Eminent singer and music composer Pankaj Mullick was born on this day.
He received his earliest training in music from Durgadas Bandopadhyay.
A meeting with Dinendranath Tagore, grand nephew of the poet Rabindranath Tagore, was a turning point in Mullick’s life.
Under Dinendranath’s tutelage, Mallick became one of the earliest and most celebrated exponents of Rabindransangeet. His use of Tagore in film music is memorable, especially in Diner sheshe ghumer deshe, a Tagore poem that he set to music in the film Mukti (1937).
He joined radio services in 1927 in Calcutta and eventually enjoyed a long and distinguished career in All India Radio. He composed the music for Mahishamardini, the radio programme which was to become a part of Durga Puja celebrations and is broadcast every Mahalaya morning, Mullick worked in numerous films, Bengali and Hindi, as composer, singer and also actor. He had a long association with New Theatres Studio. He was instrumental in introducing playback singing to Indian cinema and elements of western music to popular Indian music. The most legendary singers worked with him as composer. Under his guidance K.L. Saigal sang Rabindrasangeet memorably.
Mullick received the Padmashri and Dadasaheb Phalke awards. He passed away in 1978.