Suprava Sarkar(1919-1989)
- Music Department
Suprabha Ghosh was born on the 25th of September, 1919. Her father was
Upendranath Ghosh and her mother Champaknalini. Suprabha's first
training in music was from her parents, both music lovers.
Champaknalini gave her lessons in devotional songs. Formal training
started from Dhrupadia Shishir Guha and thereafter from Tarapada
Chakraborty. Her entry into music world as a professional happened when
she was only thirteen, with her participation in Galpadadur Asar in All
India Radio, Calcutta. In the forties she was a regular in the live
early morning programme Mahishashurmardini from A.I.R. and her
association with the radio was almost life long. In the last years of
her life Suprabha Sarkar was associated as trainer of Nazrul songs. In
1942, Suprabha Ghosh got married to Advocate Sudhir Chandra Sarkar but
unlike many singers of her time Suprabha did not have to quit singing
after marriage even after becoming the mother of two sons. 1942 onwards
all her records carried the name Suprabha Sarkar. Her first gramophone
record was published from Senola Musical Products Company in February,
1936. The record number was QS 47 and the songs were Jadi Swapan Bhange
Aji Nayan Jale, lyric by Hashirashi Devi and Alor Desher Bandhu He Mor,
lyric by Batakrishna Dey. Both songs were set to tune by Nitai Ghatak.
Several basic discs were published from Senola before she joined
Hindusthan Musical Products as their regular artiste in June, 1938.
From 1937 to April 1938, Suprabha recorded some songs for the short
lived Bharatbani Records, a sister concern of Hindusthan, under the
names Anjana Sarkar and Anuradha Ghosh. This was probably necessitated
due to Suprabha's existing contract with Senola. As Anuradha Ghosh, she
took part to sing and act in a one disc record play Bhorer Ashru,
published from Bharatbani. Primarily an artiste of Hindusthan, Suprabha
was invited by HMV and recorded two basic songs in 1953 with Hemanta
Mukherjee as her trainer and two more in 1955 under Shyamal Mitra's
guidance. In 1959 and then the next year, Suprabha sang for Megaphone
Company as well. In 1949, Suprabha Sarkar turned composer and set to
tune Rodana Tomar and Jibane Amar Na Bola Katha, both written by Manik
Basu. However, after this she never did the job of music direction.
Suprabha's association with Kaji Nazrul Islam dates back to the days of
making of the N.T. film Sapurey (1939). Kaji Nazrul took great interest
in Suprabha's work and the result was the evergreen Kaberi Nadijale Ke
Go Balika published in January, 1941 with Mor Pratham Moner Mukul on
the reverse from Hindusthan, the record number being H 876. Suprabha
went on to become one of the leading exponents of Nazrul songs. She
also recorded Tagore songs which became very popular. In films,
Suprabha's first solo singing was for Leela Desai in Jiban Maran
(1939). Only one song of Suprabha, Kabhu Je Ashay Kabhu Nirashay came
out as a record from Hindusthan with Ei Peyechhi Anal Jwala of Kundan
Lal Saigal on the reverse. Earlier, in 1935, Suprabha had the historic
opportunity to sing in the first playback song in Indian films along
with Parul Biswas and Miss Harimati in Bhagyachakra (1935), the song
being Mora Pulak Jachi Tabu Sukh Na Mani and the Hindi version Dhoop
Chhayon (1935), the song Main Khush Hona Chahoon. Some research workers
give the name of Umashashi as one of the singers. The other singers in
this quite long song were Krishna Chandra Dey and Ahi Sanyal. Their
names as playback singers have not been included probably because they
sang for themselves. The popularity of the Jiban Maran (1939) song gave
Suprabha Sarkar a permanent place in Bengal's playback singing. Kundan
Lal Saigal was so moved by her voice that he presented a harmonium to
her. A very precious gift indeed and Suprabha preserved the instrument
and used it all her life. Her voice was used by all the leading music
directors in films like Shuktara (1940), Shapmukti (1940), Rajnartaki
(1941), Aparadh (1942), Aahuti (1941), Kato Dur (1945), Pather Sathi
(1946), Swapna O Sadhana (1947), Abhijog (1947), Swayam Siddha (1947),
Natun Khabar (1947), Samapti, Dhatri Debata (1948), Anjangarh (1948),
Sadharan Meye (1948), Priyatama (1948), Kalo Ghora (1948), Shyamaler
Swapna (1948), Satero Bachhar Pare (1949), Niruddesh (1949), Singhadwar
(1949), Jar Jetha Ghar (1949), Samarpan (1949), Cartoon (1949), Samapti
(1949), Radharani (1950), Indira (1950), Sharey Chuattar (1954), Ma
(1956), Paradhin (1956) to name a few. Others like Radharani, Ila
Ghosh, Shaila Devi, Anima Sengupta were all at their best but Suprabha
continued to be artiste most sought after for films. In the sixties,
slowly she went out of the record world. Mid fifties saw the rise of
newer stars in the music world and the inevitable happened and new
talents tended to replace the old. Suprabha got less work for films and
basic discs and she withdrew herself from the show business. However
she could never detach herself from music and continued to serve as a
teacher in institutions like Rabindra Bharati University, Surtirtha
Sangeet Bidyalay and above all All India Radio where she was appointed
trainer of Nazrul songs. Apart from official associations, she gave
regular music lessons to a host of students. Jovial by nature, Suprabha
Sarkar was also famous for her short temper. However, she was popular
with her colleagues and juniors and was Bardi , meaning elder sister,
to all. In the seventies, Suprabha Sarkar was interviwed on television
by poet Pulak Bandyopadhyay. She rendered several songs, some in bits
and some full showing what control she had over her voice even at that
age. She breathed her last on 23rd of September, 1989.