Atulprasad
Sen was a poet, lyricist and singer. He is mainly known as a musician
and composer. His songs centred around three broad subjects- patriotism,
devotion and love. The sufferings he experienced in his life found
their ways into his senitiments and lyrics; and this has made his songs
full of pathos. Atulprasad is one of the few poets who evolved a
distinct literary style and who wrote from the close of the nineteenth
century to the middle of the twentieth century while most others were
heavily influenced by Tagore's. Although he wrote relatively few songs
compared to other contemporary lyricists, his creation shows great
originality and earned him an eminent place in the world of Bangla
songs. His songs are known as Atulprasader Gaan.
Atulprasad grew
up in the house of his grandfather. After passing the Entrance
examination, he studied briefly at Presidency College in Kolkata. After
he was called to the bar in London, he returned home to start legal
practice in Kolkata and Rangpur, but later settled in Lucknow. He earned
fame as the best lawyer in Lucknow and was elected president to the
Oudh Bar Association and the Oudh Bar Council. He soon became immersed
in the culture and lifestyle of Lucknow.
Atulprasad was one of
the founders of the non-resident Banga-Sahitya Sammilan. He edited the
organisation's magazine Uttara and chaired the Kanpur and Gorakhphur
conventions. Although he did not take active part in politics, he
supported the Congress, and later showed liberal tendencies. He spent
most of his earnings on the welfare of the local people; he even donated
the rights to his property and copyright to his works welfare-oriented
organisations.
Atulprasad practised law in Lucknow from 1902 to
1934. At this time, he used to hold musical soirees almost every evening
at his residence where maestros like Ahammad Khalif Khan, Chhotey Munne
Khan, Barkat Ali Khan and Abdul Karim used to sing. Engrossed in such
musical sessions, he used to forget to attend his clients. He wrote most
of his songs during his residence in Lucknow. He wrote 206 songs, but
only 50 or 60 of them are still sung.
Sahana Devi, Autlprasad's
cousin, edited and published 71 songs, along with her staff notations,
in Kakali (Chirrups, 1930) in two volumes. His other songs have been
published in two volumes called Gitipuvja and Kayekti Gan. His songs
were first recorded in Kolkata in 1922-23; the singers were Sahana Devi
and Haren Chattopadhyay. The artistes who followed sang his songs
differently, thereby raising a controversy.
Atulprasad introduced
the thungri in Bangla music. The introduction of raga-based Bangla
songs was also one of his achievements. The thungri style was originally
the creation of the noted musician, Nawab Wajed Ali Shah of Lucknow.
Atulprasad adapted the Hindustani style to fit Bangla tunes, without
distorting their value and measure. He was able to internalise the
Hindustrani rendition style well since he lived almost half his life in
northern India. He added a new dimension to Bangla songs and opened the
way for further experiments.
Atulprasad used fast-paced
Hindustani tunes like kheyal, thungri and dadra skilfully. Although some
have criticised his attempt to blend Hindustani tunes with Bangla
songs, he has been able to add an element of spontaneity on occasions
when the tune has transcended the lyrics. His songs based on thungri and
dadra have considerable artistic merit. Atulprasad's introduction of
the raga to the Bangla songs has had a significant impact on our music,
and has influenced the songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam and other raga-based
modern songs.
He was greatly influenced by the baul, kirtan and
bhatiyali tunes he had heard as a child in Dhaka and Faridpur. His songs
written in the fashion of baul and kirtan have captured the natural
personality of Bengal. He wrote many songs of love, devotion, patriotism
etc. He wrote a song stressing the harmony between the Hindus and the
Muslims on the occasion of the All-India Congress Convention in Lucknow
in 1916 as a captain of the volunteers. The song begins in the following
manner: "Dekh Ma Ebar Duyar Khule/ Gale Gale Ela Ma/ Tor Hindu-Musalman
Dui Chhele".
His "Moder Garab, Moder Asha/ A Mari Bangla Bhasa"
speaks of his love for his mother tongue. This song inspired our people
during the language movement and the War of Independence. It has
retained its charm even now. He enriched Bangla songs through his
experiments with lyrics, tune, measure, pathos, etc. He died in Lucknow
on August 26 in 1934. August 26 marked the 84th death anniversary of
Atulprasad Sen.
The writer is a freelance contributor.
