energetically in these countries. In 1975, he visited East Germany as an Indian cultural ambassador under official invitation of the East German government. He watched many cultural programs there and penned his experience in a long narrative poem. In 1973. Bishnu De, a close friend of Jyotirindra, won the 'Jnanpith' award for his anthology of Bengali poems "Smriti, Satta, Bhabishyot'. The award ceremony was held in the Bijnan Bhavan of New Delhi. On this occasion, Jyotirindra set to music a mime show based on the poems. Later he set to music a few poems from the same collection. The poet was so impressed with the music composition that he remarked that the music had made it much simpler for anyone to understand the poems. He retired as the Music Director of Sriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in 1973. He was publicly felicitated and honoured by New Delhi's Sahitya Kala Parishad thus acknowledging his contribution to the cultural scene of the city. He returned to Kolkata and joined Patha Bhavan school where he taught music to young children.
Political belief[edit]
Born and brought up in a family with strong inclinations to the Indian National Congress and its political philosophy, Jyotirindra drifted away from such beliefs in his youth. He was deeply attracted to the philosophy of Marx-Engels-Lenin, was part of the strong anti-Fascist movement that was sweeping the country at that time and was a member of the "Pragati Lekhok Sangha'. He joined the Communist Party of India in 1942 and eventually became a life member of the party. When the Communist Party was banned, he had to go 'underground'.His poems were a mirror to the common man's daily struggle, his dreams and how the dreams were shattered by social injustice. He composed the commemorative song when the party completed its 50 years in 1975. He was also an active member of the IPTA (Indian Peoples Theatre Association) and enthusiastically participated in their 'addas', intellectual exchanges punctuated by songs and recitations. His associates in IPTA were no less than the illustrious Suchitra Mitra, Salil Chowdhury and Benoy Roy among others.
A man of varied interests[edit]
Jyotirindra's life revolved around Literature and music. His interests and activities however, almost knew no bounds. He was a passionate lover of cricket and football and played both the games. Their love for football was so immense that he and his friend Chinmohon Sehanobis, dreamt of becoming footballers. He used to practice gymnastics regularly, too. Even at the age of 65, he used to join youngsters for a game of badminton. He was also an active ornithologist and could recognize a bird by listening to its chirping sound. He had a huge collection of books on birds. The role of a birdwatcher in Satyajit Ray's movie 'Kanchenjungha' was perhaps inspired by Jyotirindra. When he was a resident of Delhi, on wintry mornings, he would often travel to the 'ridge' area equipped with Salim Ali's book and a pair of binoculars. Anyone who accompanied him on these expeditions, would return richer with some knowledge of 'bird watching'. He was also deeply interested in Astronomy and would spend hours under the star-studded skies, trying to locate distant stars and planets. During the devastating North Bengal flood of 1968, Jyotirindra composed a song resembling the famous 'Dhana Dhanya Pushpa Bhora' by D. L. Ray. He roamed the streets of Delhi, a harmonium slung over his shoulders, singing this song and asking for aid for the flood victims. Later, in 1976, he was again out on the streets of Calcutta with his harmonium, leading his students of Patha Bhavan and singing songs from his 'Nabajeeboner Gaan' to collect aid for drought victims. During his stay at Delhi, Moitra founded the 'Sishu Bharati' school in Karolbagh with some friends. Children's education was a subject very close to his heart. He wrote poems and songs for the children and imparted education through them. When he returned to Calcutta, he took up a job with Patha Bhavan school. He also conducted 'Jogojhompo', an experimental orchestra, consisting of unconventional musical instruments.
With a strong zeal for literary activities, Jyotirindra took the initiative to launch a wall magazine 'Ajanta', during his stay at Delhi. Fuelled by his energy, the wall magazine soon took a printed form and is still in circulation as one of the few Bengali 'little' magazines of Delhi. It recently celebrated its 56th year of publication. Till his last breath, Jyotirindra dreamt of building a farm. He visited far and wide, talked to many people and read up books on co-operative poultry farming, to make this happen. In his younger days, he bought a piece of land in Kalaikunda in Medinipur to start his farm. But that project never took off. In his later years, his dream of building a co-operative farm, much like Sriniketan built by Tagore, resurfaced. He bought some land in Shalboni, Jhargram, named his farm 'Korshoni' and even had some letterheads printed in that name. At the age of 65, he often commuted between Shalboni and Calcutta and worked tirelessly to set up the farm. But the poet cum composer was not familiar with worldly ways and the transactional procedures and so his dream remained unfulfilled.
Life after retirement[edit]
After retirement from Sriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, Smt. Uma Sehanobis, co-founder of Patha Bhavan school Kolkata, and an old friend from the days of IPTA, took the initiative of involving him with the school as a music teacher. Jyotirindra tried to train the young minds through songs, poems and paintings. He tried to ignite their imaginations through experimental, creative music so that they could visualize things beyond the plain visible world and could express themselves through different media - writing. painting or singing. The anthem song of Patha Bhavan was written and composed by him.
Death[edit]
He breathed his last, while sleeping in a compartment of Coromondal Express when he was returning from Visakhapatnam to Kolkata on 25 October, 1977.
Contributions in movies[edit]
Jyotirindra composed unforgettable music for several movies. He also lent his voice and wrote the lyrics in a few. A summary of all his involvements in film music can be found below:
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Putul Nacher Itikatha | Asit Banerjee |
| 1960 | Meghe Dhaka Tara | Ritwik |
| 1961 | Komal Gandhar | Ritwik Ghatak |
| 1961 | Rabindranath Tagore (Documentary) | Satyajit Ray |
| 1962 | Kancher Sworgo | Tarun Majumdar and Dilip Mukherjee |
| 1962 | Kumari Mon | Chitrarath |
| 1970 | Amar Lenin | Ritwik Ghatak |
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Komal Gandhar | Ritwik Ghatak | Playback singer, lyricist |
| 1963 | The Householder | James Ivory | Incidental music |
| 1964 | Charulata | Satyajit Ray | Playback singer |
Nabajeeboner Gaan[edit]
'Nabajeeboner Gaan' was born out of the deep anguish he felt at the death of thousands of famished people during the man-made famines of 1946. He wrote the songs sporadically, often on torn scraps of paper - whenever he felt agitated by the injustice perpetrated by the British rulers. He drew the music freely from Indian classical 'ragas' as also the folk tunes he heard in his young days. He took these songs to the streets, to the farms and ploughed fields and to the factories and mills.
Experiments with sound[edit]
Moitra believed that music is omnipresent and often used innovative ways to use the sounds of everyday life for the desired effect in the background score of films. He used, for example, the sound of the thud with which a train bumper hits the station wall or the thumping sound of a heavy load as it falls on the ground. To create ambient sound effect, he would pick up the din of the street hawkers beckoning potential customers and car tyres screeching on the roads. Instead of using the conventional violin tune in a scene depicting intense sorrow or anguish, he actually used the harsh thrashing sound of a whip in the film Meghe Dhaka Tara. Once while passing by Red Road (in Kolkata) in a taxi, he noted some migrant bhutia sellers from the hills and was immediately attracted by the song being rendered by them accompanied by a folk musical instrument, sarinda. Making an unplanned stoppage there, he took some of them home. He made them play quite a few tunes that he recorded in his studio. Later, he used one of these in a scene in Meghe Dhaka Tara in the backdrop of the hill station Kurseong. In the orchestra, Jagojhmpa, musical instruments such as earthen pots, stone chips in canisters and water in broken cups were used to create a unique effect.
Legacy of Batukda[edit]
Moitra's youngest daughter Susmita along with her husband Debasish Raychaudhuri has set up the Jyotirindra Moitra Memorial Trust. The trust was founded in 2016 to preserve and promote the songs, poetry and other compositions by Jyotirindra Moitra and to support and generate awareness for alternative arts and literature. Patha Bhavan (Kolkata), the school where he spent the last few years of his life, training the children in music, is also actively engaged in bringing the poems and songs of their Batukda to the culturally conscious people.
Books and articles by/on JyotirindraMoitra:[edit]
Books:[edit]
Smarak Baktritamala – Jyotirindra Moitra (Saptarshi Publication)
Shatabarshiyan Jyotirindra Moitra – Biography in Bengali by Samik Bandyopadhyay
Articles:[edit]
Nabajeeboner Gaan – Jyotirindra Moitra http://www.milansagar.com/kobi/jyotirindra_moitra/shotoborsho/PDF/7nabajiboner-gaan_JM.pdf
Tanr protibhay chhilo nabajeeboner ishara by Soumitra Chattopadhyay http://archives.anandabazar.com/archive/1111110/10edit4.html
Jyotirindra Moitra – Amader Nobojeeboner Gaan (Our Song of a New Life), Bohurupee, No 49, 1 May 1978.
Smaran: Bijon Bhattacharya О Jyotirindra Moitra (Bijon Bhattacharya and Jyotirindra Moitra Memorial number), pp 119–33. Original publication in Saradiya Kalantar, Calcutta, 1974.
References[edit]
- https://mio.to/show/Music+Director/Jyotirindra+Moitra
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0596239/
- https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/delhiites-pay-tribute-to-jyotirindra-nath- moitra/775377
- https://eisamay.indiatimes.com/west-bengal-news/kolkata-news/programme-organised-in-jadavpur-university-remembering-great-lyricist-poet-composer-jyotirindra-moitra/articleshow/72095357.cms
- Susmita Raychaudhuri, 'Jyotirindra Moitra', SanskritiKhabor, October-December 1977.
- http://www.milansagar.com/kobi/jyotirindra_moitra/shotoborsho/
Parimal Ghosh, Rise and Fall of Calcutta's Group Theatre: The End of a Political Dream, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 47, No. 10 (MARCH 10, 2012), pp. 36–42 https://www.jstor.org/stable/41419931?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Erin O'Donnell, The Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) on film: (Con)testing memory and history in the Bengali theatrescapes of Ritwik Ghatak's Komal Gandhar (E Flat, 1961), South Asian Popular Culture Volume 8, 2010 pp 261–175
Video/Audio link
Sombhu Mitra's recitation of Madhu BanshirGali https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si00tFydm9M
Jyotirindra Smarone “Je pathe jao”: a documentary produced by KorolbaghBangiyoSamsad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY_6YmFUjEs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F27Oyk8Yy1g Farewell to Earnest: from the Film Householder: Jyotinrindra Moitra and Ali Akbar Khan
E bharate rakho nityo probhu: Rabindrasangeet by JyotirindraMoitra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPApKjwmjYc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ8GeIzeX9U
https://www.hungama.com/album/smriti-satta-bhabishat/22967670/
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