Kabir Suman
Kabir Suman is an Indian singer-songwriter, music director and composer, writer, actor, politician, and former journalist. He shot to fame in the 1990s with Bengali albums such as Tomake Chai and Boshe Anko. Suman has won a National Film Award for Best Music Direction for his work in Jaatishwar.
From May 2009 to 2014, he was a Member of Parliament of India in the 15th Lok Sabha, having been elected from the Jadavpur constituency in West Bengal, on a Trinamool Congress ticket.
Early life and musical career
Suman was born in a Bengali Hindu Brahmin family on 16 March 1949 to Sudhindranath and Uma Chattopadhyay at Cuttack, Odisha. He started his training in classical music at a very young age, under the tutelage of his father. He studied at St. Lawrence High School, Kolkata. He graduated with an honours in English Literature from Jadavpur University and did a diploma in the French language and the German language.Around 1968, while learning Himangshu Dutta compositions, he felt that in spite of their compositional strength, they did not represent the contemporary times, lyrically.
Kabir Suman's first studio recording was in 1972. It was released from Hindusthan Records. His second single vinyl record was published in 1973, from the same label. Both these records were commercially unsuccessful.
After resigning from All India Radio he joined a clerical post at United Bank of India. Kabir Suman shifted to France temporarily to teach the basics of Indian Classical Music in 1973. It is said in one of his autobiographies, that in France he was first introduced to the songs of Bob Dylan and he claimed Dylan's songs left a great impression and influence on him.
Kabir Suman went to West Germany on 12 May 1975.. At the end of 1975, Voice of Germany opened a Bengali department in Cologne, and he applied for a job there. They gave him some translation work, and he gradually became a regular freelancer for the Voice of Germany's Bengali division.
In May 1979, Suman returned to Kolkata and he started to work as a teacher of German at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, and the Max Mueller Bhavan.
He started working in the Bengali daily Aajkal as a part-timer, and also contributed to the Desh until 1980. He joined a band called "Samatan". However, this band was unsuccessful and the members broke up very soon. Some members of Samatan and some new members, all in their twenties and thirties joined him to establish a new band called 'Nagarik : Anya Katha Anya Gan'. During this time Suman completed his first song "E Kemon Akash Dekhale Tumi".
During this time Suman went to the US in to work for Voice of America. While working for Voice of America, Suman went to Nicaragua during Sandinista Revolution. He also wrote for Desh magazine under the pseudonym Manab Mitra during this time and also started writing in the 'Frontier' magazine.
Suman returned to Kolkata in early 1985. He bought many instruments, applicable for a complete recording studio, which were sent to Kolkata by ship. After returning to Kolkata, he rejoined with 'Nagarik' with some new vocalists and instrumentalists, and continued writing and composing songs, thinking mainly as group songs.
Breakup of Nagorik
From early 1986, 'Nagorik' started swinging due to clash of personality. Kabir Suman created some songs at that time like "Hariye Jeo Na", "Tomake Chai", "Aro Balo Aro Katha", "Machhi O Mara Mukher Gan", "Najehal Akashta", "Robbar", "Tumi Gan Gaile, "Ganahatyar Nam Bhopal", "Tirikshi Mejajer Je Lokta", "Abhibadan" etc. His initial compositions were created keeping the group in mind. The group consisted of amateur singers and their aptitude was limited. Members of Nagorik recorded some of his songs on cassette tape, the entire recording was planned domestically in his home at Baishnabghata. Kabir Suman himself had written, composed, sung and played electronic keyboard on the recording. There were some other vocalists and instrumentalists, instruments included guitar and percussions. The entire recording was done by his four track tape recorder, where live vocals and live instruments were recorded in two tracks by all vocalists, and Kabir Suman himself added more electronic sounds on the rest of the two tracks by playing synthesizer. His book "Mukta Nicaragua" about Sandinista revolution was published by K.P. Bagchi Publication at that time, but another book "Anya America" failed to get published. He also recorded some information and song about Sandinista Revolution at that time. During this time he constructed a recording studio named 'Sing To Live' inside an abandoned factory near Bansdroni.1986–1989: In West Germany
Kabir Suman was not sure about the future of his created songs, and also not interested to involve in a general job. He thought if he could go to a foreign country as an employee, he could buy many electronic music instruments. Thinking thus, he went to West Germany again in September 1986, and before departure he recorded another album of 'Nagarik', following the procedure just written before, but this time in the new studio he constructed.Learning guitar
After reaching West Germany, he started learning classical guitar. During this time he felt that guitar is a simple instrument, which could be played by a solo musician, and there is no question about any type of multi-instrument orchestra. Also a guitar makes a man moving-minded. Under an Italian teacher, he started learning guitar, with Finger-style, sight-reading, listening many guitarists' records like Andrés Segovia, Julian Bream etc., and also started learning jazz guitar & blues guitar. He then started song creation on guitar, like "Hal Chherho Na Bandhu", "Gan-ola", etc. These guitar based songs started influencing of Baul, Bhawaiya, Kirtan, Folk, Blues and also some Ragas.Suman returned to Kolkata in early 1989. He bought many instruments like before, this time both keyboard and guitar.
Struggling as a newcomer musician
After returning to Kolkata, he saw 'Nagarik' has almost disbanded because of ego-clash, and the studio is also in a sinking mood. He decided to be a solo professional singer-songwriter and musician, and thought to work in some advertisement business, but nothing materialized. During this time he wrote some songs like "Tin Shataker Shahar", "Chena Duhkha Chena Sukh", "Pratham Sabkichhu" etc.First public performance with own song
In February 1990, a singer named Raju Bal took a gentleman Indranil Gupta to Suman's house. Indranil listened the "Tin Shataker Shahar" and liked it, and told Suman that Kolkata Festival was being held in Yuba Bharati Krirangan remembering the so-called tri-centenary celebration of Kolkata City, and that song relates with this, so he should sing this song at that festival.He felt nervous because he was performing on stage after 17 years, and he was completely unknown, with his style. He sang "Tin Shataker Shahar" with guitar, then "Tomake Chai" and finally "Amader Janya" – both with electronic keyboard. The audiences became highly appreciative about his songs and music after hearing three songs and started applauding seeking encore. Kabir Suman felt very happy to realize that his song got the favour of the general public, and became optimistic. He started to practise his voice with the help of electronic tanpura, continued keyboard and guitar playing, and also creating songs with some contemporary incidents. Kabir Suman performed first time as a professional singer in December 1990. He got appreciation from Dr. Barin Roy, Gour Kishor Ghosh, Ashis Chattopadhay etc. Shubhendu Maity helped him by giving him a chance to perform in some concerts. His songs have not impressed the rural people, but urban and suburban people appreciated them very much. He also sang at some political meetings of the Communist Party of India. During this time some controversy arose over one of his songs "Anita Dewan".
Solo live performance
Kabir Suman performed his first solo live performance on 5 May 1991 at Shishir Mancha. Many magazines and newspapers were invited, like Aajkal, Desh, Business Standard, The Statesman, and they reviewed it. 'Desh' first labeled his songs as 'Sumaner Gan', which popularized his songs after this time and still now.But although those reviews were positive, not many invitations other from than his friend circle happened. He performed in some live programs with the help of his friends. All those were very unsure, and Kabir Suman also was not optimistic at that time about his eligibility. Many people of advertisement business got him to do jingles or theme songs including "Lexpo 1991", but some of them either gave him not a single penny, others gave him very little money, despite the fact that Kabir Suman made all this work completely alone with writing, composing, singing, playing instruments, recording, and mixing. Some advised him to go to Mumbai for some professional work, but he refused it.
He went to Doordarshan Kendra Kolkata for some work, but he was refused. He went to Akashbani Bhawan Kolkata, and applied with the help of his friend and famous newsreader Tarun Chakrabarty. Ultimately he sang some of his own songs and some songs of Rabindra Nath Tagore, after 16 years, on the radio. In 1991 he went to film director Tarun Majumdar for some work in soundtrack. Tarun Majumder listened to some of his songs, and selected "Pratham Sabkichhu" to use in one of his upcoming films 'Abhimane Anurage', although he requested Suman to change some of his lyrics to match with the theme of that movie. The song was recorded in February 1992. Kabir Suman himself played guitar, Pratap Roy played synthesizer, and Samir Khasnabis played bass guitar. Unfortunately the film was not completed, and so the song was also not released.