Chandidas Mal

Chandidas Mal (7 October 1929 – 8 December 2021) was an Indian musician perhaps best known for his rendition of Puratani Bangla Gaan (Bengali Sons of Olden times), Tappa, Shyamasangeet (Devotional Songs for Goddess Kali) and Agamani (Devotional Songs for Goddess Durga).

He took his music lessons from a number of eminent musicians namely Kishori Mohan Sinha (Khyal), Ramchandra Guha (Khyal, Thumri), Krishna Chandra Dey (Drupad, Dhamar), Gyan Prakash Ghosh (Bhajan), Shailaja Ranjan Majumdar (Rabindasangeet), Durga Sen (Geet, Ghazal), and legendary Tappa singer Kalipada Pathak.

West Bengal State Sangeet Academy recorded 100 Tappa & Puratani Bengali songs in his voice for their archives in order to restore the golden glimpses of his original style and keep the originality of Tappa & Puratani Bengali songs and make them public.

His notable disciples include Ajoy Chakrabarty (Hindustani classical vocalist), Dr. Utpala Goswami (Ex-Dean Rabindra Bharati University), Buddhadeb Guha[6] (author), Debasri Mitra (US based singer),[7] etc.

Mal was married to Namita, the sister of sculptor Sarbari Roy Chowdhury, and had a son, Debajyoti.