Chetla Murari Smriti Sangeet Sammilini, the beloved organisation of ours, Bay of Bengal and we think it would not be an exaggeration at all if we say, of India. This is because hardly a music maestro of the country can be named who is not in some way of other related with this organization. We are proud to state that Ustad Najakat Ali & Salamat Ali, Pt. Ravishankarji, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pt. Monilal Nag, Ustad Vilayet Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Vidushi Sisir Kana Dhar Chaudhury, Pt. Anokhilal Misra, Pt. Shanta Prasad Misra, Ustad Keramatullah Khan, Vidushi Roshan Kumari, Vidushi Bela Arnab, Vidushi Bandana Sen, Ustad Fayaz Khan, Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan, Pt. V.R. Pattabardhan, Vidushi Heerabai Bardekar, Vidhshi Gangubai Hungal, Pt. V.G.Jog are very few name who on different occasions made us feel honoured through taking part in our legendary music conference. Smt. Meera Bandyopadhyaya, Smt. Suchitra Mitra, Smt. Purabi Dutta, Smt. Nirmala Misra, Sri Himaghma Roy Chowdhury, Smt. Haimanti Shukla, Smt.ati Mukherjee, Sri Kalipada Mukherjee, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta, Vidushi Kalyani Roy, Smt. Bandana Sen, Dr. Malabika Mitra, Smt. Banasree Mukherjee, Pt. Kanai Dutta, Pt. Shankar Ghose, Pt. Radhakanto Nandi, Pt., Shyamal Bose, Pt. Swapan Chaudhury, are very few to list up the names of successful once-upon- a –time competitors in our music competition. we do not venture to extend the list, lest we omit any reputed name.
Since its very inception Chetla Murari Smriti Sangeet Sammilani in 1941 through ardent and daring endeavours of the Late Manoj Mohan Misra in conjunction with able organizers like the Late Bhupendranath Ghosh, Maharajas’ of Coochbehar, Lalgola and Natore, the Late Phanibhusan Ganguly, the Late Damodar Das Khanna ( Lala babu), the Late Snbehangshu Acharya and others with a view to keeping up the sacred Memory of Murari Mohan Misra, the worthiest son and disciple of Pt. Mohini Mohan Misra, has been keeping up high morale in its work and worthiest culture, its vision and mission. The late Murari Mohan Misra had also taken his musical lesson from Pt. Ratan Jhankar of Morrise College, Lucknow and glowed like a luminary in the musical firmament of India. But as misfortune have it, he had to set down even before bursting out in full splendor at the blazing noon. So our Sammilani stands for aspiration, perseverance and adoration of music. For three and half decades (1941 – 1977) it had organized annual All India Music Competition, referred to earlier, which in course of time began to be considered as one of the most dignified ones in India. The annual Music Conference held (1941 – 66) under the banner was regarded as sanctified and much logged for. But we organize our Annual Programme regularly from 1978 to till this year also.
These had to be discontinued for some impassable impediments from 1977. But satisfaction prevailed. Out of the caverns of latency through indomitable volition we arose and brought the recess to an end. We resumed the second innings of the said programs in 2010. May not be as lustrous in the first innings, may be in a much humble manner, we could and did introduce annual programme and the competition was to follow. Another creditable affair has marked our present advancement in the new innings. Smt. Sipra Bose, Smt. Purabi Dutta, Smt. Arati Mukherjee, Smt. Sumitra Sen, Pt. Shankar Ghosh, Pt. Swapan Chowdhury, Pt. Ajay Chakraborty, Smt. Nirmala Misra, Smt. Purnima Chaudhuri, Pt. Avijit Banerjee, Pt. Rajendra Gangani and others participated in our programme time to time.
Besides, legends of Indian Music have been invited to give away the prizes to the successful competitors of our Music Competition and they have been given successful competitors opportunity to perform before a full house infront of the maestros. We strongly believe that this has roused relation in the competitors and made them agile to march forward with their quality and brilliance to blaze more brightly.
Still another venture has been taken up from our end. We had arranged different workshop in different subjects like Sitar, Tabla, Dance and other subjects also in every year – conducted by the maestros of Indian Music, which acclaimed great response and enthusiasm from all over India.
Thus we have all along been trying our best to propagate devotion and love for music among the members of the young generation and to bring to limelight young and promising musicians. Bearing the torch from the Late Manoj Mohan Misra, whose birth centenary was observed by us in a befittingly glorious manner in 2010, we are marching forward and in that journey we solicit your valued co-operation, patronage and well-wishes, let the sky be our limit.
Dr. Manotosh Dasgupta - President