Kabir Suman

Kabir Suman
Kabir Suman
	Kabir Suman playing an organ
Pronunciation	[kobiɾ ʃumon]
Born	Suman Chattopadhyay; 16 March 1949 (age 75); Cuttack, Odisha, India
Nationality	Indian
Other names	Manab Mitra
Alma mater	Jadavpur University
Occupations	Singer-songwriter; music composer; music director; politician; writer; actor; journalist;
Years active	1972–present
Works	Discography; bibliography; filmography;
Political party	Trinamool Congress
Spouse	Sabina Yasmin (m. 2000)
Parents	Sudhindranath Chattopadhyay (father); Uma Chattopadhyay (mother);
Awards	Full list
	Musical career
Also known as	Nagarik Kabiyal, Gaanola
Origin	Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Genres	Modern Bengali music; Rabindra Sangeet; Bengali Khyal;
Instruments	Vocals; guitar; keyboard; piano; harmonica; melodica; swarmandal; ektara;
Discography	Full list
Labels	HMV; Cosmic Harmony; Bijolpo Music; UD Series;
Formerly of	Samatan, Nagarik
	Writing career
Pen name	Manab Mitra
Language	Bengali; English;
Period	Modern
Genre	Column; article; novel; short story; memoir; poetry;
Subject	music; politics; society;
Notable works	Discovering the Other America, Sumanami, Alkhalla, Hoye Otha Gaan, Mukta Nicaragua
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
	In office; 2009–2014
Preceded by	Sujan Chakraborty
Succeeded by	Sugata Bose
Constituency	Jadavpur
Website	sumanami.co.uk

Kabir Suman (b. Suman Chattopadhyay; 16 March 1949) is an Indian singer-songwriter, musician, music director, music composer, writer, actor, politician, and former journalist.^[1]^[2]

From May 2009 to 2014, he was a member of parliament of India in the 15th Lok Sabha, having been elected from the Jadavpur constituency in West Bengal, from Trinamool Congress.

He changed his name from Suman Chattopadhyay to Kabir Suman as he accepted Islam despite being a Hindu by birth. While explaining the reason of this religious transformation, he claimed his such move was to mark his protest against the killing of Christian missionary Graham Staines by a former member of Bajrang Dal.^[3] He shot to fame in the 1990s with Bengali albums such as Tomake Chai (I Want You) and Boshe Anko (Sit-and-Draw).^[4]

^ Kabir Suman profile, india.gov. Retrieved 11 December 2011
^ Lockard, Craig A. (1998). Dance of Life: Popular Music and Politics in Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8248-1918-7.
^ "'I am a polygamous man. Maybe I'm still searching for love'". The Telegraph India. 2 September 2007. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
^ "Bangla band". The Hindu. 7 April 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2016.

[biodata1-1] Kabir Suman profile, india.gov. Retrieved 11 December 2011

[2] Lockard, Craig A. (1998). Dance of Life: Popular Music and Politics in Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8248-1918-7.

[3] "'I am a polygamous man. Maybe I'm still searching for love'". The Telegraph India. 2 September 2007. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2018.

[4] "Bangla band". The Hindu. 7 April 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2016.

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