TODAY, Prabodh Chandra Dey turns 90 who born on 1st May, 1919, better known by his nickname Manna Dey (Bengali: মান্না দে), is a playback singer in Bengali and Hindi films. Along with Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, he was a part of Indian film playback music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He has recorded more than 3500 songs over the course of his career. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1971, the Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2009.
BIOGRAPHY:-
Dey was born to Purna Chandra (father) and Mahamaya Dey (mother) on 1 May 1919. Besides his parents, his youngest paternal uncle Sangeetacharya (meaning "Venerable Teacher of Music" in Sanskrit). K. C. Dey highly inspired and influenced him. Dey received his early education in a small pre-primary school named Indu Babur Pathshala. Thereafter he attended Scottish Church Collegiate School and Scottish Church College,[1] followed by Vidyasagar College where he received his graduate education.
During Dey’s years at Scottish Church College, he sang to entertain his classmates. He began taking singing lessons from his uncle, Krishna Chandra Dey and Ustad Dabir Khan. During this period, Manna Dey stood first for three consecutive years in three different categories of inter-collegiate singing competitions.
In 1942, Dey accompanied Krishna Chandra Dey on a visit to Bombay. There he started working as an assistant, first under Krishna Chandra Dey, and then under Sachin Dev Burman. Later he assisted other music composers and then started to work independently. While working independently as a music director for various Hindi movies, Manna Dey continued to take musical lessons in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan.
Dey started his career in playback singing with the movie, Tamanna, in 1943. The musical score was by Krishna Chandra Dey and Manna sang a duet with Suraiya. The song was an instant hit. He sang a solo composed by Sachin Dev Burman, Upar Gagan Vishal, in the 1950 movie, Mashal. Its lyrics were written by Kavi Pradeep. In 1952, Dey sang for a Bengali and a Marathi movie with the same name and storyline, Amar Bhupali. This established him as a leading playback singer.
Dey recorded a popular duet, Ketaki Gulab Juhi, with classicist Bhimsen Joshi. With Kishore Kumar, he sang duets of different genres such as, Yeh Dosti Hum Nehi Torenge (Sholay) and Ek Chatur Naar (Padosan), "Babu Samjho Ishare" (Chalti ka naam Gadi ). With Md Rafi, Dey sang 58 duets like "Isq Isq"(Barsat ki raat) "Tu hai mera prem Devta (Kalpana), "Mama o mama" (Parvarish ). With Lata Mangeshkar, Manna recorded 113 duets including "E raat bhigi bhigi","Pyar hua iqrar hua", "Aja madhur sanam", "Ritu aye". With Asha Bhosle, Manna recorded more than 100 duets including "Re man sur me ga", "Tu chupi hai kahan", "Zindegi hai khel". Dey sang with singer/composer, Hemant Kumar (Hemanta Mukherjee), in Bengali movies, and also for some other Bengali composers like Nachiketa Ghosh and Sudhin Dasgupta. He sang a duet, "Ke Prothom Kachhe Esechi", with Lata Mangeshkar in the movie Sankhyabela. He also performed Rabindra Sangeet and has recorded over 3500 songs.
He was presented the Filmfare Life Time Achievement Award in 2011.
PERSONAL LIFE:-
On 18 December 1953, Manna Dey married Sulochana Kumaran from Kerala. They have two sons: Ajit, born on 19 October 1956; and Abhijit, born on 20 June 1958. Manna Dey currently lives in Bangalore in the township of Kalyannagar after spending more than fifty years in Mumbai. He also maintains a Calcutta address. He still travels widely in the world to present musical programs.
His Bengali-language autobiography, Jiboner Jalsaghorey, has been published by the renowned Ananda Publisher in the year 2005 which has been translated in English as Memories Come Alive, in Hindi as Yaden Jee Uthi and in Marathi as Jiboner Jalsaghorey.
Jibaner Jalsaghore, a documentary on Dey's life, was released in 2008. Manna Dey Sangeet Academy is developing a complete archive on Manna Dey. In association with Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, the Manna Dey Music Archive has been developed in the Sangeet Bhawan.
He has also lent his voice for Madhushala, composed by Late Harivansh Rai Bachchan
AWARDS:-
Dey has been honored with the titles Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
The following is the list of Manna Dey's other awards:-
1969 National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the Hindi Film Mere Huzur
1971 National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the Bengali film Nishi Padma
1971 Padma Shri Award by Government of India
1985 Lata Mangeshkar Award awarded by Government of Madhya Pradesh
1988 Michale Sahittyo Puraskar awarded by Renaissance Sanskritik Parishad, Dhaka
1990 Shyamal Mitra Award by Mithun Fans Association
1991 Sangeet Swarnachurr Award awarded by Shree Khetra Kala Prakashika, Puri
1993 P.C.Chandra Award by P.C.Chandra Group & others
1999 Kamala Devi Roy Award by Kamala Devi Group
2001 Anandalok Lifetime Award by the Anandabazar Group
2002 Special Jury Swaralaya Yesudas Award for outstanding performance in music
2003 Alauddin Khan Award by the Government of West Bengal
2004 National Award as Playback singer by Government of Kerala
2004 Hony D. Lit Award by the Rabindra Bharati University
2005 Lifetime Achievement award by the Government of Maharashtra
2005 Padma Bhushan Award by the Government of India
2007 First AKSHAYA Award by Government of Orissa
2007 Awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award by the Government of India
2008 Hony D. Lit Award by Jadavpur University
2011 Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
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