Alpana Banerjee

Born on March 14; 1934, Alpana Banerjee was a famous Bengali vocalist in the late 1940s and early 1950s. "Trader Chumki Jole Akashe," "Hatti Matim Tim,”, "Ami Alpana Enke Jai Aloy Chhayay", "Mon Bolchhe Aaj Sandhyay," "Chotto Pakhi Chandana," are some of her best-known songs. "Jodi Oli Na chase" and "Akash Ar Eai Mati Oi Dure." By her father's close friends Robin Chattopadhyay and Gouri Prasanna Majumdar, Alpana was found when she was 13 years old, both highly involved in the Bengali music industry at the time as composers and lyricists, respectively. Soon after, her songs rose quickly in popularity. Alpana Banerjee lived in Calcutta, West Bengal, India, where she was married to Sridhar Mukherjee. She wed in 1959, and in 2009, she commemorated 50 years of marriage. Two children and two grandchildren still live. Her son resides in Mumbai, India, while her daughter resides in Chelsea, London. Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, a well-known Bengali singer, is still a close family friend.

Alpana Banerjee gained fame mainly through singing children's songs, which she elevated from short rhymes to timeless standards. Bengalis were educated on Alpana's classics like "Hatti Matim Tim" or "Chhotto Pakhi Chandana" from the 1950s to the 1990s. Her contemporary tunes enjoyed far greater recognition. "Samiran Phire Chao," composed by Robin Chattopadhyay, was one of Alpana's earliest and most well-known Bengali non-film songs. Soon after, she recorded the song "Matir Ghare Aaj Nemechhe Chand Re" in 1951 with more music provided by Robin Chattopadhyay for the Bengali movie " Vidyasagar Vidyasagar is an Indian Playback Singer, Composer, >> Read More... ." This song experienced extraordinary success. From the 1956 "Hriday Amar Sundara Taba Paye" movie " Sagarika Sagarika is an Assamese TV Serial that is telecast >> Read More... " is another memorable Bengali song by her, once more under Robin Chattopadhay's direction. In the 1950s, she performed several well-known Bengali cinema and non-film songs for many composers, including Nachiketa Ghosh Nachiketa Ghosh was a musical star in India, who m >> Read More... , Shyamal Mitra, Manabendra Mukhopadhyay Manabendra Mukhopadhyay was an Indian music compos >> Read More... , Sailen Mukhopadhyay Bio coming soon... >> Read More... , and Bhupen Hazarika.

From the romantic movie "Mon Bolchhe Aaj Sandhyay" to the lighthearted "Bakul Gandhe Jodi," the jovial "Ami Alpana Enke Jai," and the somber "Jetha Achhe Ogo Shudhu Nirabata," her voice was lyrical in portraying a multitude of moods. Under the musical supervision of Sachin Dev Burman, Song "Albela main ek Dilwale was recorded version of a cover Hindi film." Asha Bhonsle performed the standard version of this song in the 1957 Hindi movie " Miss India Miss India was a TV serial that was aired on Doord >> Read More... ." Many of Alpana's coworkers, including Utpala Sen, Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, Shyamal Mitra (with whom she frequently performed duets), Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, and Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay, worked together. Under the supervision of Pandit Ravi Shankar, she also completed with Lata Mangeshkar. She frequently served as a special guest at Bengali music events, TV shows, and AIR (All India Radio) programs.

She sang songs tuned by Ali Akbar Khan, a renowned Sarod player internationally, on the "Ramyageeti" program of All India Radio in Calcutta. Additionally, she performed in chain shows with All India Radio while touring most North Indian radio stations. It was noted that she had performed throughout West Bengal. She frequently performed in both West Bengal and India, and England. She gave performances at Durga Puja events in locations like King's Cross, Belsize Park, Hampstead Town Hall, and Bengali neighborhoods like Seven Sisters, Finsbury Park, Islington, etc.

She was the subject of several interviews by BBC London. At 75, Alpana Banerjee passed away on July 24, 2009. Many of her current musicians, including Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, who she had gotten to know fifty years earlier, visited and paid their respects. Mamata Banerjee, the railway's minister, and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, were among those who paid their respects. The news of her passing was covered by Indian media even though she had not been actively involved in the commercial music business for several years.