Mahisasuramardini (radio programme)

Mahishasuramarddini is a widely popular early Bengali special dawn radio programme that has been broadcast since 1931 on All India Radio (AIR) in Indian state West Bengal. It is a one-and-a-half-hour audio montage of Caṇḍipāṭh (chanting from Caṇḍi) recitation from the scriptural verses of Śrī Śrī Caṇḍi or Durga Saptashati, Bengali devotional songs, classical music and a dash of acoustic melodrama. The program has been translated into Hindi set to similar orchestration and is broadcast at the same time for a pan-Indian audience. This programme is aired every year at day-break on Mahalaya. The programme, which started off as a live-performance, has been broadcast in its pre-recorded format since 1966. However, its great popularity remains undiminished even today over 89 years later.
This program has become synonymous with Mahalaya which is celebrated to usher the Devipaksha lunar fortnight and the Durga Puja. To this day, most of Bengal wakes up in the breezily pre dawn hours, 4 am to be precise, on the Mahalaya day to tune into the "Mahishasuramarddini" broadcast. Presently the recordings are available as audio cassettes and Compact Disks from HMV-RPG which has obtained the rights from All India Radio. The CD version (as of 2002) contains 19 tracks.
Birendra Krishna Bhadra.
Birendra Krishna Bhadra, who will always be remembered for making Mahalaya memorable to one and all, is the voice behind the “Mahisasura Mardini.” He recites the holy verses and tells the story of the descent of Durga to earth. It was on the day of Mahalaya, the beginning of "Devipaksha", that the gods and goddesses woke up to prepare themselves for Durga Puja. In 1931, Mahalaya was first broadcast over the radio in Akashvani, Calcutta. The programme was organised by Pankaj Kumar Mallik, Premankur Aatorthi, Birendra Krishna Bhadra, Nripendra Krishna Mukhopadhyay and Raichand Boral.
So popular was his version of the recitation that when in 1976, the voice of noted Bengali actor, Uttam Kumar was employed for the programme and renamed it as Durga Durgatiharini did not get favorable response from the audience and it was shifted back to the original version of Birendra Krishna Bhadra.
Bhadra died long ago, but his recorded voice still forms the core of the Mahalaya program. In a sonorous voice Bhadra renders the Mahalaya recital for one and half thrilling hours, mesmerizing every household with the divine aura of his narration, as the Bengalees submerge their souls in quiet moments of prayer.
Musical Composition.
Though the theme is mythological and the mantras Vedic, this program is a landmark composition. It is scripted by Bani Kumar, and narrated by Birendra Krishna Bhadra while Dwijen Mukhopadhyay (Jago Durga Jago Doshoprohoronodharini), Manabendra Mukhopadhyay (Tabo Achinta), Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, Arati Mukhopadhyay, Utpala Sen, Shyamal Mitra and Supriti Ghosh (Bajlo tomar alor benu) sang in their melodious voices. The enchanting music is composed by Pankaj Mullick. As the recital begins, the serene morning air resonates with the long drawn sound of the sacred conch shell, followed by a tune in Raga Malkosh, which ultimately leads to the start of the programme with the prayer to Goddess Chandi. Immediately an atmosphere is created full of assurance, respect and universal love and peace. This way, "Mahisasurmardini" took a permanent place in the heart of Bengali as well as Indian culture.