{"id":5316,"date":"2019-11-23T22:27:49","date_gmt":"2019-11-23T16:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=5316"},"modified":"2023-07-20T17:27:28","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T11:57:28","slug":"geeta-dutt-the-artist-and-her-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/geeta-dutt-the-artist-and-her-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Geeta Dutt – The Artist and Her Art"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Geeta

The young Geeta Roy with her music teacher Harendranath Nandi (Pic: The Magical Voice of Geeta Dutt)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe artist\u2019s first love is his work,\u201d said Geeta Dutt, and had a reason behind saying that. \u201cWhen everything is boiled down to the essentials, it appears to be the final explanation of the mystery of all artistic and creative endeavours,\u201d she had written in an article ‘The Artist’s First Love’ in Filmfare<\/em>, 1958.<\/p>\n

The Teen Sensation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Geeta Roy, born in a family of zamindars<\/em> in Faridpur (part of Bangladesh at present), spent her childhood in rented houses in North Calcutta. Before she reached her teens, she was living in a small flat in Dadar Hindu Colony, Bombay. In this journey, all that she could carry with her was her music. Geeta took lessons in music in Calcutta. First, from her mother Amiya Devi, and then from Harendranath Nandi, who she called \u2018mastermoshai<\/em>\u2019. Around 1941, both Harendranath and the Roys moved to Bombay. In Geeta\u2019s words, \u201cI sang and sang seeking to give expression to my inner self. At that time we were staying at Dadar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geeta was only thirteen or fourteen when she would attend school classes at the Bengali Education Society\u2019s School in the morning, and give singing and dancing lessons to young girls in the evening. This was just a few years after the days when she would spend the evening playing in the Shraddananda Park in Calcutta, as a young girl!<\/p>\n

What was it that made Geeta unable to resist teaching young girls, when she was herself just in her early teens? \u201cEver since I was a little girl, I was restless to sing and dance,\u201d she wrote and that perhaps holds the key to the irrepressible urge to sing and share her music. Now that she had already learnt the basics, and was not being able to take further lessons in music, she began teaching! How did teaching come to her? \u201cI was very enthusiastic about inspiring others with a passion for singing,\u201d are her words that reflect her passion.<\/p>\n

\"Geeta

‘Geeta Dutt, whose voice has a lovely lilt, makes a deep impression with her singing in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam<\/em>‘ – reads the caption (Pic: SMM Ausaja Archives)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Geeta

Geeta Dutt in a Philips Radio advertisement (Pic: SMM Ausaja Archives)<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

Humble and Down to Earth<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Geeta Dutt The Skylark, <\/em> her biographer Haimanti Banerjee narrates in Geeta and Guru Dutt\u2019s younger son Arun Dutt\u2019s words, \u201cA couple of years before the Do Bhai<\/em> singing star was born, Geeta of 15\/16 used to give light music lessons to the girls of a Marwari family. One evening when Geeta went there, she found that the birthday party of one of the kids was in progress. The lady of the house called Geeta and gave her a plate full of eats to eat not in the drawing room, but in the kitchen along with the other servants!\u201d<\/p>\n

Music, perhaps, was too insignificant and nothing more than a time pass for the members of this family. But what was significant to them?<\/p>\n

Here comes the second part of the story. \u201cA few years later, the same family invited the celebrated singer from the tinsel town, the filmi duniya<\/em>! They had of course, arranged an elaborate party with the glitterati of the business world. Soon, the sprawling table was laid; sumptuous dishes were spread with aromatic aliments! Along with the others, the guest of honour, Geeta too was served a plate. Geeta looked at it pleasantly and quietly excusing herself, went inside. Wondering, what she was up to, others followed her. To their chagrin, they discovered that Geeta went straight to the kitchen and sat on the ground exactly where she had been asked to sit, a few years back with the servants and the cooks!\u201d<\/p>\n

Music was what Geeta valued, and not the glitter of fame that had just got added to her name. She was too confident about her love for music to dishonour it by accepting to serve to her fame. Geeta Dutt had been clear about her idea of the fame she got back then. In her own words, \u201cThey say that fame and career, won after a hard struggle, are more satisfying than when they are acquired comparatively easily. I do not know. Personally, I have no tale of bitter struggles to tell. The Do Bhai<\/em> songs became hits, and paved the way for me. However, lasting satisfaction arises only from having done the work in hand well, to the best of one\u2019s ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yaad karoge, yaad karoge, ik din humko yaad karoge<\/em><\/strong> (Do Bhai<\/em>, 1947) SD Burman \/ Raja Mehdi Ali Khan \/ Geeta Dutt<\/span><\/p>\n