Mahisasuramardini (radio programme)

For goddess, see Durga.

Mahishasuramardini
Other namesChandipath
Mahalaya
Genrereligious
Running time1 hr 29 mins
Country of originIndia
Language(s)Bengali, Sanskrit
Home stationAkashvani
Written by
Narrated byBirendra Krishna Bhadra
Original release1931
Opening themeConch blowing sound and Ya Chandi Song
Ending themeShanti Dile Bhori song and Conch blowing sound

Mahishasuramarddini [a] is a widely popular early Bengali special dawn radio programme that has been broadcasting since 1931[1] on All India Radio (AIR) in Indian state West Bengal. Due to its increasing popularity, now-a-days it is also broadcast by many other stations of All India Radio across India. It is a one-and-a-half-hour audio montage of Chaṇḍipāaṭh (chanting from Chaṇḍi) recitation from the scriptural verses of Śrī Śrī Chaṇḍi or Durga Saptashati,[2] Bengali devotional songs, classical music and a dash of acoustic melodrama. The program has been translated into Hindi set to similar orchestration and is broadcast at the same time for a pan-Indian audience.[3] This programme is aired every year at day-break on Mahalaya. The programme, which started off as a live-performance, has been broadcast in its pre-recorded format since 1966.[4][5] However, its great popularity remains undiminished even today over 93 years later.[6][7][8][9]

This program has become synonymous with Mahalaya which is celebrated to usher the Devipaksha lunar fortnight and the Durga Puja. To this day, most of Bengal and East Indians fond of the programme wakes up in the breezily pre dawn hours, 4 am to be precise, on the Mahalaya day to tune into the Mahishasuramarddini broadcast. Presently, one of the recordings are available as audio cassettes and Compact Disks from HMV-RPG which has obtained the rights from All India Radio. The CD version (as of 2002) contains 19 tracks.[10]


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  1. ^ "Biography of Birendra Krishna Bhadra". Archived from the original on 2014-09-26.
  2. ^ "durga_puja : Mahalaya". www.netglimse.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-29. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
  3. ^ "Mahalaya: Invoking the Mother Goddess". hinduism.about.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
  4. ^ [Birendra Krishna Bhadra: A Legend, A Nostalgia (Original in Bangla) ©Ajit Basu, Publisher:Sahayatri, 8, Patuatola Lane, Kolkata 700009.]
  5. ^ "History of first broadcast of Mahishasur Mardini".
  6. ^ "Biography of Pankaj Kumar Mullick - the versatile musical genius". www.pankajmullick.org. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
  7. ^ Mahalaya ushers in the Puja spirit The Times of India, TNN 19 September 2009.
  8. ^ Morning Raga Archived 2012-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Indian Express, PiyasreeDasgupta, Sep 18, 2009.
  9. ^ Tanya Basu (Sep 23, 2014). "An 83-Year-Old Song Dominates India's Airwaves Every Year". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
  10. ^ "Mahisasura Mardini by Birendra Krishna Bhadra (AIR Recording) – Details of tracks and artists". QuiQinQ. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2012-10-21.