Santidev Ghose

About

Santidev Ghose (1910-1999) was a multifaceted Indian artist, renowned as an author, singer, actor, dancer, and maestro of Rabindra Sangeet. Born on May 7, 1910, in Bajapti, near Chandpur (now in Bangladesh), he moved to Santiniketan at a young age where he received his education at the Santiniketan Ashrama Vidyalaya, founded by Rabindranath Tagore. Under the direct guidance of Tagore and Dinendranath Tagore, he developed proficiency in music, dance, and acting. Tagore personally selected Ghose to be a teacher at Santiniketan and sent him to Sri Lanka, Burma, Java, and Bali to further his musical and dance education, particularly in oriental dance forms. Ghose joined Visva-Bharati University as a teacher in 1930 and later became the Adhyaksha (Head) of Sangit Bhavana from 1964 to 1968 and again from 1971 to 1973. He was instrumental in guiding Sangeet Bhavana and took dance classes for students, studying classical and folk dance. Throughout his long career at Santiniketan, Ghose taught numerous students, many of whom became notable singers. He was also a prolific author, writing extensively on Rabindra Sangeet, Asian music, and the art of dance, with several of his books used as university texts. His publications include "Rabindra Sangeet," "Java O Balir Nrityageet" (Music and Dance of Java and Bali), and "Nrityakala O Rabindranath" (The Art of Dance in the Eyes of Rabindranath Tagore). Ghose played a significant role in propagating Tagore's ideals and art forms, traveling widely in India and abroad, including the UK, Japan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the former USSR. He passed away on December 1, 1999, in Calcutta. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1976), Special Medal Russian (1961), Sureshchandra Memorial Ananda Award (1980), Padma Bhushan (1984), Deshikottama (1984), Honorary D.Litt. from Burdwan University (1985), Honorary D.Litt. from Rabindra Bharati University (1991), Rabindra Tattvacharya, Rathindra Puraskar.

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