Who is Birendra Krishna Bhadra and why is he remembered on Mahalaya?

Birendra Krishna Bhadra was born in August 1905 to Roy Bahadur Kalikrishna and Sarala Bala Devi in North Kolkata’s Ahiritola. He was a radio broadcaster, playwright, actor, narrator and theatre director. He began working for India’s National Radio broadcaster, All India Radio in the early 1930s, while producing and adapting several plays.

He is best known for his Sanskrit verses in Mahishasura Mardini, the oldest radio show in India, first aired in 1931. It is subsequently aired every year at 4 am, during the dawn of Mahalaya.

About Mahishasura Mardini

Mahishasura Mardini is a roughly two-hour programme on the incarnation of Devi Durga and her epic battle with Mahishasura. It showcases the combined powers of the Gods, leading to Mahishasura’s defeat. Recited by Birendra Krishna Bhadra and scripted by Bani Kumar, Mahishashura Mardini’s music was directed by Pankaj Kumar Mallik. It contains 19 songs, including Chandipaath, Bengali devotional songs, classical music and acoustic renditions.

Despite many wanting to recite this piece, including the Mahanayak (loosely translated as ‘superstar’) of Indian cinema, Uttam Kumar, Bhadra’s version remains the most beloved.

Uttam Kumar vs. Birendra Krishna Bhadra

In 1976, at the height of his fame, actor Uttam Kumar was encouraged to record a new version of Mahishasura Mardini. While he was interested, he hesitated to compete with Bhadra’s legendary rendition.

Instead, a new program titled Durga Durgatiharini, with music by Hemant Mukhopadhyay, was released on September 23 of the same year. The new development did not stand well with nostalgic Bengalis, who quickly rejected it in favour of Bhadra’s classic.