Madhuri Chattopadhyay (16 December 1940 – 19 October 2013) was a Bengali singer from Kolkata, who sang numerous songs in popular Bengali language during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Madhuri Chattopadhyay is noted for her contribution in Geet, Gazal, Bengali Modern Songs, light Classical songs, Najrul Geeti and Rabindra Sangeet. She was playback singer for a few Bengali movies. She also published album in Shyama Sangeet in later years.
Family Her father is Shibnath Bandyopadhyay, her husband is Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay, and her daughter is Rupa Chattopadhyay.
Early life According to the accounts of Shankarlal Bhattacharya, Madhuri was born in a nursing home in Park Street, and was raised in her maternal uncle's house in Balaram Bose Ghat Road in North Kolkata in her early years. Her father Sri Shibnath Bandyopadhyay was a famous Kirtaniya (Kirtan Singer), and her main inspiration. Since her early years Madhuri was trained in Hindusthani Classical Music under eminent artists such as singer Uma De, Ustad Keramatullah Khan and Pandit Harihar Shuklaji. Apart from her father, she was trained in Kirtan from eminent singer Sri Rathin Ghosh.
Singer Madhuri appeared in the audition in All India Radio in 1955 and started her career as a singer at the age of fourteen. In 1959 she was offered to publish her first record from Megaphone as Puja album. Music for the two songs were composed by Nachiketa Ghosh. "Oli omon kore noy" and "Tomay amay prothom dekha", these two songs became legends on their first appearance and created a permanent place in the romantic psyche of Bengalis. In the first disk her name was mentioned as Madhuri Bandyopadhyay.
Madhuri was introduced to Salil Chowdhury by Sri Kamal Ghosh, owner of Megaphone Records. in 1961 Madhuri published her Puja Album with two songs composed by Salil Chowdhury, "Nijere haraye khuNji" and "Ebar amar somoy holo jabar". In the same year she married Sri Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay.
Madhuri sang a few songs of Salil Chowdhury. Salilda while composing "Oi je sobuj bono bithika" that spans two and a half octaves, used glimpses of Beethoven's 6th symphony (Pastorale) in the interlude, that blended with Madhuri's voice.
Playback singer in Bengali movies Maestro Rathin Ghosh was Guru of Madhuri Chattopadhyay and under his music direction Madhuri appeared as playback singer in the Bengali movie "Moha Teertha Kalighat" in 1964. It was a chorus song sang along with Nilima Bandopadhyay, Binay Adhikary and Manas Mukhopadhyay. In the same year she sang in Bengali movie "Radhakrishna". In 1965 she sang in "Rup Sanatan" a kirtan. Manabendra Mukhopadhyay gave her a break in the movie "Uttor Purush" in 1966. The song, "ekbar broje chalo Brajeswar", became immense popular. Other movies where she lent her voice were "Shachimar Sonsar" (1971), "Swarnaa Mahal" (1982), "Tania" (1987) etc.
Events and memoirs Pratima Bandopadhyay presented Sundar Narayan Bandyopadhyay Smriti Sandhya on 13 July 2010, at 6 pm at Vidya Mandir hall. Madhuri Chattopadhyay was felicitated on that occasion for her lifetime achievement. In spite of her unmatched talent and her outstanding renditions, Madhuri Chattopadhyay kept herself away from the spotlight of media and publicity.
Discography + Madhuri Chattopadhyay DiscographySongYearFilm/albumLyricsMusic Aaji sharater aakashe - Amar Sandhya Pradip (Original song by Gayatri Basu) - Pranab Roy Rabin Chattopadhyay Bou kotha kao 1975 - Gauriprasanna Majumdar Anupam Ghatak Ebar amar somoy holo 1960 - Salil Chowdhury Ek phota chokher jole Subir Hazra Salil Mitra Ekbar broje chalo Brajeswar 1966 "Uttor Purush" Manabendra Mukhopadhyay Ekti kothai likhe jabo 1955 Gauriprasanna Majumdar Shyamal Mitra Emoni borosha chhilo se din 1975 - Pranab Roy Kamal Dasgupta Ganga sindhu narmada 1972 Nazrul geeti Nazrul Islam Nazrul Islam Gun gun phalgun 1967 - Salil Chowdhury Salil Chowdhury Jani na aaj prane - - Rabin Chattopadhyay Je mala shukaye (original song by Talat Mahmood 1956) - - Pabitra Mitra Shyamal Mitra Jedin jibone tumi - - Shyamal Gupta Satinath Mukhopadhyay Jethay gele haray sobai - Shyamal Gupta Satinath Mukhopadhyay Joubane mou jhore 1969 - Lakshikanta Roy Himangshu Biswas Ke tumi amare dako - - Gauriprasanna Majumdar Anupam Ghatak Ki aar kohibo balo - - Kon banshuriya banshite amay 1968 - Pulak Bandyopadhyay Ratu Mukhopadhyay Kono kono phul subas diye - - Biggnaswar Bhattacharya Krishna Chattopadhyay Kuhu kuhu koyel jodi daake 1969 - Lakshikanta Roy Himangshu Biswas Nijere haraye khNuji 1960 - Salil Chowdhury Ogo aaj ei sondhyay - - Ogo shuni tabo banshi - - Rabin Chattopadhyay Oi banka nodi - - Oli omon kore noy 1959 Puja album Pulak Bandyopadhyay Nachiketa Ghosh Ore o shaapla phul - - Paarul bon aamar - - Phul phutuk na phutuk aaj basanto - - Subhas Mukhopadhyay Jatileswar Mukhopadhyay Protidin ami tomay dekhi - - Sanjher taroka ami (original song by Juthika Roy 1934) 1968 - Pranab Roy Kamal Dasgupta Tomay amay prothom dekha 1959 Puja album Pulak Bandyopadhyay Nachiketa Ghosh Tumi nai aaj - Shyamal Gupta Ratu Mukhopadhyay
Awards Srimati Madhuri Chattopadhyay was awarded with "Sangeet Samman" by Government of West Bengal in 2012.
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