On Mahalaya Bengalies all over the world listen to Mohishashur Mordini in All India Radio.

On Mahalaya Bengalies all over the world listen to  Mohishashur Mordini in All India Radio.

Mahalaya held every year, marks the beginning of Durga Puja all over the world. For bengalies in Mahalaya pritripakha ends, debipakha begins. On the same day, people go to the holy ganges to do tarpan, that is pay respect to the departed souls of father and ancestors. Different types of tarpans are done on the day including pitri tarpan, matri tarpan, deb tarpan, etc.

Durga Puja is the puja of Asurdalani Maa Durga, who had defeated the evil forces (mahashahura) and brought peace and solidarity in the earth. All India Radio had a played a very important role in depicting the story of Mahalaya every year in the early morning.

Mahishashur Mordini had been eternal creation of Birendra Krishna Bhadra, Bani Kumar and Pankaj Mullick. The way Birendra Krishna Bhadra had uttered the slokas “ya devi sarbabhuteshu shaktirupenu samhastita, namasthaswai namasthaswai namasthaswai namoh namohah”, he created an enchanting atmosphere, and devotees started feeling that they were in heaven.

The other great part of Mahishashur Mordini was the great songs sung by legendary Bengali singers of the golden age, namely “taba achinto “ sung by Manobendra Mukherjee, “jago tumi jago” sung by Dwijen Mukherjee, and many songs sung by Sandhya Mukherjee, Suprava Sarkar, Supriti Ghosh, Shyamal Mitra and other legends.

These days a lot of programs are held in television to depict mohishashur mordini in television. For example in Zee Bangla channel on 15th October, 2012, Srabanti Chatterjee and Shubhashree are going to play the role of Sati in Satir Ekanno Peeth in the play  related to Mahishashur Mordini. But the importance of mohishashur mordini in All India Radio cannot be replaced. It is a historical piece of creation and should be restored.

In the new durga puja in 2012, it is expected that everyone in every part of the world should enjoy Durgapuja in their own way.

Mahalaya and Mohishashur Mordini in All India Radio.

Srabanti Chatterjee in the role of Maa Durga on Mahalaya.


Mahalaya and Mohishashur Mordini in All India Radio.

For Bengalies the greatest festival of the year include Durga Puja. The flavor of the festival is set up by Mahalaya which occurs seven days before the occasion. Mohishahshur Mordini had not lost its appeal even after 60 years of its creation. It is played in All India Radio on the morning of every Mahalaya each year. In 2010 it was also played and it enchanted numerous bengalies all across the world.

The mantra in the entire play was uttered by Birendra Krishna Bhadra who became a living legend in the early 50s. He conducted all the important programs in All India Radio from Kolkata at a time when Television did not appear in India and Radio was the only medium of entertainment.

From Mahalaya the Petripaksha ends and Devipaksha begins. Hindus all over the world worship Goddess Durga and the occasion lies for four days including Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami and Navami. On Dashami Goddess Durga is immersed in holy Ganges. Mahalay is the day when Hindus do tarpan in the Ganges to remember the ancestors who had died but were still attached with the next generation.

When Birendra Bhadra directed Mohishashur Mordini, the tale relating to Goddess Durga defeating the devil powers under the name of Mohishahur, Singer Pankaj Mallick and Bani Kumar also made notable contribution to bring in all the legendary singers of Bengal and made them sing significant songs.

For example Manobendra Mukherjee sang “tabo achinto”, Dijen Mukherjee sang “jago tumi jago”. The other singers included Supriti Ghosh, Suptrava Sarkar, Sandhya Mukherjee, Shaymal Mitra, Utpala Sen and others.

Birendra Bhadra was unparallel in the manner in which he pronounced the Sanskrit sloks, which could not be replicated and when Uttam Kumar that greatest superstar of Bengal tried to do it, he was criticized and All India Radio again displayed the Mohishashur Mordini directed by Birendra Bhadra. Even Hindus across India celebrate Navratri and Dussehra based on the success of God in defeating evil powers.

Even today Bengalies feel that it creates a Godly atmosphere and gives the feeling that Goddess Durga had really arrived on earth.

These days a lot of programs are held in television to depict mohishashur mordini in television. For example in Zee Bangla channel on 27th September, 2011, Srabanti Chatterjee is going to play the role of Maa Durga in the play Mahishashur Mordini. But the importance of mohishashur mordini in All India Radio cannot be replaced. It is a historical piece of creation and should be restored.

Mohishashur Mordini was the greatest creation of All India Radio.

Mohishashur Mordini was the greatest creation of All India Radio.

Mahishashur Mordini which meant the annihilation of the demon, was the greatest work of art that was recorded in All India Radio in the last 100 years.

It had been broadcasted on the sacred morning of mahalaya from 1930 till date.It was associated with chandipath, which meant chanting from Chandi, the verses from Durga Shaptashati. It had signified the beginning of bengali’s greatest festival durgapuja. With Mohishashur Mordini being broadcasted in All India Radio on the morning of Mahalaya, bengalies all over the world feel the end of pitripakha and beginning of debipakkha.

Birendra Krishna Bhadra, was the maestro who was instrumental in the creation of Mohishashur Mordini. The legendary narrator and director of All India Radio, Kolkata, for more than 50 years, recited the holy verses, and told the story of descent of Goddess Durga from Heaven to earth in his dynamic andaz, most famous being “ya devi, sarbabhuteshu, shaktirupenu sanghasthita, namastashyayi, namastashyayi, namastashyayi, namoh namaha”.

Pankaj Mullick and Bani Kumar ably assisted Birendra Bhadra in his novel mission. Banikumar was the script writer and Birendra Bhadra the director and narrator of the mega-act. Eminent singers of Bengal added colour in mohishashur mordini, with then golden voices, with Manobendra Mukherjee singing “tabo achinto”, Dijen Mukherjee singing “jago tumi jago”, Supriti Ghosh singing “bajlo tomar alor benu”, while Shyamal Mitra, Sandhya Mukherjee, Suprava Sarkar, Utpala Sen and other giants of Bengali music industry singing legendary songs under the direction of Pankaj Mullick and Bani Kumar.

Goddess Durga had been idolized as Narayani, Brahmani, Maheshwari, Shivaduti, and Chamunda, decked with a garland of skulls. Mahishasura, the terrible king of the asuras, defeated the Gods and driven them out of Heaven. The Gods being dejected, went to Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Mahadeva, the Destroyer. These three Gods projected their energy and created a new energy in the form of Goddess Durga. She was Mahamaya, the Mother of the Universe.

The Goddess then emerged in full battle array to combat Mahishashura.The Himalayas gifted her the lion to be her carrier. Vishnu gave her the chakra. Mahadeva gave her the trishul (the trident). Yama gave her the danda. Brahma gave her the rosary. Armed with weapons in her ten arms Goddess Durga defeated the Asuras, including shumbha, nishumbha and ended the rule of evil forces.Mahalaya is followed up with Mahashashti, Mahashaptami, Mahaaustami, Mahanabami and Mahadashami, to mark, Goddess Durga’s victory over evil and bringing happiness to mankind. Mohishashura Mordini Strotrum or sloka is a very popular devotional strotra written by Sri Shankara Bhagavatacharya.

Birendra Bhadra’s mohishashur mordini became immortal, and once due to popular request when Bengal’s greatest superstar Uttam Kumar recited the play in All India Radio in the 70s, the music being directed by Hemant Kumar, the listeners showed resentment and All India Radio again started broadcasting the mohishahur mordini created by Birendra Bhadra. These days the work is converted into CDs, but it should be listened only at the mahendra khan, the time of mahalaya.

The greatest work of All India Radio, Kolkata should be preserved and restored.