SRI PRAFULLA KAR

Background

For more than four decades, Prafulla Kar has regaled audiences and fans in Orissa and abroad with his distinctive singing, compositions and lyrics. His position as a performer is pre-eminent. The compelling power of his music continues to attract a large cross section of the listening public. Added to this obvious talent, his precocity as Music Director and Poet has gradually transformed him into a cultural icon of formidable standing.

Born in 1939 into a family of Musicians, Prafulla Kar showed early promise as a singer at home in Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath. His father's elder brother Khetra Mohan Kar was a renowned Tabla Player, who exposed him to artists of national repute like Hirabai Barodekar, Pt. Omkar Nath Thakur, Panalal Bose, Prasun Banarjee, Radhika Mohan Maitra, A. Kanan, Malabika Kanan and many others as family friends at their home. This adorable child of Baidyanath Kar and Susila Kar had opportunity to listen to such veterans from his childhood and music started flowing in his blood at a tender age, but he lost his father at an early age. His career started growing under the guidance of his maternal uncles. His grand father Bhagaban Misra and grand mother Apanna Devi rightly brought him up with moral and spiritual influence.

Education

Prafulla Kar graduated with B.A. and L.L.B. degrees from Utkal University. He subsequently received his Sangeet Visharad from Akhil Bharat Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Maharastra under the guidance of Pt. Markandeya Mohapatra, Pt. K. Adinarayana and Pt. J.V S. Rao. His professional Career in music took off in 1960 and he rapidly established himself as an acclaimed (A-Grade) Vocalist, Composer and Lyricist for All India Radio, Television and large concerts.

Achievements In Film Music

Prafulla Kar has directed music for an amazing 63 Oriya Films (Released and unreleased) as well as 4 Bangla films. For his outstanding contributions to the field of Film Music, the Govt. of Orissa honored Sri Prafulla Kar with Best Music Director Award for Oriya films on six separate Occasions, a record achievement even at the National level.

For Oriya Films:

· Mamata 1975

· Sesa Srabana 1976

· Bandhu Mohanty 1977

· Sati Anasuya 1978

· Sita Labakusa 1980

· School Master 1985

For this feat, he earned recognition as a celebrity and was honored by the Cine Musicians Union, Chennai. In 1977 the Govt. of Orissa adjudged him as the Best Play Back Singer for the Oriya Film BALIDAN; and the Critic Circle of India awarded the Best M,usic Director Award to Shri Kar in 1977 for the Oriya Film RAMAYAN. Today he "is a colossus in the world of pan Indian Music".

Under his music direction in films many playback singers of National repute like Anuradha Paudwal, Usha Mangeskar, Kavita Krishnatmurty, Suresh Wadekar, Md. Aziz, Amit Kumar (from Mumbai) - Vani Jairam, S. Janaki, R Susila, Chitra, Swarnalata, Yesu Das, S. P. Balsubramanyam, Manu (from Chennai) - Arati Mukherjee, Nirmala Misra, Sipra Bose, Ajay Chakrabarty, Haimayanti Sukla (from Kolkata) have rendered their voice for Oriya and Bangla Films.

Moreover, six eminent playback singers have been awarded the Best Playback Singer Award by the Govt. Orissa under his music direction over the years

· Pranab Patnaik, for the film SINDURA BINDU & TAPASYA

· Raghunath. Panigrahi, for the film MUKTI

· Prafulla Kar, for the film BALIDAN

· Ajay Chakrabarti, for the film SCHOOL MASTER

· Vani Jairam, for the film DEVJANI

· Gita Dash, for the film GRUHA LAXMI

Achievements In Non-Film Music

Sri Prafulla Kar has recorded hundreds of disks, cassettes and Compact Discs for different

Companies, Govt. of Orissa and Musical Institutions, Notable among them are

· Oriya Bhagabat - (Set of seven cassettes published by H.M.V)

· Oriya Chhanda - (Rare traditional songs of Orissa in set of three cassettes published by Orissi Research Centre)

· Krutanjaii - (an album sung by a team of BLIND SINGERS of Orissa, a pioneering endeavour for the handicapped in the field of music for the first time in India - by

· H. M. V.)

· Patriotic songs - (written by the then'eminent Freedom Fighters of Orissa - by Govt. of Orissa)

Prafulla Kar's association with the Odissi music has been long and fruitful. He has composed the music for numerous Odissi Dance Dramas, Ballets and Odissi Dance repertoires. Notables among these are the following

Padma Bibhusan Guru Sri Kelucharan Mohapatra

· Jangyaseni (Ballet)

· Labanyabati

· Ashoka

· Ekalavya

· Swapna Naika

Smt. Sarmila Biswas

· Sampurna

· Katha Surpanakha

· Panchabhoota

· Moorchhana

· Jagannath Priya Natakam

Smt. Kumkum Mohanty

· Devi Nrutya

· Araiiya

· Mahapralaya

· Jay Yatra

· Bhakta Dasia

· Kranti

Guru Sri Ganaadhar Pradhan

· Mana Bhanjan

Padmashri Dr. Ileana Citaristi

· Siba Tandava

· Bakula Bharan Pallavi

Sandhyadipa Kar

· Malasri

· Arabhi Pallabi

Awards and Titles

Many reputed Journals, Institutions and Cine Associations have honored Sri Kar on numerous occasions

Awards

· Orissa Sangit Natak Academy Award

· Orissa Society of Americas OSA (South-West Chapter) Award.

· OSA - Washington Chapter Award

· OSA - Southern Chapter Award

· OSA - Chicago Chapter Award

· Nitai Palit Award

· Rajiv Gandhi Award

· Chalachitra Jagat Award

· Juga Jyoti Sahitya Sansad Award

· Saradha bali Sanskrutik Parishad Award

· Nikhila Utkal Sangita Silpi Parishad Award.

· Orissi Nrutya Dhara Award.

Titles

· "Padma Keshari" by Chinya-o-Chetana

· "Sangita Bhusan" by Utkal Juba Sanskrutik Sangha

· "Utkal Jyoti" by Kalinga Sanskruti

· "Pandit" by Huntsville Kirtan Mandal - U.S.A.

· 'Sangit Saraswati" by Balakrisha Das Foundation

· "Kantha Ratna" by Sri Baladevji Sevak Sangha.

Performances Abroad

Apart from his extensive tours in India, Prafulla Kar has also represented India and performed abroad many times to promote Indian, especially Odissi music.

· USSR 1972

· Australia 1977

· Fiji Island 1977

· U. K. 1997

· Brazil 2007

· U. S. A. 1986, 1988, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2008

Hobbies and Other Interests

Shri Kar is currently engaged in research on Odissi music in an attempt to establish it as a recognized classical music form.

Recent publication of his selected devotional lyrics, "Aangya Mala", is a humble dedication to Oriya Literature. His weekly short story column “Saunta Kahani” in the Oriya daily Dharitri is widely read and acclaimed.. These short stories have been compiled into two popular books.

His other interests include painting, creative writing, gourmet and traditional Oriya Cooking.