Monday, October 13, 2025

In the fullness of melody. . .

Manna Dey (1919-2013)
The adda at Coffee House truly, decisively came to an end with Manna Dey’s passing yesterday. Six years more and he would have qualified as a centenarian. And yet it is safe to suggest that Manna Dey lived a full life and now that he passes into the ages, he joins all those other singing luminaries whose lives drew to an end before his. For Indian music, indeed for music across the subcontinent, Manna Dey’s death is officially a coming down of the curtain on what remains in the memory as a golden era in the creation of Bangla and Hindi melody.
Mohammad Rafi passed away a long time ago and, before him, Mukesh. Talat Mahmood departed in the late 1990s. There was Kishore Kumar before him. Shyamal Mitra, Shatinath, Hemanta and Manabendra too are reminders of the glory that was Bangla music, in the movies and outside them. Mahendra Kapoor, of the generation after the illustrious ones, is gone too. Suraiya does not live any more; and Shamshad Begum fell to mortality not long ago.
And now that Manna Dey goes the way of all flesh, it is his mellifluous yet sad number we recall — ei to shey din tumi amare bujhale. It is that depressing moment in time when the winds carry forth the strains of aami niralaye boshey bedhechhi amar shorono been. Gone is the moment when through the melody of anklets, through the sight of sheer feminine beauty in all its grace, you could sing with Manna Dey, inebriated like, hajar taka’r jharh baati ta raat ta ke je din korechhe.
Manna Dey’s artistry was all-enveloping, comprehensive to the nth degree. Always in love with music, and religiously so, he saw his horizons begin to expand under the tutelage of his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey and then that unrivalled ruler of melody land, Sachin Dev Burman. Sachin Karta kept him waiting, in agony, even as he sought other artistes for his compositions. The wait helped, for when it ended Manna Dey branched out furiously, to become the singer and then the legend that he is today, even in death. Who will not be moved by such Hindi numbers as sur na saje kya gaaoon main / sur ke bina jeevan soona?
Like all great artistes, Manna Dey possessed versatility in plenty. His ae mere pyare watan ae mere bichhrhe chaman tujh pe dil qurban has for decades been a recalling of a lost country for those who have moved away from home. If that is the hallmark of Dey’s patriotic music, there is the energetically romantic in ae meri Zohra jabeen tujhe maloom nehi / tu abhi tak hai haseen aur main jawan. Follow that up with the intensity of devotion to the deity as encapsulated in tu pyaar ka sagar hai / teri ik boond ke pyaase hum.
Manna Dey’s diction was flawless; and it little mattered in which language he was singing (altogether, between 1942 and 2013, he sang as many as four thousand songs). His insistence on perfection characterised his performance. His pronunciation of Urdu and Hindi words and phrases was superb to a point where his listeners almost forgot that his native language was Bangla. Perhaps one of the more significant points about his singing abilities, something he shares with Rafi, is his mastery of the classical inflections of music. If Rafi could make a hall tremble to his madhuban mein Radhika naache re, Manna Dey could in equal measure shake up the corridors with jhanak jhanak tori baaje paayelia.
Manna Dey lived through some of the most dramatic of times, naturally. Born in the year when hundreds of colonised Indians were done to death at Jalianwala Bagh, he was witness to the many changing fortunes of a world he believed could be served by a constancy of ringing calls to music.
Recall Nazrul’s shawono raate jodi shorone aashe morey. Manna Dey takes the song to Olympian heights, wrapping it a near cosmic form.
Not many have been able to equal the grandeur he brought into the song, into his other songs.

Courtesy of The Daily Star

Related News

Bangladesh and KSA sign pact for workers’ rights

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have just inked a labour recruitment agreement, marking the first deal aimed at promoting fair recruitment practices and protecting workers’ rights. Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser, Prof. Asif Nazrul, and the Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Engineer Ahmad Bin Solaiman Al-Rajhi, recently came ... Read more

Poor pay, allowances of teachers affect education

World Teacher’s Day today Shahin Akhter Poor pay-scale and allowances and low social status mark the poor condition of the teachers in Bangladesh affecting the education sector, observed educationists and researchers. They also said that the Bangladeshi teachers were lagging much behind their fellows even in the neighbouring countries in terms of these facilities and ... Read more

Protecting hilsa: 22-day fishing ban begins

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has put a 22-day halt on catching, transporting, storing, selling, and marketing hilsa throughout the country. This measure aims to protect the fish during its crucial breeding season. The ban started at midnight yesterday and will last until October 25, as stated in a notification from the Ministry of ... Read more

Road fatalities: 446 crashes, 417 lives lost in September

News Desk : dhakamirror.com In September, a tragic report from the Road Safety Foundation revealed that at least 417 people lost their lives and 682 were injured in 446 road accidents throughout Bangladesh. Among those who died, there were 63 women and 47 children, as highlighted in the foundation’s monthly report released today. In 151 ... Read more

Man’s fatal fall into Ramna Park lake

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A tragic incident occurred yesterday at Ramna Park in the capital, where a man drowned in the lake. The victim has been identified as 55-year-old Wasimul Haq. The police were able to identify him using fingerprint records. According to Ramna police SI Mizanur Rahman, he was discovered unconscious around 6:00 PM ... Read more

Tariff Commission’s size-based hilsa pricing strategy

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC), also known as the Tariff Commission, has suggested setting a maximum retail price for hilsa based on its size. This recommendation comes in response to the unusual spike in prices seen in the local market. On Sunday, the Tariff Commission released a report detailing ... Read more

Ekushey Book Fair won’t happen in December

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangla Academy announced yesterday (28 September), that the previously scheduled dates for the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 have been postponed. In a press release, they explained that this decision was made following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 21, which indicated that the fair should ... Read more

Working in Bangladesh is quite challenging: CEC

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Election Commission is grappling with a mix of challenges, both seen and unseen, as it gears up for the upcoming elections and responds to various demands, shared chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Saturday. “These hurdles might not be apparent from the outside, but we’re constantly navigating through them,” ... Read more

Travel ban on Keokradong hill to be lifted starting from 1 October

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Great news for travelers! Keokradong hill in Bandarban’s Ruma upazila is set to welcome tourists again starting October 1. The district administration has finally lifted the travel ban that had been in effect for almost three years. Bandarban Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shamim Ara Rini announced the decision today (27 September) during ... Read more

Tree planting campaign to lower pollution, make city more attractive

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia has inaugurated a tree plantation and greening programme covering 33 road medians, spanning a total length of 31 kilometres, within the corporation’s jurisdiction. Under the “Zero Soil” programme, ornamental flowering trees and grasses will be planted across 28 DSCC medians, while the ... Read more

Krishi Bank ranks third in remittance collection

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Krishi Bank has shown remarkable success in collecting remittances from expatriates during the first eight months of 2025 (January–August). Known as bank for farmers due to its agricultural loan services, this state-owned institution has climbed to the third position in remittance collection from abroad in that timeframe. This notable achievement has ... Read more

North Bay low : Rain forecast for Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Many parts of the country is expected to witness moderate to heavy and very heavy rainfall in the coming days due to the formation of a low-pressure system over the north Bay and adjoining coastal areas, the Met office said in its latest forecast. According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department’s 120-hour weather ... Read more

Metrorail boosts service: Extended hours & more frequent arrivals

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka metrorail service is set to start operating earlier in the morning and later at night to better serve the growing number of passengers. Service hours will be extended by 30 minutes at both the beginning and end of the day, and the interval between trains will be reduced by nearly ... Read more

22% minors in Bangladesh’s sex trade

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least 22 percent of victims of commercial sexual exploitation (abuse of a person, or a minor, through sexual activities in exchange for money, goods, or other benefits) in Bangladesh are children, said speakers at an event yesterday. They shared the information at the launch of “Project Shurakkha”, an initiative of ... Read more

WB Reports Bangladesh Heat Costs at $1.78 Billion in 2024

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Rising temperatures in Bangladesh are fueling a surge in heat-related illnesses, leading to the loss of 250 million workdays in 2024 and economic losses estimated at $1.33–1.78 billion, representing about 0.3 to 0.4 percent of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, according to a new World Bank report. The report ... Read more

Police clearance no longer required for passports

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus announced that police verification will no longer be necessary for obtaining a passport, thereby reducing unnecessary hassle for citizens. “Getting a passport is a basic right. We have established a rule that eliminates the need for police verification,” he stated. While speaking at the opening session ... Read more

Metro rail achieves record 4 lakh daily passengers

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Metro Rail has achieved a remarkable milestone by carrying over 400,000 passengers in a single day. The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), which operates the Metro Rail, announced this achievement on their official Facebook page on Friday night. For the first time, Metro Rail recorded 403,164 passengers. The Metro Rail ... Read more

Most people, about 66% think civil servants behave as if they are rulers

News Desk : dhakamirror.com More than 100,000 participants have contributed their responses to reform commission’s online survey 80% of the respondents believe that the administration is not approachable for the general public, according to a survey conducted by the Public Administration Reform Commission. Additionally, 66% of participants feel that civil servants act as if they ... Read more

Former Justice Abdur Rouf dies

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former Chief Election Commissioner Justice Md Abdur Rouf has passed away at the age of 91. He died around 10:00 am while receiving treatment at Insaf Barakah Kidney and General Hospital in Dhaka, as stated in a press release. Justice Rouf had been battling heart disease, lung complications, kidney issues, and ... Read more

Bangladesh climbed 4 positions to rank 93rd in global passport index

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh has climbed four notches up in the latest Henley Passport Index 2025, ranking 93rd out of 99. However, the number of visa-free destinations for Bangladeshi passport holders has dropped from 42 in 2024 to 39 this year, reflecting a decline in global travel privileges. Despite this improvement in rank — ... Read more