Ramesh Shil (1877 – April 6, 1967) was a

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 ...

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...

. He belonged to the class of bards, called ''Kabiyals'', who improvised songs in poetic contests evolved in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

and its outskirts in the 18th and the 19th centuries, and also became known for his composition of songs in the

Maizbhandari The Maizbhandari (), or sometimes Maijbhandari (), order or ''tariqa'' of Sufism within Sunni Islam was founded in the late 19th century by the Bengali Sufi saint Ahmad Ullah Maizbhandari from Chittagong. It is the only Sufi order to have origin ...

musical tradition. He was awarded

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 2002 by the

Government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

Background and career

Shil was born to Chandi Charan Shil and Rajkumari Shil at Gomadandi village of

Chittagong District Chittagong District (), ( Chatgaiya: Sitang/Chatga), officially Chattogram District, is a district located in south-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Division. Due to its geographical location, Chittagong is classified as a s ...

. Shil got his breakthrough in 1945 when he defeated Sheikh Gumani in a song contest arranged by the Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan in

. In the contest, they improvised verses and hurled strophes and antistrophes at each other.

Works

Shil composed about 350

songs praising the Maizbhandari order and its proponent Ahmed Ullah Maizbhandari. These songs had been published in nine volumes titled ''Ashekmala'', ''Shantibhandar'', ''Muktir Darbar'', ''Nure Duniya'', ''Jibansathi'', ''Satyadarpan'', ''Bhandare Maula'', ''Manab Bandhu'' and ''Eshke Sirajia''. Shil wrote notable songs like ''"Ishkul Khuilachhe Re Maula"''.

Bulbul Lalitakala Academy Bulbul Lalitakala Academy (now known as Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts or BAFA) is an institution of fine arts established in Dhaka on 17 May 1955, founded by Begum Afroza Bulbul, wife of Bulbul Chowdhury Bulbul Chowdhury (1 January 1919 – 17 Ma ...

honored him as the ''Greatest Bard'' in 1962.

Personal life

Shil first married Apurba Mohini in 1900. They had one daughter Shailbala. After early deaths of next two daughters and one son, he married for the second time. From the second marriage with Abola Bala, they had four sons and two daughters.

References

{{authority control 1877 births 1967 deaths Bengali male poets Musicians from Chittagong Recipients of the Ekushey Padak 19th-century Bengali poets 19th-century Indian male writers Musicians from British India