Ruma Guha Thakurta

Ruma Guha Thakurta
Birth name	Ruma Ghosh
Genres	Film music
Occupation(s)	actress, Activist, singer
Instrument(s)	Vocalist
Years active	1944–present

Ruma Guha Thakurta (Bengali: রুমা গুহঠাকুরতা) is a Bengali actress and singer.

Early life

She was born in 1934 as Ruma Ghosh. She hails from a Brahmo Bengali family. Her father was Satyen Ghosh (known as Montey Ghosh) and her mother was Sati Devi, a singer. Sati Devi's younger sister Bijoya married film director Satyajit Ray. Thakurta had her formal education in many places including Santiniketan for a brief period. She was educated first in Loretto and then in Gokhale School and thereafter Sacred Heart School, Lahore. She was also one of the earliest child students of Uday Shankar Cultural Centre in Almora in its formative years where her mother had been a music teacher. Kishore Kumar married Ruma Ghosh in May 1951 in Bombay, and their son Amit Kumar was born the following year. The couple divorced in 1958. She settled in Calcutta and married Arup Guha Thakurta and had two children by him, Ayan and Sromana. In 1958 she set up Calcutta Youth Choir with Salil Chowdhury and Satyajit Ray.

Singing career

As a solo singer Ruma Guha Thakurta recorded a few Rabindra Sangeet like Maya Bono Biharini Harini with Kishore Kumar and 'Tomar Geeti Jagalo Smriti with Hemant Kumar in Lookochuri, Sukher Majhe tomai dekhechi in Jodi Jantem, and Potho Hara Tumi Pothika and some Rabindra Sangeet in 'Bakshaw Badal', 'Bajey Karun Surey' in Manihara, 'Momochitte Nite Nritey' in Ponchoshor and others. HMV recorded Kotha Baire Dure, Khone Khone Mone Mone and few others. In Bangla Adunik (modern) songs genre, Guhathakurta recorded a number of songs such as, Mon Je amar kemon kemon... and Chinite parini badhu...in Polatak, 'Ei To Hethai Kunja...' with Kishore Kumar in Lookochuri, Jodi Akash Hote in Ashi te Ashio na (only used in film), Sukh Sari with Manna Dey in Antony Firengee, Sudhu Poth Chey thakain Baghini , and the baithaki songs in the movie Benarasi. In 1969, HMV recorded Ek Khana Megh Bheshe elo akase and Bathan Bathan by her, which were super hits. Her duet songs like Sajea Dopati with Bhupen Hazarika are also memorable. In the year 1993, after Satyajit Ray died, she recorded Puroskare Sommane as a tribute to him. She also sang a song as tribute to Mother Teresa, after she had died. Most of the songs sung by her is always related for awakening the society. The most excellent Bengali choral version of Ol' Man River is performed regularly on their concerts by Calcutta Youth Choir arranged by Ruma. Other noted songs include 'Tomar Amar Thikana', 'Ei Amader Desh', 'Bharat Jai Jan', 'Sare Jahan Se Accha', etc. The Bengali version of We Shall Overcome, translated by Shibdas Bandyopadhyay, "Ek Din Surjyer Bhor" (literally translated as "One Day The Sun Will Rise") was recorded by the Calcutta Youth Choir arranged by Guhathakurta during the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence and became one of the largest selling Bengali records.

Acting career

Her career started in Bollywood as a child artist. Thakurta acted in more than 100 movies in Bengali. Most of her Hindi movies were released in the 1950s. She joined Bollywood as a child artist at a remuneration of ₹500 (US$6.00) at the age of thirteen in the Prithvi Theatre. She acted in number Hindi movies like Rajani, Raagrang, Samar, Afsar, and Bairaag. In 1944 Devikarani gave her a break in Jwar Bhata after seeing her dance. Ritwik Ghatak wanted her to act in the lead role in his film Meghe Dhaka Tara, but she was busy in shooting Rajen Tarafdar’s Ganga so she could not accept the offer. She performed as a lead actress in films such as Khaneker Athithi, Benarasi, Ashi te Asio Na, Personal Asst, Ganga, Abhijan, Nirjan Soikote, Ponchosor, Arogya Niketon, and Ganashatru. She performed as a supporting actress in Cheley Kar, Gar Nasimpur, Bhaghini, Jodi Jantem, Hanghsa Mithun, Balika Badhu, Chakranto, Malabadal, Chowdury Paribar, Aakrosh, and Aagoon. She won the award for best actress for her performance in Nirjan Saikate. She acted as a mother character in Amar Songa, Anuraher Chhoya, Trayee, Dadar Kirti, Arogya Niketon, Papi, 36 Chowringhee Lane, Amrita Kumbher Sandhane, and Srodhanjoli. She also played characters in Mega TV serials like Prabaho, Ghum Nei, and Pritibimbo. In 2006 she also acted in Mira Nair's The Namesake (film). She acted in Hindi Films too like Milan ( Naukadubi in Bengali) with Diliplumar.also in Mashal

Filmography

• As an actress

Movie	Year	Director	Role	Language
The Namesake	2006		Ashoke's Mother
Himghar	1996			Bengali
Sangharsha	1995	Haranath Chakraborty		Bengali
Wheel Chair	1994	Tapan Sinha	Sushmita's Mother
Indrajit	1992	Anjan Choudhury
Path O Prasad	1991			Bengali
Gonoshatru	1989	Satyajit Roy	Maya Gupta	Bengali
Aakrosh	1989
Asha O Bhalobasha	1989			Bengali
Agun	1988	Victor Banerjee
Gayok	1987	Shantanu Bhowmick		Bengali
Anurager Chhonya	1986			Bengali
Amor Sangee	1986			Bengali
Bhalobasa Bhalobasa	1985		Keya's Mother	Bengali
Samarpita	1983			Bengali
Amrita Kumbher Sandhane	1982			Bengali
Troyee	1982			Bengali
Swami Stree	1981			Bengali
36 Chowringhee Lane	1981		Nandita's Mother	English
Dadar Kirti	1980	Tarun Majumdar	Saraswati, Beena's Mother
Bairaag	1976	Asit Sen	Pushpa
Jodi Jantem	1974		Ranu Basu	Bengali
Arogya Niketan	1969		Pradyot's mother	Bengali
Garh Nasimpur	1968			Bengali
Hangsa-Mithun	1968			Bengali
Baghini	1968			Bengali
Panchashar	1968	Arup Guhathakurta		Bengali
Antony Firingee	1967	Sunil Bannerjee	Jogweshwari	Bengali
Balika Badhu	1967	Tarun Majumdar	Bengali
Joradighir Chowdhury Paribar	1966	Ajit Lahiri		Bengali
Prabhater Rang	1964
Polatak	1963		Moyna	Bengali
Nirjan Saikate	1963			Bengali
Abhijan	1962	Satyajit Ray	Neeli	Bengali
Personal Assistant	1959	Chitrakar	Rumali Sen (as Ruma Devi)	Bengali
Ganga	1959	Rajen Tarafder	Himi
Rag Rang	1952	Digvijay	Ruma Devi	Hindi
Afsar	1950	Chetan Anand		Hindi
Mashal	1950	Nitin Bose
Jowar Bhanta	1944	Amiya Chakrabarty		Bengali

1982 Amrita Kumbher Sandhaney (playback singer)

1976 Mera Dharam Meri Maa (playback singer)

1974 Jadi Jantem (playback singer)

1970 Baksa Badal (playback singer)

1968 Baghini (playback singer)

1967 Antony Firingee (playback singer)

1966 Joradighir Chowdhury Paribar (playback singer)

1963 Palatak (playback singer)

1963 Barnali (playback singer)

1961 Three Daughters (playback singer)

1958 Lukochuri (playback singer)

Honors and Awards

Thakurta received the Soviet Land Nehru Peace Award in the year 1982, the President's Medal for her performance in Nirjan Saikate in 1963, Banga Ratna in 2009, and the Bharat Nirman Award from the Government of India.

See also

• List of notable Calcuttans

External links

• Ruma Guha Thakurta at IMDb