Amar Pal
{{Short description|Indian Bengali folk singer and author (1922–2019)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
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| birth_date = 19 May 1922
| birth_place = Brahmanbaria, British India (now Bangladesh)
| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|04|20|1922|5|19|df=y}}
| death_place = Kolkata, West Bengal
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Amar Pal (19 May 1922 – 20 April 2019) was an Indian Bengali folk singer and author.
Early life
Pal was born in 1922 at Brahmanbaria in British India. His father Mahesh Chandra Pal died when Pal was 10. He learned folk songs from his mother Durga Sundari Devi. He also trained in classical music from Ustad Ayat Ali Khan, brother of legendary Allauddin Khan.{{Cite web|url=https://newsmen.in/news/amar-pal-veteran-bengali-folk-singer-dies-in-kolkata/|title=Amar Pal, Veteran Bengali Folk Singer, Dies in Kolkata|date=20 April 2019|access-date=21 April 2019|archive-date=3 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203022559/https://newsmen.in/news/amar-pal-veteran-bengali-folk-singer-dies-in-kolkata/|url-status=dead}} Later Pal received training in folk music from Mani Chakraborty and Suren Chakraborty in Kolkata.
Career
Pal went to Kolkata in 1948 with Sachindranath Bhattacharya, a lyricist of All India Radio. In 1951, he first got a chance to sing in Akashbani Kolkata. He recorded thousands of folk and modern Bengali songs in the next seven decades. The satirical song "Kotoi Rongo Dekhi Duniyay", in Satyajit Ray's Hirak Rajar Deshe, made him famous. He worked in a number of Bengali films as a playback singer or music director.{{Cite news|url=https://bengali.indianexpress.com/west-bengal/legendary-folk-artist-amar-pal-is-no-more-94978/|script-title=bn:চলে গেলেন কিংবদন্তি শিল্পী অমর পাল|trans-title=Legendary Folk Artist Amar Pal Is No More|date=20 April 2019|language=bn|newspaper=The Indian Express|access-date=16 January 2020}}
Pal attended seminars and workshops on folk music worldwide and became the Vice-Chairman of the Paschim Banga Rajya Sangeet Academy.{{Cite web|url=http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/citation_popup.php?id=1270&at=2|title=Amar Paul|website=sangeetnatak.gov.in|access-date=21 April 2019}}
He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007 from the Government of India{{cite book |author=Laxmikanth |title=Current Affairs Reckoner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5lEDLKaYW7gC&pg=SL1-PA111 |publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education |page=A-111 |isbn=978-0-07-022166-6}} and the Government of West Bengal awarded him the Sangeet Mahasamman in 2012 for his prolonged contribution in folk music.{{Cite web|url=https://www.apnnews.com/noted-bengali-folk-singer-amar-pal-dies-in-kolkata/|title=Noted Bengali folk singer Amar Pal dies|access-date=21 April 2019}} He was honoured by the Rabindra Bharati University and Burdwan University.
Pal also wrote two books, Banglar Loksangeet and Banglaar Nadir Gaan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.enewstime.in/promass-legendary-bengali-folk-singer-amar-paul-dead/|title=Legendary Bengali folk singer Amar Paul dead|access-date=21 April 2019}}
The notable devotional songs Pal sang are as follows:
- Prabhata Samaye
- Jago He Nagarbasi
- Jagia Laho Krishna Nam
- Ami Kothay Gele
- Amar Gour Kene
- Rai Jago
- Rai Jago Go
- Hari Din Toh Gelo
- Prabhate Gouranga Nam
- Bharati Gouranga Loiya
- Mon Radhe Radhe
- Vrindabana Bilasini, etc.{{Cite news |url=https://www.prothomalo.com/entertainment/article/1589880|script-title=bn:অমর পাল আর নেই|work=Prothom Alo|language=bn|access-date=2020-04-17}}
Death
Pal died at SSKM Hospital, Kolkata after a cardiac arrest on 20 April 2019 at the age of 96.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|3690928}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pal, Amar}}
Category:Bengali playback singers
Category:Indian male folk singers
Category:Musicians from Kolkata
Category:People from West Bengal
Category:People from Brahmanbaria district
Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Category:20th-century Indian singers