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Debabrata Biswas (also known as George Biswas and George-da; 22 August 1911 – 18 August 1980), was an Indian Rabindra Sangeet singer.

Early life

Biswas was born in 1911 in Barisal. He then moved to Kishoreganj in the Mymensingh district of Bengal province in British Colonial India. Around the time of Biswas' birth, King George V was visiting India for the Delhi Durbar, so he was nicknamed George, popularly called George Biswas and George Da.

Career

Biswas' music was primarily noted for his interpretation and use of Tagore's lyrics. His earlier 1940s gramophone recordings of Tagore songs, though still regarded as soulful and expressive, demonstrated stricter adherence to the traditional music rules, which he would lead on to break later in his career in the early 1960s.

His vocal range and variety of tempo and rhythm created renditions that were integral to Bengali musical culture of the time, such as Akash bhora surjo tara, Purano sei diner kotha, E monihar amay nahi saje, Klanti amar khoma koro probhu, Je ratey mor duarguli, Tomar kache e bor magi, Chokher joler laglo joar, Swapne amar mone holo, among others.

Biswas was one of few who could sing Rabindra Sangeet in Sanskrit, English, German, French, and Russian. He received training in foreign language at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata.

Filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak worked with Biswas for song selection & playback of Tagore songs for a few of his films. Debabrata Biswas was actively engaged with IPTA group for a long period. He sang a few songs set to music by Salil Choudhury, Hemanga Biswas, Jyotirindra Moitra and recorded songs during the liberation movement of Bangladesh. Kazi Nazrul Islam himself was the trainer when Debabrata recorded songs by Nazrul.

Conflict

Biswas caught the attention of authorities from 1964 onwards due to the liberties he took by challenging the accepted tune-notations, scansion, tempo, beat and rhythms which were commonly associated with Tagore lyrics, as well as with his implementation of Western musical instruments for the purposes of accompaniment and interlude – an practice that remained with him till his death. He challenged the sensibilities of Tagore song listeners with the use of the Spanish guitar, the saxophone, the clarinet, the piano and the cello along with the sitar, the sarod, the esraj and the violin. Despite these departures from tradition, Biswas retained notability amongst a diverse population.

In the later part of the 1960s, quite a number of his records were prohibited from commercial production for reasons attributed to wrong spirit, wrong tempo and other melodic excesses not regarded as harmonious to the purity of Tagore compositions. Although initially he did brace himself to meet the challenge, he retreated later, and, of his own volition stopped all record production. Despite further controversy, his public live performances continued until he withdrew again at the age of 60 due to a lifelong asthma affliction. His frustrations of this period are detailed in his autobiograpy: Bratya Janer Ruddha Sangit, (or, The Stifled Music of an Oucast), published 1979, a year before his death on 18 August 1980.

Personal life

Debabrata Biswas lived a simple, modest life in a rented flat in South Calcutta. He received a post-graduate degree in economics from Calcutta University, eventually retiring in 1971 from the Life Insurance Corporation of India, where he held a clerical position. Biswas held party membership with the Communist Party of India till the mid-1950s. When conflict arose among the core groups of the Communist Party itself and the Marxist Communist Party of India was formed, he was confused and torn by the divisions. However, he remained in touch with the communist party till his death. In one of his memoirs he has said: "When the party got divided into two sections, I was confused, because I was attached to the members of both, Communist Party of India or CPI, as well as the newly formed Communist Party of India (Marxist). So, I decided to remain away from active politics. However, I must confess that I have been lucky to get the true love of all the members of both the wings of the communist party all through my life."

Apart from Rabindrasangeet, Biswas was also known for singing Ganasangit or Peoples' Songs in party gatherings, meetings and plenary sessions up to the mid-1950s. He is one of the personalities of the peak era of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), as a cultural delegate of which he visited China twice in the early 1950s with other great cultural luminaries from India. He recorded his experiences with China in a book titled Antaranga Chin (or, China of My Heart), 1958.

He was described to be a man of Caustic Humour even to the point of self-mockery, buffoonery and feigned frivolity, he was fond of sketching and often gave drawings along with autographs. One such signature features himself praying to Tagore and another showing Tagore hitting a sixer with a cricket bat. Popular as he was, he had shunned the press and the media all his life, not even allowing his own photographs or career history on blurbs or record covers.

He lent his voice to a number of films and after his death was the subject of a documentary film by his name, based on archival footage and interviews. He remains a popular exponent of the art of Rabindra Sangeet.

His legacy: Debabrata Biswas's younger sister, Lalita Biswas was an accomplished singer with very similar vocal qualities and a strong theatrical personality with IPTA. The family is known to be reformers and have contributed to the upliftment of the societal challenges at the time. Her sons, Kumar Shankar Chakraborti and Jati Shankar Chakraborti among the four children, were particularly close their uncle, with whom they received musical training. Kumar Shankar succumbed to a heart condition at a very young age. Jati Shankar was known to have a very similar vocal quality as Debabrata Biswas. He did not pursue music professionally but as a rather as a passion project.

References

1. "Biswas, Debabrata - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
2. "Debabrata Biswas' birth anniversary celebrations". The Daily Star. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
3. Ghosh, Labonita (23 October 2000). "Rabindranath Tagore's music may finally unshackle with Visvabharati's copyright set to end". India Today. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
4. "Bengal remembers Debabrata Biswas on his 103rd birthday". news.webindia123.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
5. "Remembering Debabrata Biswas in Dhaka". The New Nation. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
6. Ronojoy Sen (22 May 2010). "An unequalled music". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 April 2016.

External links

• Biography at debabratabiswas.in

• 1911 births
• 1980 deaths
• Bengali singers
• People from West Bengal
• Singers from Kolkata
• University of Calcutta alumni
• Rabindra Sangeet exponents
• 20th-century Indian male singers
• 20th-century Indian singers