Utpala sen biography samples

I am listening to Poochho na kaise maine rain bitaayi as I write this. I am hearing Manna Dey’s voice, bringing so much emotion, so much frustrated longing into “Ut jale deepak, it mann mera; phir bhi na jaaye mere mann ka andhera”.  And I am remembering all the other songs of Manna Dey that I’ve loved over the years. Songs that I grew up with (and, more often than not back then, didn’t know who sang them). Songs that I loved from the very first moment I heard them. Songs that have grown on me. Songs that make Manna Dey immortal, even though he’s no more.

Manna Dey (May 1, 1919-October 24, 2013) was not one of my first loves when it came to playback singing. Before TV came into our lives, we’d listen to the radio, or to my parents’ substantial collection of LPs. By the time I was 10 or so, I had heard Ameen Sayani mention—in his introduction to songs on Binaca Geetmala—names like Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Mukesh. But the first male singer whose voice I was able to recognize was Hemant. Then came Mukesh. Then, perhaps, Talat.

There were lots of songs, though, that I loved, even though I didn’t know who had sung them.

I remember watching Chori-Chori, for example, when I was about eleven. We lived in Srinagar, and the film was being shown on Doordarshan. I’d never been fond of Raj Kapoor’s films, and part of the reason for that was that I didn’t (back then) particularly care for RK’s quintessential voice, Mukesh. Too nasal for my taste.

So it came as a pleasant surprise to realize that Chori-Chori was chockfull of absolutely lovely RK songs. Songs I’d heard many times before, and which I’d loved. Aaja sanam madhur chaandni mein hum, or Yeh raat bheegi-bheegi. No nasal tones there, just a gorgeously seductive male voice, smooth and beautiful and so very sensual.

Around the same time, I watched Anand, and fell in love with Zindagi kaisi hai paheli.

And Bhoot Bangla, where I came across Aao twist karein, so utterly ro

Posts Tagged ‘Utpala Sen’

The Utpala Dynasty was a Chamar Dynasty. medieval Kashmiri Chamar Hindu dynasty that ruled over Kashmir from the 9th to 10th centuries. Founded by Avantivarman in 855 CE, it replaced the Karkota dynasty. It came into existence in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent. The cities of Avantipur (Awantipora) and Suyapur (Sopore) were founded during the reign, and many Hindu temples dedicated to both Vishnu and Shiva, and Buddhist monasteries were built, notable of which is the Avantiswara and Avantiswami temples.

Sources

Literature

Kalhana's Rajatarangini, written in the 11th century, was meant to outline Kashmir's past. The book focused on the Utpala dynasty in its fifth section. The dynasty controlled the area from the 9th to 10th centuries, coming into existence in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent under Avantivarman in 855 CE. He depended on a variety of material including earlier historical works, dynastic genealogies, inscriptions, coins and Puranas.

The work has a contested repute of being the only pre-modern work in Sanskrit resembling positivist notions of history; however, its accuracy is disputed—Zutshi and other scholars find the poem to be a blend of "mythical, political, social, spiritual, and geographical" narratives, which aimed at defining Kashmir as an idealized ethical space. Nonetheless, historical accuracy increases drastically from the fourth book onward, starting with the narration of Karkota dynasty; the book—typically the critical edition by Aurel Stein—has been heavily cited to reconstruct Kashmiri history.

Coins

Coins issued by all the major rulers of the Utpala dyna