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Dilip Kumar Roy
From CopperWiki
DILIP KUMAR ROY (1897 – 1980 )
His father Dwijendranath’s songs are regularly broadcast over the Bengali air waves, whereas Dilip’s melodious voice is rarely heard. We are not sure how musical Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation was, but his superlatives on Dilip’s singing are worth quoting : “I may make bold to claim that very few persons in India – or rather in the world – have a voice like his, so rich and sweet and intense.” It appears after dabbling in many fields Dilip was pursuaded by Rabindranath and Romain Rolland to choose music as his calling.
Subhas Chandra Bose was in Presidency College, Calcutta as well as in Cambridge with him. “Just before resigning from the Indian Civil Service, he (Subhash) discussed with Dilip Kumar Roy, his closest friend, the subject of anti-British terrorism.” Dilip in his memoirs eloquently wrote about Subhash: “he died dreaming not of his family or defeats, nor even of the clouds that so often blurred his vision, but of the sun he had dreamed of from his boyhood, of faith and courage that would free his great Goddess -- his Motherland’." A galaxy of luminous names among Dilip’s friends and aquaintances such as Gandhi, Rabindra Nath, Jawaharlal, Romain Rolland and Bertrand Russel can be scattered at the drop of his hat.
He is credited to have written some eighty books in Bengali and English which include belle-letters, poetry, polemics, drama, and many novels as well as learned treatises on music. But it is difficult to lay one’s hands on them. He was born in Calcutta but ironically the efforts to keep his memory alive have been more energetically undertaken by the devotees of Hari Krishna Mandir which he founded in distant Pune.
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[edit] Chequered Career
Dilip Kumar lost his mother at an early age. She was a great beauty. It is mainly from her that Dilip inherited his striking looks. Dilip Kumar Roy had more than a passing resemblance with the famous film star Dilip Kumar whether in phisionomy or stature, and was perhaps even more handsome.
Dilip’s Deputy Magistrate father Dwijendralal, was a man of many talents. He was a contemporary of Rabindranath Tagore. As young men, the two were good friends and fellow writers – poets, dramatists as well as popular singers of their own compositions. Later in life however their youthful camaradarie, turned sour when Rabindranath began to outshine his friendly rival in achievements and fame. Young Dilip too got into public spats with the venerable old Nobel laureate, understandably regarding music but also on the art of the novel. But Rabindranath was very indulgent to his friend’s son. He had been very dignified in reacting to his father’s vituperation too. Rabindranath has written, "Dilip Kumar possesses one great gift; he wants to hear, which is the reason why he can draw out things worth hearing. Wanting to hear is not a passive quality but an active one; it awakens our power of speech because we come to know our mind's true expressions. Dilip Kumar has on many occasions given me the joy of discovering my own thoughts."
Dilip got his early training in music from Dwijendralal. But he lost his father when he was only sixteen. He became the ward of his famous Homeopath grandfather Pratap Chandra Majumdar. After graduating in Mathematics from the elite Presidency College of Calcutta, Dilip went to Cambridge for higher studies. There he completed just the first part of a tripos in Mathematics, and switched over to Music. He did not complete his music studies either. Instead, he flirted with law for a while and then pushed off to Germany and traveled in Europe for a deeper understanding of Western music. He has translated some classical poetry from Italian and German into Bengali in support of his claim of being a linguist.
In 1922, he returned to India and sought deeper understanding of Indian classical music under the tutelage of masters like Abdul Karim Khan and Fayaz Khan and the musicologist Pandit Bhatkhande. In 1927 he went on a lecture tour of Europe – subject music.
[edit] Pondicherry
In spite of his debonair, free wheeling upper-class life style, it seems Dilip Roy had a strong devotional, mystical bent. He suddenly forsook his secular life and joined the Aurobindo Ashram as an acolyte. Pondicherrry became his base from 1928 till the death of Sri Aurobindo in 1950. He had become a favourite of his guru like Ananda to The Buddha, St. John to Jesus or a Vivekananda to Ramakrishna. Aurobindo has gone on record to say: “Dilip, I have cherished you like a friend and a son and have poured on you my force to develop your powers – to make an equal development in the Yoga.”
They corresponded voluminously on whatever passed through Dilip’s mind. And Dilip too, has gratefully sung the glory of his English speaking master as the “yuga-guru” in Bengali. He used the score of one of his father’s most memorable songs of love and surrender. The original was based on a Western tune to which Dilip has superimposed his own words. This kind of eclecticism attracted a more elite well-heeled and upper class band to “The Life Divine” project of Pondicherry Ashram than other more rustic millennial creeds.
[edit] Ma Indira
Dilip’s coming together with his sadhan sangini, or partner in life’s quest, seems to be a de ja voux of that of his master with Madam Mirra Richard nee Alfasa/Morrisot, who was of mixed Turko-Egyptian lineage. Madam forsook her worldly life to become The Mother of Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry.
First let us hear what the Guru has to say about other such a momentous encounters, “which declares itself constantly through many lives......The relation that is so indicated always turns out to be that of those who have been together in the past (births ?) and were predestined to join again."
Our lady in question was the - “daughter of a musical mother and a rich father.” She was not a foreigner but not a Bengali. Co-incidentally her first name too was Mira(?) with only one r short of The Mother. She first met Dilip Kumar Roy in Jubblepore in 1946 where he had gone to lecture and literally sing the praise of his Guru. From the very first encounter the young lady who was only about twenty six had no doubts about her destiny.
She finally came to Pondicherry in 1949 and during her audience with Sri Aurobindo fell into a trance. It seems Aurobindo certified her samadhi as genuine and gave permission to Dilip to accept her. Sri Aurobindo had summed up Dilip Roy with the words, “Your destiny is to be a Yogi but an ascetic dryness or isolated loneliness is not your spiritual destiny since it is not consonant with your swabhava which is made for joy”.
With the blessings of his Guru, Dilip, who was more than twenty years older in age naturally accepted Mira as his “daughter disciple.” During the brief stay in Pondicherry the Guru Shishya interaction proved very creative. Mira was renamed Indira, in order to avoid confusion with The Mother, and eventually became Ma Indira. She learnt dancing in three styles, Manipuri, Kathak and Bharata Natyam. In a trance she composed devotional bhajans a la Mira Bai to which Dilip Kumar gave his voice. However with the demise of Sri Aurobindo the couple left Pondicherry and with the patronage of their influential friends went on a world tour as cultural ambassadors. Ultimately they settled down in Pune in the Hari Mandir Ashram which they founded.
Dilip Kumar Roy passed away in 1980 and Ma Indira lived till 1997(?).
[edit] References
- Among the Great – Dilip Kumar Roy
- Pilgrim of the Stars – Dilip Kumar Roy, Indira Devi
- Ronger Parash – Dilip Kumar Roy (Bengali)
- Aghatan Ajo Ghate – Dilip Kumar Roy (Bengali)
- Surobihar – Dilip Kumar Roy (Bengali)
- Dilip Kumar Roy – Prithwindra Mukerji
