Remembering The Legendary Manabendra Mukherjee: Old Bengali Songs

"Puratoni Bangla Gaan" or Old Bengali Songs are a genre of music that is almost on the verge of extinction. Puratoni Bangla Gaan or Baithaki Gaan is by and large a part of the Bengali Tappa.

Tappa is a semi classical format that has its origins in Punjab especially Sindh. The gayaki and taankari or the voice modulations are an intrinsic part of this particular style. The Bengali Tappa is a mellowed down version which primarily focuses on the soothing melodic structures and most importantly lyrics. Tappa gayaki took new shape and over decades became Puratoni, a semi-classical form of Bengali songs. This genre was also popularly known as Baithaki Gaan as these songs literally grew from the Baithak Khanas or court rooms of the wealthy elite Babus and the Zamindars.

These songs create a mystical aura of the bygone era and attempts to recreate a Calcutta lost in time warp and evoke nostalgia.

"Kirtan" and "Bhakti Geeti" are also considered to be a part of Puratoni Bangla Gaan and hence, songs categorized as Kirtan and Bhakti Geeti are also featured here.

Before expanding on the meaning of “Kirtan“, it is better to understand the meaning of “Bhakti Geeti“. The word “Bhakti” means Devotion and the word “Geeti” or “Geet” means to Music. Put together “Bhakti Geeti” means “Devotional Music“. There are various forms of Bhakti Geeti in Bengali Music.

Though, “Kirtan” can be said to be part a of Bhakti Geeti (since it is devotional in nature), it has been categorized separately due to its distinct style of singing, especially in Bengal. Bengal is known as the birth-place of Sankirtan. Lord Gauranga was the first man, who pioneered the propagation of Sankirtan Yoga in Bengal, Assam and Orissa during the middle of the fifteenth century. His Kirtans are widely sung there. There are several kinds of Kirtan in Bengal – Paalaa Kirtan, Shyama Sangeet, Nama Kirtan, and Parvati Kirtan are the important ones. Kirtans are generally sung with accompaniments like Khol, Jhal, Vina, Pakhavaj, Mridanga and other musical instruments.

Paalaa Kirtan is the most ancient Kirtan in Bengal. They are written in verse with rhythm. Most of them deal with the life-history of Lord Krishna. Shyama Sangeet or the Song of Mother Kali is the special Kirtan for the Saktas, the worshippers of Sakti. They also sing Shiv Sangeet. These Kirtans are sung only on special occasions. Recitation of the Names of various Gods and Goddesses and hymns relating to them is called Nama Kirtan. They are generally sung in the evening, after Puja. Parvati Kirtan is a form of Nama Kirtan, sung in different Svaras. Particularly, it is sung in Raag Bhairavi in the early morning.*

Listed below are the songs sung by (or composed by) Shri. Manabendra Mukhopadhyay under the category "Kirtan" and "Bhakti Geeti", for the viewer’s listening pleasure.

Important Information

Please note that this list is evolving as links to new songs are added whenever possible.
Please note that the serial numbers listed alongside each song / link is subject to change as and when new songs / links are added.
The songs / links listed below are purely for viewer’s listening pleasure only and not for any commerical purposes whatsoever.
No copyright infringements intended. All copyrights remain the sole property of the original owners, i.e., the singer / artist, publishing house, recording company, etc.,
We wish to express our heartfelt thanks to all the uploaders who have made the links available and this list possible.
If you come across any error, mistake or factual misrepresentation kindly let us know so that we may correct the same.

List of Songs – Kirtan and Bhakti Geeti

(*Note: Writeup about Kirtan has been adapted from http://www.sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection&section_id=1117. Writeup about Puratoni Bangla Gaan has been adapted from http://globalmusicdownload.com - Old Bengali Songs)