Pandit Ram Chatur Mallik (English: Ram Chatur Mallik, born- October 5, 1902, Bihar; death- January 11, 1990) was a famous singer of Dhrupad-Dhamar style of ‘Indian Classical Music’. He gained fame in Dhrupad-Dhamar singing style not only in India but also in foreign countries and brought glory to the country. Mallik ji was a unique singer of Dhrupad, Khayal, Thumri and Maithili folk songs.
Birth
Ram Chatur Mallik was born on October 5, 1902 in Chamtha village of Darbhanga district of Bihar. His father’s name was ‘Pandit Rajit Ram’, who was a famous musician in the court of Darbhanga Maharaj. It is believed that the ancestors of Pandit Ram Chatur Mallik had come to Bihar from Rajasthan and laid the foundation of ‘Darbhanga Gharana’ in music. Ram Chatur Mallik received his initial classical music education from his uncle ‘Kshitijpal Mallik’ and later from sitar player ‘Rameshwar Pathak’. The Maharaja of Darbhanga appointed him as the royal courtier in 1924. Along with Maharajadhiraj Kameshwar Singh’s younger brother Vishweshwar Singh, he went to England and France in 1937 and enthralled the listeners there with his classical music. He was a representative singer of Moniya tradition and Gondwani. He had equal proficiency in Thumri singing as in the singing of Banaras and Gaya.
awards and honors
As a classical singer, Pandit Ram Chatur Mallik has received many awards and honors-
In 1949, he was honored as First Class Distinguished Artist of All India Radio. In 1953, Dr. Rajendra Prasad awarded him the fellowship of ‘Bihar Sangeet Natak Academy’. In 1957, he was awarded the Honor Card and Copper Plate by the ‘Sur-Shringar Sansad’ of Bombay. In 1964, Bihar Governor A. S. Iyengar was awarded the title of Tamrapatra and was also honored with the ‘Sangeet Natak Akademi Award’ in the same year. In 1976, the French government selected Ram Chatur Mallik’s Dhrupad-Dhamar records for UNESCO broadcast. Madhya Pradesh government gave him the title of ‘Tansen’, Bihar government gave him the title of ‘Mahamopadhyay’ and Kheragarh (Madhya Pradesh) gave him the title of ‘D. Awarded the degree of Litt. Some music lovers in France took their video recordings, on which they prepared a telefilm. France, Germany and Colombia also released two of his records.