HIDCO to celebrate birth centenary of Hemanta Mukhopadhyay on June 16

Kolkata: Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation has decided to celebrate the birth centenary of Hemanta Mukhopadhyay in a befitting manner.

The celebrations will be held at Swapno Bhor and Rabindra Tirtha. The statue of Hemanta kept at the Mother's Wax Museum will be garlanded on June 16. He was born on June 16, 1920 in Varanashi.

He was admitted to Mitra Institution in Bhowanipore where he came in contact with poets Subhas Mukhopadhyay

and Samaresh Roy.

Mukhopadhyay sang for the AIR in 1935. In 1937, he cut his first gramophone disc under the Columbia label.

In 1940, he cut two Hindi discs Kitna Dukh Bhulaya Tumne and O Preet Nibhanewalli.

Hemanta , who was a member of the IPTA, came in contact with Salil Chowdhury and the duo made some immortal songs. Kono ek gayer bodhu, runner made in 1947 and 1950 had opened a new chapter in Bengali popular songs. Later, Hemanta had sung more songs composed by Chowdhury like Path Harabo bole ebar, Duranto ghurnir, Amae Proshono kore, Shono kono ek din among others.

Hemanta became more famous as a composer than singer in his early career. His music direction in Nagin, Bis Saal baad and Jaal brought him name. Kishore Kumar had sung some of his famous songs, which were composed by Hemant Kumar like O Shyam Kuch Ajib thi in Khamoshi.

Hemanta's play backed for Uttam Kumar in several Bengali feature films which are still very popular.

In Shapmochon, he first playbacked for Uttam Kumar and the songs like Surer Akashe Tumi je go, Jhar Uteche Baul Batas and Boshe Achi Potho cheye became famous.

Later, he played some of the famous songs in Uttam's lips like Ei path Jodi na sesh hoye, Nir choto khoti nei and O go kajal nayana harini among others.