Centenary celebration of Suchitra Mitra at institute named by her

KOLKATA: On September 19, Purabi, the institution named by Rabindra Sangeet maestro, Suchitra Mitra herself, is gearing up to celebrate her centenary.

“This year holds a special significance as it marks the beginning of the centenary celebration of my teacher, Suchitra Mitra. Back in 1994, she named the institution and entrusted us with the responsibility of carrying forward the legacy of the Shantidev Ghosh - Suchitra Mitra gharana,” said Mandira Mukhopadhyay, founder of Purabi, located in Howrah. Mitra received a scholarship at Sangit Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, where she learnt music from Rabindra Sangeet legends like Indiradevi Chaudhurani, Shantidev Ghosh, and Shailajaranjan Mazumdar.

For the past 10 years now, the institute has been celebrating the Suchitra Mitra Festival to commemorate the birth anniversary of the legend, whose rendition of Tagore’s ‘Amar Sonar Bangla Ami Tomay Bhalobasi’ during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 resonated with millions. Every year, around 1,500 artistes come together to celebrate the iconic singer through music, dance, poetry, and dance drama.

This year, the institute is set to stage ‘Chitrangada,’ based on Mitra’s script, and also present ‘Nibhrito Praner Debota,’ a script based on Tagore’s spiritual compositions.

On the second day of the centenary celebration, the institute will stage five dramas, including ‘Achalayatan,’ ‘Muktadhara,’ ‘Raktakarabi,’ ‘Falguni,’ and ‘Tasher Desh.’ The Padma Shri awardee, who was also Kolkata’s first woman sheriff, was deeply passionate about performing arts. She acted and danced in many Tagore dramas. Her acting in Rituparno Ghosh’s National Award-winning film ‘Dahan’ was widely acclaimed.

“We’ll celebrate this occasion with a two-day festival featuring various cultural performances, with a special focus on ‘Chitrangada’, which celebrates feminism,” said Mukhopadhyay.