Santidev Ghosh - Biography

Biography

Santidev Ghosh was born on 24 Baisakh 1317 (May 7, 1910) in the village of Bajapti near Chandpur. At that time, it was part of the British-controlled areas of India and of the province of East Bengal. Today, it is in Bangladesh.

His father was Kalimohan Ghosh, who worked with Rabindranath Tagore from before Santidev Ghosh was born, and was closely associated in the setting up the Rurual Reconstruction Unit at Visva-Bharati. His mother was Monorama Devi. Originally, Tagore took Kalimohan to work on rural reconstruction programs in the Tagore estates in Silaidah, today's Bangladesh. Later, Kalimohan was brought by Rabindranath Tagore to Santiniketan, to work on similar scheme of rural reconstruction at Sriniketan, adjacent to Santiniketan. Kalimohan brought his six month old son, then named Santimoy (meaning peaceful) Ghosh, to Tagore. Tagore changed the middle part of his name, so his first name would be Santidev (meaning Lord of peace), which became Ghosh's common first name.

Santidev had his school education at the Santiniketan Ashrama Vidyalaya which Tagore had founded in 1901. This is where he acquired proficiency in music, dance and acting under the direct guidance of the Poet himself and Dinendranath. As Tagore’s emissary, he visited Sri Lanka, Burma and Java and Bali, in today's Indonesia to learn music and dance of neighbouring countries.

Santidev joined Visva-Bharati University as a teacher in 1930, when he was 20 years old. He married Smt. Ila Ghosh in 1946. Later he became Professor and Head of the Department of Rabindra Music and Dance at Sangit-Bhavana, the music department of Visva-Bharati University. He also served as the Principal of the institute between 1964–68 and 1971-73.

Santidev was appointed a member of the Advisory Board of Akasvani (All India Radio), Calcutta in 1948 and served as a member of the Publication Committee of the Sangeet-Natak Akademi, New Delhi (1956–60). He was the President of the Music Section of Prabasi Bango Sahitya Sammelan (Expatriate Bengali Cultural Organization) and Assam Sahitya Sammelan (1964). The prolific singer widely traveled in India and abroad. He visited the United Kingdom, Japan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the former USSR in order to acquaint himself with the culture and traditions of those countries and also to propagate the ideals of Rabindranath.