Suchitra Mitra as Cultural Activist: A Redefined Artistic Identity

Abstract

At the dawn of the twentieth century, a music reform movement in India, demanded emancipation of Indian music from the grasp of immoral women performers and handed music over to literate music scholar, singer as well as performers. Bengal, once the pleasure ground of Kirtan, Panchali Gan, jatra was also influenced by this purification zeal. The so called purified sphere of music permitted women from noble birth to enter the world of music, that was yet to face various obstacle. Along with reform oriented stimulus the commoditization of music enabled the women performers to search their professional identity in this branch of fine arts. Unfortunately the artist's vigour served for reformer’s sake or sometimes only for devotional purpose. Till the deacades of thirties women artists searched for their identity mostly in two specific genres of kabyageeti and devotional song. But from the stormy decades of forties very few women responded differently. Unlike previous decades they began to understand the social needs of an artist. Suchitra Mitra, a popular Rabindrasangeet artist is one of them. In this paper, I have tried to shed some light on the unconventional identity of Suchitra: the identity of a cultural activist that encouraged her to redefine her artistic dignity by considering herself a performer for IPTA, utilizing Rabindranath Tagore’s creative belongings for political purpose and towards breaking the cultural code for Bengali women as well as artists.