Kabir Suman

Kabir Suman (born Suman Chattopadhyay ; 16 March 1949) is an Indian singer-songwriter, musician, music director, music composer, writer, actor, politician, and former journalist.

Suman was born in a Bengali Hindu Brahmin family on 16 March 1949 to Sudhindranath and Uma Chattopadhyay at Cuttack, Odisha.

He started his training in classical music at a very young age, under the tutelage of his father.

He studied at St. Lawrence High School, Kolkata.

He graduated with an honours in English Literature from Jadavpur University and did a diploma in the French language and the German language.

Around 1968, while learning Himangshu Dutta compositions, he felt that in spite of their compositional strength, they did not represent the contemporary times, lyrically.

Kabir Suman's first studio recording was in 1972.

It was released from Hindusthan Records.

His second single vinyl record was published in 1973, from the same label.

Both these records were commercially unsuccessful.

After resigning from All India Radio he joined a clerical post at United Bank of India.

Kabir Suman shifted to France temporarily to teach the basics of Indian Classical Music in 1973.

It is said in one of his autobiographies, that in France he was first introduced to the songs of Bob Dylan and he claimed Dylan's songs left a great impression and influence on him.

Kabir Suman went to West Germany on 12 May 1975..

At the end of 1975, Voice of Germany opened a Bengali department in Cologne, and he applied for a job there.

They gave him some translation work, and he gradually became a regular freelancer for the Voice of Germany's Bengali division.

During this time Suman completed his first song (written in 1975) "E Kemon Akash Dekhale Tumi".

During this time Suman went to the US in to work for Voice of America.

While working for Voice of America, Suman went to Nicaragua during Sandinista Revolution.

He also wrote for Desh magazine under the pseudonym Manab Mitra during this time and also started writing in the 'Frontier' magazine.

In May 1979, Suman returned to Kolkata and he started to work as a teacher of German at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, and the Max Mueller Bhavan.

He started working in the Bengali daily Aajkal as a part-timer, and also contributed to the Desh until 1980.

He joined a band called "Samatan".

However, this band was unsuccessful and the members broke up very soon.

Some members of Samatan and some new members, all in their twenties and thirties joined him to establish a new band called 'Nagarik : Anya Katha Anya Gan'.

Suman returned to Kolkata in early 1985.

He bought many instruments, applicable for a complete recording studio, which were sent to Kolkata by ship.

After returning to Kolkata, he rejoined with 'Nagarik' with some new vocalists and instrumentalists, and continued writing and composing songs, thinking mainly as group songs.

From early 1986, 'Nagorik' started swinging due to clash of personality.

Thinking thus, he went to West Germany again in September 1986, and before departure he recorded another album of 'Nagarik', following the procedure just written before, but this time in the new studio he constructed.

He shot to fame in the 1990s with Bengali albums such as Tomake Chai (I Want You) and Boshe Anko (Sit-and-Draw).

Kabir Suman created some songs at that time like "Hariye Jeo Na", "Tomake Chai" (finally published in 1992), "Aro Balo Aro Katha" (partially published in 1992), "Machhi O Mara Mukher Gan", "Najehal Akashta", "Robbar" (finally published in 1994), "Tumi Gan Gaile (finally sung by Indranil Sen and published in 2002), "Ganahatyar Nam Bhopal", "Tirikshi Mejajer Je Lokta", "Abhibadan" (finally published in 1994) etc. His initial compositions were created keeping the group in mind. The group consisted of amateur singers and their aptitude was limited. Members of Nagorik recorded some of his songs on cassette tape, the entire recording was planned domestically in his home at Baishnabghata. Kabir Suman himself had written, composed, sung and played electronic keyboard on the recording. There were some other vocalists and instrumentalists, instruments included guitar and percussions. The entire recording was done by his four track tape recorder, where live vocals and live instruments were recorded in two tracks by all vocalists, and Kabir Suman himself added more electronic sounds on the rest of the two tracks by playing synthesizer.

His book "Mukta Nicaragua" about Sandinista revolution was published by K.P. Bagchi Publication at that time (republished many years later), but another book "Anya America" failed to get published.

He also recorded some information and song about Sandinista Revolution at that time.

During this time he constructed a recording studio named 'Sing To Live' inside an abandoned factory near Bansdroni.

Kabir Suman was not sure about the future of his created songs, and also not interested to involve in a general job.

He thought if he could go to a foreign country as an employee, he could buy many electronic music instruments.

From May 2009 to 2014, he was a member of parliament of India in the 15th Lok Sabha, having been elected from the Jadavpur constituency in Kolkata from All India Trinamool Congress.

He changed his name from Suman Chattopadhyay to Kabir Suman as he accepted Islam despite being a Hindu by birth.

While explaining the reason of this religious transformation, he claimed his such move was to mark his protest against the killing of Christian missionary Graham Staines by a former member of Bajrang Dal.