Radharaman Dutta (; 1834 – 1915), also spelt as Radha Raman Dutta, was an influential

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

musician and poet. A prominent member of the

Bauls The Baul () are a group of mystic minstrels of mixed elements of Sufism and Vaishnavism from different parts of Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley and Meghalaya. Bauls constitute bo ...

, Dutta's body of work has led him to be considered as the "Father of Dhamail songs". His songs are widely covered by contemporary Bengali musicians and lyricist.

Ancestry

In 640, the Raja of Tripura Dharma Fa planned a ceremony and invited five

Brahmans Brahmin (; ) is a '' varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). The traditional occ ...

from

Etawah Etawah (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Iṭāvā''), also known as Ishtikapuri, is a city situated on the banks of Yamuna River in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Etawa ...

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepa ...

and

Kannauj Kannauj (Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: ) is an ancient city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar palika, Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Ut ...

. To compensate for their long journey, the Raja granted the Brahmans land in a place which came to be known as Panchakhanda (meaning five parts). One of the five Brahmans, Ananda Shastri of Mithila, was the ancestor of Nidhipati Shastri. In 1195, the King of Tripura granted Nidhipati some land in ''Ita''. ''Ita'' was feudal to the Kingdom of Tripura and part of its Manukul Pradesh. Nidhipati became the founder of the ''Ita'' dynasty which would later gain a

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

status through his descendant, Bhanu Narayan. Bhanu Narayan's son, Ramchandra Brahma Narayan had a son called Prabhakar Dutta. In 1612, after

Khwaja Usman Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī (), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamindar ruling over the northern parts of Bengal, including Greater M ...

's successful battle against the last Ita Raja, Subid Narayan, the royal family fled to nearby kingdoms in the

Sylhet region Sylhet Division () is a northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh, renowned for its lush tea gardens, rolling hills and vibrant cultural heritage. Covering an area of approximately 12,298 square kilometres, it is bordered by t ...

. Prabhakar fled to Alisarkul (a village in

Srimangal Sreemangal () is an upazila of Moulvibazar District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. It is located at the southwest of the district, and borders the Habiganj District to the west and the Indian state of Tripura to the south. Sreemangal is often refe ...

) before seeking refuge in the Jagannathpur Kingdom. The King of Jagannathpur, Raja Vijay Singh allowed Prabhakar to live in the Keshabpur village. Later, Prabhakar's son, Sambhu Das Dutta, is made a minister under Vijay Singh. After the defeat of the Jagannathpur Kingdom by the Baniyachong Raja Habib Khan, the Dutta family decided to stay away from politics in order to protect themselves. Sambhu's son, Radha Madhab Dutta engaged himself in Sanskrit and Bengali literature. He translated

Jayadeva Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem ''Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the ''gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which presen ...

Gita Govinda The ''Gita Govinda'' (; IAST: ''gītagovindam'') is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and ''gopis'' (female cow herders) of Vrindavan. The ''Gita Govinda'' is organiz ...

into the

Bengali language Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...

in addition to writing and composing famous songs and poems.

Early life

Dutta was born on May 26, 1833 into a

Bengali Kayastha Bengali Kayastha is a Bengali Hindu caste that originated from the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent, and is one of the main subgroups of the Kayastha community. The historical caste occupation of Kayasthas throughout India has been that of ...

zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

family in the village of Keshabpur in Jagannathpur, which is located in present-day

Sunamganj District Sunamganj District (), is a district located in north-eastern Bangladesh in Sylhet Division. History In the ancient period, Sunamganj was part of the Laur Kingdom. After the conquest of Sylhet (Kingdom of Gauiurh) in 1303 by Muslims under the sp ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. As the youngest child of the

Bengali Hindu Bengali Hindus () are adherents of Hinduism who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. They make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Assam's Barak Valley ...

poet Radha Madhab Dutta, Dutta displayed a musical

temperament In psychology, temperament broadly refers to consistent individual differences in behavior that are biologically based and are relatively independent of learning, system of values and attitudes. Some researchers point to association of tempera ...

from childhood. The early death of his father led Dutta to seek the discipleship and initiation of religious mentors like Raghunath Goswami. Dutta's

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

(worship of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

) shaped his musical work and led him to a life of

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

; he lived for some time in a house that amounted to little more than a seven-square-foot of mud-hut. He studied Shakta, Vaishnavism, Shaiva and Sahajiya doctrines and started performing sadhana-bhajan according to Sahajiya. Dutta was also heavily influenced by the

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

that infuses Baul culture, and was in touch with contemporary

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

poet

Hason Raja Dewan Hason Raja Chowdhury, or simply known as Hason Raja (; 21 December 1854 – 6 December 1922), was a Bengali mystic poet and songwriter from Sylhet, Bengal Presidency (now Bangladesh). His unique style of music made him one of the most p ...

Cultural influence

Radharaman Datta wrote and composed over 2,000 songs and was known in particular for his "Geets" and " Dhamal" songs - compositions to traditional dance forms. He has been cited as the creator of the Dhamail art form. Dutta's compositions are performed today in weddings all over Bangladesh. Many popular

songs of today were written originally by Radharaman and his songs are sung by modern professional musicians in

and in

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, India.

Personal life

In 1275 BS (1868-1869 AD), he married Gunamayi Devi. She was the daughter of Nandakumar Sen Adhikari, a descendant of Sivananda Sen who was a disciple of

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; ), born Vishvambhara Mishra () (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindus, Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bha ...

. Her home village was Adpasha in present-day Ward 8, Amtail,

Moulvibazar Moulvibazar (), is a town in north-eastern Bangladesh just south of Sylhet. It is the capital of Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila and Moulvibazar District, and is located on the banks of the Manu River, Tripura, Manu River. History In 1771, Moulvi S ...

. Bipin Bihari Dutta was their only surviving child at the time of Dutta's death, with his three other children and wife dying in his lifetime.

Death and legacy

On 10 November 1915, Dutta died in his own house which became his

samadhi (shrine) In Hinduism, Sikhism, and Sufism a samadhi () or samadhi mandir is a temple, shrine, or memorial commemorating the dead (similar to a tomb or mausoleum), which may or may not contain the body of the deceased. Samadhi sites are often built in th ...

. Following his death, his disciples lit candles in the shrine everyday - a tradition which has been maintained to this day.

Notable famous songs by Radharaman

* Shyam Kalia Shuna Bondhu Re * Bhromor Koio Giya * Kare Dhekabo Moner Dhukko Go * Sham Chikon Kalia * Bolo Go Bolo Go Shoki * Mone Nai Mone Nai * Jole Jaio Na Go Rai * O Bashi Re * Sham Na Ki Choli la * Jole Gia Chilam Shoi * Ami Robo Na Robo Na Grihe * Kalay Pran Ti Nilo (Bashi Ti Bajaiya) * Amar Bondhu Doyamoy * Jugol Milon Hoilo Go * Pap Ar Punno, Kori Tare Manno * Ke Tore Shikhailo Radhar Namti Re * Amar Golar Har Khule Ne Ogo Lalite * Amare Ashibar Kotha Koiya * Joler ghate deikha ailam ki sundor Shyam Rai

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutta, Radharaman 1834 births 1915 deaths People from Jagannathpur Upazila Musicians from British India People from the Bengal Presidency Bengali musicians Bengali singers Bengali-language lyricists