While only a few of the Bengali artistes could make it to history and popular, commercial culture, the rest can only be found if you deep dive into local books or listen from people who actually knew them. Manto Munshi, born Sumitrajit Munshi, was one such a hidden talent. Born to popular musician Annada Munshi and Jayati Munshi, Manto was groomed in the musical culture under his family tradition as his father was a musical talent himself. Manto was efficient in playing the piano with the level of self excellence, and had participated in many concerts where he either accompanied his father or appeared for solo performance.
While Annada Munshi's name might not immediately ring a bell, it deserves to echo through every corridor of Indian art and advertising history. Not only was he a brilliant artist and calligrapher, but he also mentored a young Satyajit Ray when both were working in the same advertising agency, learning how to blend Indian tradition with modern design, from the quiet mastermind of commercial art in India.
But that’s not all. Munshi had also challenged the British dominance in advertising and turned it into a Swadeshi voice for a newly awakened India, and his artworks were admired by legends like Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Pablo Picasso, yet many of us have never heard his name.
Manto never went to school or received convention educaction. He was home-taught in all subjects, including piano. His father, Annada, even got him piano home tutor. But the teacher was shocked when he saw Manto playing the piano with brilliance. Manto could listen to any tune and play with ease without any notation, be it Indian or western classical music. In fact, he could play the tunes of Tagore's songs and Bengal's folk songs with equal ease, along with replicating the tunes of maestroes by Beethoven, Mozart or Franz Liszt.
He was equally ace is playing 15 other instruments, including Accordian, Mouth organ, Violin, Harmonium and Tabla. But his professional journey started with Great Eastern Hotel's restaurant, Maxims, and later on to Park Hotel and Hotel Metropole.
Annada, who considered Satyajit to be Beethoven's rebirth, considered his own son Manto to be the rebirth of Mozart. These have been found in Santanu Ghosh’S books Munshianay Chollis Purush and Binodane Paikpara Belgachia, and also Santi Das’ Satyajit Ray: An Intimate Master.
Over the years, this went on to become Manto’s title, which Annada had proudly mentioned during the opening ceremony of one of his exhibitions.
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