Manna Dey
Encyclopedia
Prabodh Chandra Dey better known by his nickname Manna Dey , is a playback singer in Bengali
Assamese and Hindi
films. Along with Mohammed Rafi
, Kishore Kumar
, Mukesh, he was a part of Indian film playback music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He has recorded more than 3500 songs over the course of his career. The Government of India
honoured him with the Padma Shri
in 1971, the Padma Bhushan
in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award
in 2007 .
), 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, followed by Vidyasagar College
where he received his graduate education.
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 Bombay
. 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 composed by Sachin Dev Burman, Upar Gagan Vishal, in the 1950 movie, Mashal. Its lyrics were written by Kavi Pradeep. 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
), "Babu Samjho Ishare" (Chalti ka naam Gadi). With Md Rafi, Dey sang 58 duets like "Isq Isq" (Barsat ki raat) "Tu hai mera prem Devta (Kalpana
), "Mama o mama" (Parvarish
). With Lata Mangeshkar
, Manna recorded 113 duets including Yeh raat bhigi bhigi,"Pyar hua iqrar hua", "Aja madhur sanam", "Ritu aye". With Asha Bhosle
, Manna recorded more than 100 duets including "Re man sur me ga", "Tu chupi hai kahan", "Zindegi hai khel". Dey sang with singer/composer, Hemant Kumar (Hemanta Mukherjee), in Bengali movies, and also for some other Bengali composers like Nachiketa Ghosh
and Sudhin Dasgupta. He sang a duet, "Ke Prothom Kachhe Esechi", with Lata Mangeshkar in the movie Sankhyabela. He also performed Rabindra Sangeet
and has recorded over 3500 songs.
He was presented the Filmfare Life Time Achievement Award in 2011.
. 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 by the renowned Ananda Publisher in the year 2005 which has been translated 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. In association with Rabindra Bharati University
, Kolkata, the Manna Dey Music Archive has been developed in the Sangeet Bhawan.
He has also lent his voice for Madhushala, composed by Late Harivansh Rai Bachchan
and Padma Bhushan
.
The following is the list of Manna Dey's other awards:
Bengali cinema
Bengali cinema refers to the Bengali language filmmaking industries in the Bengal region of South Asia. There are two major film-making hubs in the region: one in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and the other in Dhaka, Bangladesh .The history of cinema in Bengal dates back to the 1890s, when the first...
Assamese and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
films. Along with Mohammed Rafi
Mohammed Rafi
Mohammad Rafi , was an Indian playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He was awarded National Award and 6 Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri awarded by the Government of India....
, Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
, Mukesh, he was a part of Indian film playback music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He has recorded more than 3500 songs over the course of his career. The Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
honoured him with the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in 1971, the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema given annually by the Government of India for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. It was instituted in 1969, the birth centenary year of Dadasaheb Phalke, considered as the father of Indian cinema.The award for a particular year is...
in 2007 .
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 SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
), K. C. Dey
K. C. Dey
Krishna Chandra De better known as K.C. Dey, was a Bengali actor, singer and music composer and teacher born in Calcutta . He was S.D. Burman's first musical teacher and mentor. He worked for New Theatres in Kolkata until 1940. He is best remembered for his Kirtan songs.Dey sang and composed...
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, followed by Vidyasagar College
Vidyasagar College
Vidyasagar College , named after Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, is a government-sponsored day and evening college, affiliated to the University of Calcutta in Kolkata, India.-Notable alumni:*Jatindra Nath Das*Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar...
where he received his graduate education.
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 Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. There he started working as an assistant, first under Krishna Chandra Dey, and then under Sachin Dev Burman
Sachin Dev Burman
Sachin Dev Burman , also credited as Burman da, Kumar Sachindra Dev Barman, Sachin karta or S. D. Burman, was one of the most famous music composers for Hindi movies and a Bengali singer and composer. His son Rahul Dev Burman also achieved great success as a Bollywood music director in his own...
. Later he assisted other music composers and then started to work independently. While working independently as a music director for various Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
movies, Manna Dey continued to take musical lessons in Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
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
Suraiya
Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh was a singer and actress of the Indian films in the 40s and 50s, and was popularly known by her first name Suraiya..-Early life:...
. The song was an instant hit. He sang a solo composed by Sachin Dev Burman, Upar Gagan Vishal, in the 1950 movie, Mashal. Its lyrics were written by Kavi Pradeep. In 1952, Dey sang for a Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
and a Marathi
Marathi cinema
Marathi cinema refers to films produced in the Marathi language in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is the oldest and pioneer film industry in India...
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
Bhimsen Joshi
Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi ; February 4, 1922 - January 24, 2011) was an Indian vocalist in the Hindustani classical tradition. A member of the Kirana Gharana , he is renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music...
. With Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
, he sang duets of different genres such as, Yeh Dosti Hum Nehi Torenge (Sholay
Sholay
Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered among the greatest films in the history of Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri and...
) and Ek Chatur Naar (Padosan
Padosan
Padosan is a 1968 Indian Hindi film. Directed by Jyoti Swaroop, Produced by Mehmood, N. C. Sippy, and written by Rajendra Krishan. The music is by R.D. Burman. The movie stars Sunil Dutt, Saira Banu in the lead roles. Kishore Kumar, Mukri, Raj Kishore and Keshto Mukherjee played the supporting roles...
), "Babu Samjho Ishare" (Chalti ka naam Gadi). With Md Rafi, Dey sang 58 duets like "Isq Isq" (Barsat ki raat) "Tu hai mera prem Devta (Kalpana
Kalpana
Kalpana is a Sanskrit word that means "creativity" and "imagination" in Marathi, Hindi and Nepali. It is also a popular female Hindu name.It may also refer to:* Kalpana , at NASAs Ames Research Center...
), "Mama o mama" (Parvarish
Parvarish
Parvarish is a 1977 Hindi film directed by Manmohan Desai. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna as two brothers playing oneupmanship, because one brother believes he is adopted and not the real son. Shabana Azmi and Neetu Singh play the love interests. Amjad Khan and Kader Khan are the...
). With Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
, Manna recorded 113 duets including Yeh raat bhigi bhigi,"Pyar hua iqrar hua", "Aja madhur sanam", "Ritu aye". With Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
, Manna recorded more than 100 duets including "Re man sur me ga", "Tu chupi hai kahan", "Zindegi hai khel". Dey sang with singer/composer, Hemant Kumar (Hemanta Mukherjee), in Bengali movies, and also for some other Bengali composers like Nachiketa Ghosh
Nachiketa Ghosh
Nachiketa Ghosh was one of the most powerful music director and composer of India. He mainly composed for Bengali, Hindi, and Oriya songs. He gave a new dimension to the Bengali music for both the arenas of Bengali modern song as well as Bengali film song...
and Sudhin Dasgupta. He sang a duet, "Ke Prothom Kachhe Esechi", with Lata Mangeshkar in the movie Sankhyabela. He also performed Rabindra Sangeet
Rabindra Sangeet
Rabindra Sangeet , also known as Tagore Songs in English, is a form of music composed by Rabindranath Tagore who added a new dimension to the musical concept of India in general and Bengal in specific....
and has recorded over 3500 songs.
He was presented the Filmfare Life Time Achievement Award in 2011.
Personal life
On 18 December 1953, Manna Dey married Sulochana Kumaran from KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. They have two daughters: Shuroma, born on 19 October 1956; and Sumita, born on 20 June 1958. Manna Dey currently lives in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
in the township of Kalyannagar after spending more than fifty years in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. 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 by the renowned Ananda Publisher in the year 2005 which has been translated 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. In association with Rabindra Bharati University
Rabindra Bharati University
Rabindra Bharati University is a university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore...
, Kolkata, the Manna Dey Music Archive has been developed in the Sangeet Bhawan.
He has also lent his voice for Madhushala, composed by Late Harivansh Rai Bachchan
Accolades and awards
Dey has been honored with the titles Padma ShriPadma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
and Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
.
The following is the list of Manna Dey's other awards:
- 1969 National Film Award for Best Male Playback SingerNational Film Award for Best Male Playback SingerThe following is a list of winners of the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer with the most awards in this category is K. J. Yesudas with seven wins, whereas S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won six times for 4 different languages; Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.-Superlatives:...
for the Hindi Film Mere Huzur - 1971 National Film Award for Best Male Playback SingerNational Film Award for Best Male Playback SingerThe following is a list of winners of the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer with the most awards in this category is K. J. Yesudas with seven wins, whereas S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won six times for 4 different languages; Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.-Superlatives:...
for the Bengali film Nishi Padma - 1971 Padma ShriPadma ShriPadma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
Award by Government of IndiaGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India... - 1972 Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for Mera Naam JokerMera Naam JokerMera Naam Joker is a 1970 Hindi film directed by Raj Kapoor. The screenplay was written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. This film was the debut of Rishi Kapoor. Mera Naam Joker is a film about a clown who must make his audience laugh at the cost of his own sorrows. The film is reportedly inspired by Raj...
- 1985 Lata MangeshkarLata MangeshkarLata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
Award awarded by Government of Madhya PradeshGovernment of Madhya PradeshThe Government of Madhya Pradesh also known as the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and its 50 districts... - 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 AwardAnandalok AwardsAnandalok Awards or Anandalok Puraskar ceremony is one of the most prominent film events given for Bengali Cinemas in India. The Anandalok, only film magazine in Bengali language, published from Ananda Publishers and Ananda Bazar Patrika presents this Award...
by the Anandabazar Group - 2002 Special Jury Swaralaya Yesudas AwardSwaralaya Yesudas AwardSwaralaya Yesudas award is a prestigious award for music artists in recognition to their outstanding performance. The award is instituted jointly by Swaralaya, an organization that promotes music and Kairali Channel, based at Trivandrum, India. Awards have been given annually since 2000. Dr. K. J...
for outstanding performance in music - 2003 Alauddin Khan Award by the Government of West BengalGovernment of West BengalThe Government of West Bengal also known as the State Government of West Bengal, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of West Bengal and its 19 districts...
- 2004 National Award as Playback singer by Government of KeralaGovernment of KeralaThe Government of Kerala is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Kerala, India for a period of 5 years. The state government is headed by the Governor of Kerala as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister as real head of the executive. The state...
- 2004 Hony D. Lit Award by the Rabindra Bharati UniversityRabindra Bharati UniversityRabindra Bharati University is a university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore...
- 2005 Lifetime Achievement award by the Government of MaharashtraGovernment of MaharashtraGovernment of Maharashtra is the government for the state of Maharashtra in Western India.It is an elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the legislative assembly for a 5 year term.-Ministers:...
- 2005 Padma BhushanPadma BhushanThe Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
Award by the Government of IndiaGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India... - 2007 First AKSHAYA Award by Government of OrissaGovernment of OrissaThe Government of Orissa also known as the State Government of Orissa, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Orissa and its 30 districts...
- 2007 Awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award by the Government of IndiaGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
- 2008 Hony D. Lit Award by Jadavpur UniversityJadavpur UniversityJadavpur University , is a premier educational and research institution in India.It is located in Kolkata, West Bengal and comprises two campuses - the main campus at Jadavpur and the new campus at Salt Lake...
- 2011 Filmfare Lifetime Achievement AwardFilmfare Lifetime Achievement AwardThe Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, initially named Raj Kapoor Award for Lifetime Achievement after Raj Kapoor is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films....
- 2011 Banga-VibhushanBanga-VibhushanBanga-Vibhushan is a title instituted by the West Bengal Government to honour the services of personalities in various fields. This award is apparently instituted on the lines of Padma Vibhushan title awarded nationally....
by Government of West BengalGovernment of West BengalThe Government of West Bengal also known as the State Government of West Bengal, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of West Bengal and its 19 districts...
External links
- Manna Dey official website
- Manna Dey interview at 90 in Anandabazar Patrika
- Manna Dey's interview by Chandan Mitra
- http://www.suraurtaal.com/forums/aye-mere-pyare-watan-manna-dey-the-living-legend-vt367.htmlManna Dey's interview by Shekhar GuptaShekhar GuptaShekhar Gupta is the editor-in-chief of The Indian Express..Credibility and high integrity, in addition to a persistent sense of inquiry, fairness and professionalism are the hallmark of his editorial leadership. In his own writings, as well as under his editorship...
] - "Ai Mere Pyare Watan" Little India article
- "Being Manna Dey: The modest musical maestro" - IBNLive interview