Today is the 90th anniversary of the death of eminent poet, lyricist and singer Atulprasad Sen.
Born on October 20, 1871 in Dhaka, Atulprasad Sen鈥檚 creation shows such originality, which earned him a permanent place in Bangla songs.
The sufferings he had experienced in his life found their way into his sentiments and lyrics, and this made his songs full of pathos.
He adapted the Hindustani music style to fit in Bangla songs without distorting their tune. He added a new dimension to Bangla songs as he incorporated fast-paced Hindustani tunes like Kheyal, Thumri and Dadra skilfully, and was able to add an element of spontaneity on occasions when the tune transcended the lyrics.
He was greatly influenced by the Baul, Kirtan and Bhatiyali he had heard as a child in Dhaka and Faridpur.
He practised law in Lucknow from 1902 to 1934. During 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 together.
His songs include 鈥楰i Ar Chahiba Balo鈥�, 鈥極go Nithur Daradi鈥�, 鈥楯aba Na Jaba Na Ghare鈥�, 鈥楤andhu Dhar Dhar Mala鈥�, 鈥楾abu Tomay Daki Bare Bare鈥�, 鈥楬ao Dharmete Dhir, Hao Karmete Bir鈥�, 鈥楿tha Go Bharat Laksmi鈥� and 鈥楧ekh Ma Ebar Duyar Khule鈥�.
Atulprasad Sen passed away in Lucknow on August 26, 1934. He was buried at the Brahmo Temple of Kaoradi in Gazipur.