If you have roots in Bengal, chances are you know exactly what Mahalaya is and its significance in the Durga Puja. You may even be one of the millions of people who wake up at 4 am on this one day to listen to a radio broadcast that has been played in the same format since a century, give or take a few odd years.
Plainly put, Mahalaya marks the beginning of 'devi paksha' and 90-minute radio programme titled Mahishasuramardini, is essentially what sounds the bugle to the beginning of the much-awaited Pujo season in Bengal and beyond.
The radio play which comes on almost every local radio channel on Mahalaya features verses from Chandipath, recited by the radio broadcaster, playwright, actor and narrator Birendra Krishna Bhadra, who is something of a legend in the Bengali radio broadcasting industry. The play is interspersed with melodious songs sung by the doyens of Bengali music in the 1930s.
An integral part of Bengali culture, Mahishasuramardini was written by Bani Kumar. The script drew from ancient scriptures, hymns, and devotional songs to narrate the story of Goddess Durga's victory over Mahishasura.
The songs featured in Mahishasuramardini were composed by Pankaj Mullick. It was performed and broadcast live for the first time in 1936 from Kolkata’s All India Radio, also known as Akashvani.
According to Akashvani, "In October 1936, broadcast of this special 90-minute dawn programme commenced in the morning. It went on air from 6:00 am to 7:30 am on Sosthi, which also happens to be the first day of Durga Puja for Bengalis".
During the initial years, the programme was recorded and broadcast live on Sosthi. Eventually, the programme began to be played on Mahalaya, and has been a permanent Mahalaya ritual ever since. The last live broadcast of the show happened in 1962, following which recorded versions were played.
We live in a fast-paced world where we move on and forget quite easily. However, waking up on Mahalaya before the sun cracks through the darkness of the night has been a steadfast tradition for many Bengalis.
Mahalaya marks the beginning of "Devi Paksha" according to the Hindu calendar. However, for believers and non-believers alike, it marks the beginning of week-long festivities where people dress up in new clothes and spend all day and night with their loved ones.
Mahishasurmardini is a sentimental tradition that no one must reckon with. In 1974, Akashvani decided to try something new and had legendary Tollywood star, Uttam Kumar, recite the Chandipath. The move was widely criticised and listeners demanded that the original version be restored. Akashvani has learnt its lesson.
Mahishasurmardini is incomplete without the iconic recitation by Birendra Krishna Bhadra. His mildly nasal tone never bores, but takes you through the more-than-an-hour-long radio programme seamlessly, as his dramatic storytelling of the mythology makes you believe that you can almost see it unfolding before your eyes.
Birendra Krishna Bhadra's voice, sometimes bold, sometimes soft, blends with Pankaj Kumar Mullick's background score that transitions into the songs effortlessly.
The radio programme is also remembered for its evergreen songs that bring jitters of excitement every time they are played. Songs like "Bajlo Tomar Alor Benu," "Jaago Durga," "Ogo Amar Agomoni Alo," and "Subhra Sankha Rabe" have been bringing the essence of Durga Pujo to listeners since the day they were first played on air.
The songs had been sung by multiple illustrious vocalists of the 20th century: Tarun Bandopadhyay, Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, Dwijen Mukhopadhyay, Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, Krishna Dasgupta, Sipra Basu, Bimal Bhushan, Shyamal Mitra, Rabin Bandyopadhyay, Pratima Bandyopadhyay, Ila Basu, Supriti Ghosh, Arati Mukhopadhyay, Sumitra Sen, Ashima Bhattacharyya, Dhiren Basu , Arun Krishna Ghosh and Utpala Sen.
While the world has moved beyond the days of radio and into the attractive world of colourful visuals, our low attention span and impatient selves bow their heads before the magic of the Mahishasurmardini. It brings us together, no matter where we are. Every time one of us tunes into the ageless radio montage, the conch shells play exactly at 4 am, telling us that it has indeed stood the test of merciless time.
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