Hemanta@100: Tribute to owner of golden voice in West Bengal

KOLKATA: The event to celebrate Hemanta Mukherjee’s birth centenary was being planned for the last one year. Now that it has been cancelled owing to the lockdown, the organizers, NGO Heritage Bengal, are trying to set up an

archive

in memory of the legend. Born on June 16, 1920 and known as Hemant Kumar in the Hindi film industry, Mukherjee’s signature songs like Yeh nayan dare dare still resonates in the hearts of music lovers across the world.


Rajyasabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, chief patron, Heritage Bengal, that promotes the state’s heritage, said, “Had the pandemic not been there, we would have had a memorable programme at ICCR on Tuesday. The car Hemanta da rode would have been displayed.” Civil engineer Swapan Lahiri owns the 1948

Plymouth

that Hemanta had sold to his father, Supravat, in 1977. “The original engine is 72-year-old and has never been opened till date. It took us a year-and-a-half to restore the car. I still have the original receipt signed by him,” said the 70-year-old EM Bypass resident. The car was displayed at the two-day centenary run-up held at Rabindra Sadan on February 14.

Heritage Bengal is now trying to set up an archive that could give the next generation a glimpse of this legendary singer-music director-composer and film producer.

“Some of his belongings should be in the Southern Avenue flat. The property has changed hands. So, we don’t know if we can get anything from there,” said Ray. Heritage Bengal is in touch with a private collector and ardent Hemanta fan, Joydeep Chakraborty, a mathematics professor at Nagar College, Murshidabad.

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