Surendra Mohan Mishra

Surendra Mohan Mishra was a Hindustani classical singer who carried forward the Banaras gharana. He was named posthumously for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of art, from Uttar Pradesh ^[1].

A musical family

He was born on 11 May 1941 into a family of Banaras singers ^[2]. As a boy he travelled to Maldah and Kolkata with his uncle Vishnu Sewak Mishra, and was trained as a singer by another uncle, Ramakrishna Mishra; Ganesh Das Mishra taught him tabla ^[2]. He won gold medals at music competitions, including the West Bengal gold medal in 1951 ^[2].

Teacher and composer

In 1966 he worked at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi, assisting Siddheshwari Devi and Shambhu Maharaj ^[2]. He later taught music at Pandit Ramsahay Sangeet Vidyalaya and, from 1973, at Central Hindu Girls School in Varanasi, where he staged productions such as Sita Swayamvar and Sampoorna Ramayana with his students ^[2].

Mishra composed many classical and semi-classical pieces as well as songs, ghazals and bhajans, and taught many students ^[2]. In 2014 the Sangeet Natak Akademi recorded his singing for its archive, and he received the Akademi’s award in 2020 ^[2].

He died on 19 November 2023 ^[2].