Asim Bando's KOLKATA BLOG

On this day (20th April), in the year 1920, the noted singer Juthika Roy was born. She started singing at an early age. She has sung many songs for music directors including her first mentor Kazi Nazrul Islam (whom she called Kazi Da) and the great bengali music director Kamal Dasgupta. It is said that Kamal Das Gupta and Kumari Juthika Roy recorded a naat in the late 1930s that impressed Gupta so much that he embraced Islam. Her singing was liked by many including Mahatma Gandhi. She has sung for many Bengali and Hindi movies also but she is most popularly known for her Meera Bhajans. Some Juthika Roy songs * meri prem ki naiya (sung for Kamal Dasgupta) * darshan bina prabhuji * ghunghat ka pat khol * kanhaiya pe tan man * pag ghungharu bandh meera nachi * tore angse ang milake kanhaii * tulsi mira sur kabir * badal dekh rahi * bolre madhuban mein * chupke chupke bol maina * Roti Ankhiyan * aakash tale jab deep * aankhin mein mathura * Anjaan nagar anjaan dagar * Maine Chakrar rak...

16 April 2024 Ma Annapurna Puja. Joy Ma Annapurna 🙏🏻

 

 

 

>   In the year 1822, on this day, a weekly Bengali newspaper 'Samachar Chandrika' was founded from Calcutta.  It was first published by Babu Bhabani Charan Bandyopadhyay on 15th March, 1822.  It was an orthodox Hindu newspaper of the Dharma Sabha.  It campaigned against social reforms including the ban on Sati by Lord William Bentinck.  It was published for over 60 years. Pic: The first page of 'Samachar Chandrika' published on 14.2.1877

In the year 1812, on this day, Ishwar Chandra Gupta was born at Kanchrapara of West Bengal in a Baidya family. He was brought up in his uncle's house after the death of his mother. Gupta spent most of his childhood in Kolkata. At that time, poets were named  Kobiwala  and the  kobiwalas  were not so civilized in language. Sexual words and clashes were common. But Ishwar Chandra Gupta created a different style of poetry. He started the newspaper Samvad Prabhakar  with Jogendra Mohan Tagore on January 28, 1831, which finally became a daily on June 4, 1839. Many Bengali writers of the 19th century started their careers with that magazine. He reintroduced into Bengali poetry the mediaeval style with double meaning (already seen in Sandhyakar Nandi and Bharatchandra): কে বলে ঈশ্বর গুপ্ত, ব্যপ্ত চরাচর, যাহার প্রভায় প্রভা পায় প্রভাকর। Ke bole Ishwar Gupta, byapta charachar, Jahar prabhaye prabha paye Prabhakar. 'Ishwar' means God, 'Gupta' means hidden and 'Pra...