Ramkanai Das

Pandit Ramkanai Das
রামকানাই দাস
Das with his wife Subarna Das in New York (2008)
Pronunciation	[ˈramˌkanai̯ d̪aʃ]
Born	1935 Sullah, Sunamganj, Greater Sylhet , Assam Province, British India
Died	5 September 2014(2014-09-05) (aged 78–79) Dhaka, Bangladesh
Resting place	Sylhet, Bangladesh
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Occupations	Musician Singer-songwriter
Spouse	Subarna Das
Relatives	Shushama Das (sister)
Awards	Ekushey Padak (2014)
Musical career
Genres	Hindustani classical music Bengali folk music
Instruments	Vocals harmonium tabla tanpura
Years active	1967–2014

Ramkanai Das (Bengali: রামকানাই দাস; 1935 – 5 September 2014) was a Bangladeshi folk and classical musician. He was awarded Ekushey Padak by the government of Bangladesh in 2014.

Early life

Das was born in Sullah Upazila of Sunamganj District (in present-day Bangladesh) in 1935 to his parents Rashiklal Das and Dibyamoyi Das. They were folk singers, lyricists, and composers. He was one of 6 children with two older sisters and three younger brothers. Das's grandfather, Prakash Chandra Talukdar, and great-grandfather, Ramcharan Talukdar, were all also musicians. He married Subarna Das in 1960.

Death and legacy

Das died on 5 September 2014. He wrote and composed almost one hundred songs including "Shuno Kokilaye Koirache Dhoni," "Manushe Manushe Keno Bibhedh Hoye," and "Shuno Bokule Boshiya Gahe." He has also composed popular songs such as "sadher lao banailo more" and "Ore Mon Dorachar."

Das inspired his wife, Subarna Das, to start composing songs. His elder sister, Shushama Das, has started gaining more popularity as a folk artist. His only daughter, Kaberi Das, is a singer and president of Sangeet Parishad, New York. Her two daughters, Paromita, and Shrutikona are also renowned musicians in America. Pandit Ramkanai Das's elder son, Arun Chandra Das, is a musical instrument businessman and his younger son, Pinusen Das, is a tabla artiste. Pinusen's wife, Anindita Chowdhury, is a Nazrul Sangeet artiste in Bangladesh.