Renowned Rabindrasangeet singer Kalim Sharafi, loved for his lively, sensitive rendition of Tagore’s songs, was born on this day. Today is his 100th birth anniversary.

Sharafi was born in Birbhum. In 1942, the year of his matriculation examination, he took part in the Quit India Movement. He was imprisoned for 15 months.

Sharafi was actively engaged with the Gana Natya Sangha movement. He was associated with eminent theatre personality Sombhu Mitra, a founding member of the Bohurupee group. Sharafi gave up studying medicine because of his involvement with Gana Natya Sangha. He had been singing songs of protest and also acting in stage productions.

He trained in Rabindrasangeet from this period under Subinoy Roy and Shailajaranjan Majumdar. After meeting Communist leader Muzaffar Ahmed, Sharafi joined the Communist Party.

At a time he was facing financial hardship, Sharafi left for Dhaka in 1951. His performance of protest songs earned him popularity, but also surveillance from the authorities. He would occupy various posts in cultural and corporate organisations in Dhaka and other places in East Bengal/East Pakistan, but his views and his music always invited opposition from the authorities. He played a significant role in the liberation of Bangladesh and his advocacy of Tagore’s songs in the cause of freedom was remarkable. He was vocal in his criticism of General Ershad and was involved in organising a gana-adalat with a demand for the trial of war criminals.

He founded the organisation that later became Jatiya Rabindra Sangeet Sammilan Parishad.

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