Mahalaya 2023: Why Birendra Krishna Bhadra's Mahishasura Mardini is an integral part for Bengalis? Read this
By Team Newsable | First Published Oct 14, 2023, 6:00 AM ISTBirendra Krishna Bhadra is linked with Mahalaya worldwide, and the famed radio presenter has been recognised ever since. Birendra topped the Mahalaya trends list again in 2023, and if you want to learn more about him, keep reading.
Mahalaya begins early, at 4 a.m., in every Bengali family, probashi or otherwise. Unlike every day, the ladies and men, especially the seniors and children, are fully awake in the early hours, revelling in the ecstasy of Maa Durga's coming as the epic Mahishasura Mardini recited by Birendra Krishna Bhadra plays on the radio.
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Mahalaya, which marks Devi Paksha's start and Pitri Paksha's conclusion, is complete with the Mahishasura Mardini recitation early in the morning. The core of Mahalaya, at least for Bengalis, is Birendra Krishna Bhadra's baritone voice when he recites the slokas. Birendra Krishna Bhadra is linked with Mahalaya worldwide, and the famed radio presenter has been recognised ever since, particularly on this day.
Who was Birendra Krishna Bhadra?
Birendra Krishna Bhadra was born in August 1905 in North Kolkata's Ahiritola to Roy Bahadur Kalikrishna and Sarala Bala Devi. He is a well-known actor, storyteller, and theatrical director. At All India Radio in the 1930s, he modified and rebuilt various classics to create multiple radio dramas.
Birendra Krishna Bhadra's show Mahishashura Mardini
In the 1930s, All India Radio in Kolkata began transmitting a two-hour programme named Mahishashura Mardini. This represents Devi Durga's incarnation upon the unity of all the Gods' might and her subsequent struggle with Mahishasura as Mahisasuramardini.
Also Read: Mahalaya 2023: Date, History, Significance, and Celebrations
Pankaj Kumar Mallik directed the music for Mahishashura Mardini, which Birendra Krishna Bhadra spoke and penned by Bani Kumar.
Birendra Krishna Bhadra's Mahishasura Mardini is still broadcast on All India Radio every Mahalaya, over 90 years after its debut. Mahishasura Mardini in Bhadra's voice is so famous that even famed actor Uttam Kumar's interpretation of it in 1976 was not well appreciated.
Goddess Durga, it is told, begins her trip from Mount Kailash to her maternal abode on Earth after Mahalaya with her children - Lord Ganesha, Lord Kartik, Goddess Lakshmi, and Goddess Saraswati. Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and Vijaya Dashami are the five days of Durga Puja.
This year, Maha Shashthi is on October 20 while Durga Puja will conclude on October 24 with Vijay Dashami.
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