Music Director Dilip Mishra is No More

Music Director & Singer from Balangir, Odisha Late Dilip Mishra

Talented young music director from Balangir Dilip Mishra passed away on 11^th September 2012 at 4 A.M. (IST) early in the morning at his ‘Kabi Kutir’ residence in Talpali Pada of Balangir, in Odisha, India.

Profile of Mishra may not be very strong as he has not directed either a Hindi or even an Odiya film, but this is a fact that his talent was not less than any music biggie of the silver screen. Truth can be ascertained from the large number of people who were personally attached to him.

Mishra initiated his professional music career as the keyboard player of ‘Melody Makers’, the age old and elite band from Balangir, but soon promoted to the post of director thanks to his talent while age-wise he was quiet junior; in a place like Balangir age factor concerns at many a places. He then also started to sing and during his early days as a singer he had earned much popularity for his outstanding performances of the song ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’ (originally sung by A.R. Rehman) and ‘Zee jee’.

Teaser Poster of a Musical Programme performed
on 2nd October 2012 in memory of late Dilip Mishra

The stunning stage performance created a market for him and he was then invited by Balangir’s Music Mentors like Shankar Pradhan and others. In every live concert Dilip was wanted and he became star. Eventually he joined the ‘Do re mi’ club of Sambalpur and performed at a huge number of concerts both inside and out of the state.

By the passage of time Mishra also tried his luck in Ollywood but could not sustain there either for some reasons unknown or due to his much affection for Balangir and his paternal family. Anyway, the hope of achieving something in Ollywood also wound up.

Stage show in memory of late Dilip Mishra at Maitri Mahal, Hatpada, Balangir, Odisha

However, he also composed music for a Hindi serial named ‘Yadon ke Fasle’, aired on National television and composed some classics for All India Radio, Balangir. All these compositions of Dilip are still broadcast from AIR and perhaps those are the golden collection at Balangir radio station. He has created many music stars that were happens to be his music students. In the last days of his life, he was composing music for Bhawanipatna Doordarshan.

Among the hits of his radio songs, one (Odia) number, ‘Aago dura pahada pachhara, asta suryara arunima, muje chala pathe thakaa batoi te, aakhire chumichhi tuma simaa’ seems to be the most popular one that was composed and arranged by Dilip Mishra, sang by Himanshu Guru (me) and lyrics was penned by Malaya Mishra.

In the first interlude of this song perhaps Dilip had revealed about his destiny which says, “Aau tike pare andhaara hele, baata ghaata kichhin dishibani, tame bi mo laagi leutibaa bata, dekhi chaahin aau rahibani” which means - within a short span, darkness will cover the earth and nothing will be visible including the path to proceed. You even will not wait for me then and I will be all alone to move in the darkness. Now I believe big people predict their future in their works.

Besides live concerts and music composition for radio and TV serial, he has also composed some sambalpuri albums including ‘Dil Dukaan’.

Many singers of Odisha including some renowned one like Ira Mohanty, Tapu Mishra and T. Shourie from Ollywood and Babloo, Himanshu Guru, Kunaa, Rajendra and a lot more from Balangir have sung compositions of Mishra.

As a singer Dilip was gifted enough to sing in high notes, which even could not be attempted by others and he was unique for thee.

Late Dilip Mishra (with Keyboard) with Himanshu Guru (with Guitar)

Music world of Balangir may not be a popular and cherished industry like Bollywood or even Ollywood, but it has its originality and glory, which cannot be ignored. Soil of Balangir has produced legends like late Chittaranjan Sahani, who had also trained music to Sadhna Sargam for a short span, Sniti Mishra, who had created buzz in the Musical reality show ‘Sa re ga ma pa’ in Zee TV, late Saroj Nanda, who had directed Bollywood Singers like Anuradha Paudwal and introduced his own school/style and had given a new direction to Odia music, at a time when gradually people had started rejecting the same for the all ‘ghisa pitaa’ styles, for which artists from both western and Eastern Odisha salutes him. There are certain other big names which cannot be provided within the geography of this article.

Dilip Mishra was of course a star of Balangir Musical arena. People from every altitude of the society had great likeness for him, for his talent. Besides music, he was also a good cricket player. Dilip breathed his last in the presence of his wife, daughter and mother. He was the youngest son of late Chakradhar Mishra and younger brother of late politician Gangadhar Mishra.

Today Dilip (as he had preferred to write Dilip as his name, not Dillip, so I am writing Dilip) is not physically present with us, but his compositions and songs will keep him alive and he will be around us on lieu of his musical works for ever. 

Good Bye Dilip. May your soul rest in peace. You might have finished your worldly life, but Odisha and Balangir’s Music world will always miss you and remember that once upon a time there was a Music legend in Balangir named Dilip Mishra.