RMIM Archive Article "127".

From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Salil Chaudhary
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# Posted by: hariharn@tucson.Princeton.EDU (Ramesh Hariharan)
# Source: ?? (taken from Jayesh Singh's home page.)
# Author: ??
#



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			   Salil Chaudhary
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Salil Chaudhary was born on 19th November 1923 in Sonarpur,  Dis-
trict  24  Parganas. His father, Gyanendra Chaudhary was a doctor
with a passion for music.  His elder brother Nikhil Chaudhary was
the  director of an orchestra called "Milan Parishad" hence Salil
was exposed to musical instruments and instrumental  arrangements
from a very early age.

Salil's favourite instrument was the flute, which featured  prom-
inently  in  his subsequent work. He was trained on the piano and
violin and hence from an early  age  was  introduced  to  western
classical  as  well as traditional North Indian classical musics,
and a fusion of the two became his distinguishing trademark.

While at university in Calcutta, Salil was exposed to the  rising
tide  of  Indian nationalism and protest against British rule, as
well as the rural mass movements that were being led by Communist
groups  in  the  villages  of  Bengal. Having first made his mark
writing for student conventions (including "Bicharpati Tomar  Bi-
char"  in  1943,  and "Dheu Uthchhe Kara Tutchhe" in 1944 for the
Quit India Movement, both of which songs were banned).

He was a founding member of the Gana Natya Sangh or  Indian  Peo-
ples  Theatre  Association  (IPTA), where he composed innumerable
songs under the grouping "Ghum Bhangar Gaan".   Among  these  in-
cluded  musical  accompaniments  to famous poems, such as Sukanta
Bhattacharya's "Abak Prithibi" and "Runner". Other  famous  "mass
songs" (ganasangit) from this period include "Hei Samalo" written
for the Tebagha Andolan (1948), "Amaar Pratibader Bhasha"  (1950)
and  many  translations of mass songs from around the world, par-
ticularly the Soviet Union. He was also, with Ruma Guha Thakurta,
a  founder  of  the  Calcutta Youth Choir, which travelled in its
early years around the villages of Bengal with the IPTA  to  sing
Salil Chaudhary's songs.

In the 1950s, Salil, having created a  completely  new  style  of
music through fusion of east and west, established himself as the
leading composer of "adhunik" (popular) music in Calcutta. He was
the  leading playback song writer in Tollygunj, from where he was
taken to Bombay by Munshi Premkumar. Salil, though continuing  to
write for Bengali films, was based in Bombay for 2 decades subse-
quently, with prominent films including Jagte Raho/Ek  Din  Ratre
(1957), Madhumati (1958) and Kabuliwala (1960).

He returned to Calcutta  in  the  1970s,  and  continued  writing
modern Bengali songs, leading a revival movement with songs which
were quickly  popularised  such  as  "Surer  Jharna"  and  "Teler
Shishi".  His  wife,  Sabita  Chaudhary, and his daughter, Antara
Chaudhary, are also prominent in Calcutta today. Salil's  contem-
porary work is predominantly for the popular Bengali theatre form
"Jatra" and he continues to write  songs  for  each  year's  puja
releases.  Published  collections  of his work include "Prantarer
Gaan" and "Salil Chaudharyr Gaan".

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From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian