Birendra Krishna Bhadra's voice was, is and will always be, the heralding of Pujo (Credit: Shutterstock, Wikipedia) The older you grow you realise how home - the way you first understood it - is likely more memory and feeling now, than something tangible. For Bengalis, the first notes of Mahishasura Mardini on Mahalaya morning belongs to this category. The sky is still dark outside but the city is far from asleep. Birendra Krishna Bhadra's unmistakable voice comes through with a force that feels inevitable, his sonorous voice carrying a sense of deep devotion, dressed in theatrics, but second only to a sense of deep familiarity. Mahalaya marks the beginning of Debipokkho, and with it, Pujo. Like clockwork at 4am, Bengal wakes up to the voice it will never outgrow, an exercise that raises a question that every Bengali child may have asked themselves: what was potentially so exciting about being awake at that hour in the morning? There was, of course, no sensible answer to it except for the indescribability of the sentiment. And that may be the real reason Bhadra's voice has endured - it does not merely announce the commencement of this year's Pujo but holds the memories of every Pujo you have ever known. The history behind that voice is almost as fascinating as the emotional inheritance it has created. Bhadra joined All India Radio in the early 1930s and worked in its drama department, where he produced and adapted classical and literary works. By the middle of the decade, AIR had begun shaping the idea of a pre-dawn devotional musical programme that could usher listeners into the autumn festival season. The production evolved from earlier radio experiments, including programmes such as Basanteswari in the early 1930s. The result was Mahishasura Mardini, a roughly 90-minute audio-musical production written by Bani Kumar, with music composed by Pankaj Kumar Mullick and contributions from other important figures of the period, including Raichand Boral. Bhadra was brought in for the Sanskrit Chandi Path - recitations from the Devi Mahatmya or Chandi - as well as the narration. His first official broadcast under the name Mahishasura Mardini aired on October 21, 1937, at 4am on Mahalaya morning. Also Read: Lakshmi Sahgal Was a Doctor With a Secure Career, But Then Subhas Chandra Bose Changed The Course Of Her Life The programme itself went on to become a radio landmark but Bhadra's voice is what evolved into tradition - and tradition, particularly in Bengal, can be surprisingly stubborn. Back in 1976, almost 4 decades into this 'tradition', an alternative recording of Mahishasura Mardini was attempted with Uttam Kumar at the centre. On paper, the production was all set to be a success, a timely update to a tradition that sat at the heart of Pujo except the public pretty much wanted nothing to do with it. The magnanimity of this rejection can only be understood if one truly grasps the chokehold the 'Mahanayak' had on Bengali cinema for decades. An attempt to replace Bhadra's voice with that of Kumar's was not simply about switching narrators. It felt like changing the sound of a festival that many Bengalis had carried inside them since childhood. That is what makes the nostalgia surrounding Bhadra feel decidedly sacred. Because nostalgia is often associated with things that no longer exist - but Bhadra's voice represents something that still very much does: the fact that while the rest of the world is sleeping, Bengal is preparing to welcome its daughter. Also Read: In an Arena of Big Promises, Lal Bahadur Shastri Always Led By Example Very few of us get to experience Pujo in Kolkata with the same gay abandon we did growing up, an expected collateral of adulthood. But no matter where you are, Bhadra's voice becomes a lullaby in reverse, waking something that adulthood has maybe, half-robbed us of. It makes the heart wholly happy, and hurt, just a little. It endures in its immortality, not just because it is the voice of Mahalaya, but because it's the sound of home. Aalokitaa Basu is a writer and Senior Copy Editor whose work explores the intersection of lifestyle, culture, beauty, wellness, and self-possession. H... View More