About Manoj & DAAKGHAR

English

Manoj Murali Nair is a celebrated Rabindra Sangeet vocalist and one of the genre's leading contemporary exponents, with a career spanning over two decades. Born into a Malayali family in Kerala as the son of noted Kathakali guru and actor Kalamandalam Murali Nair, Manoj's life took an unexpected turn when his father was invited to teach Kathakali at Visva-Bharati's Sangeet Bhavana in Santiniketan. His mother, too, was a trained dancer under Guru Gopinath. It was in this culturally rich, South Indian household set down in the heart of Bengal that Manoj grew up.

He arrived in Santiniketan at the age of eight. Bengali language and culture were unfamiliar to him at first, but he gradually made them his own — and Tagore's philosophy and outlook went on to shape the course of his life. He has two siblings: his sister Manisha Murali Nair, also a singer, with whom he frequently performs and has released several solo and joint albums; and a brother, Manish.

Manoj holds a diploma in Rabindra Sangeet and Hindustani classical music from Sangeet Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, followed by a B.Mus and M.Mus in Hindustani vocal music. He trained further under Alok Kumar Chatterjee and Dilip Karmakar, and studied with Sangeetacharya Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay. His gurus in Rabindra Sangeet include Manju Bandyopadhyay, Bulbul Basu, Gora Sarbadhikari, and Ashish Bhattacharya. Influenced by his father, he also trained in Kathakali from childhood, making his debut Kathakali performance as the king in the dance-drama Raktakarabi.

His first public performance in Kolkata came in 2000 at Rabindra Sadan, where audiences embraced him as a Rabindra Sangeet artist — the same year he won the Bangla Sangeet Mela competition. His debut album, Dakshino Pavane, followed soon after. Since then he has recorded extensively, with albums including Milaner Chhonde, Prem Bhora, Pujor Gaane Manoj Murali Nair, and He Bishwaraj, alongside numerous thematic and raga-based Rabindra Sangeet compilations. His most recent release, the single Bhalobese Jodi Shukh Na Hoy, came out in December 2024.

He has frequently collaborated with artists such as Manomay Bhattacharya, Rupankar Bagchi, Jayati Chakraborty, Kamalini Mukherjee, Sasha Ghoshal, Srabanti Bandyopadhyay, and Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, and has lent his voice as lead and featured artist on many albums built around Tagore's seasonal songs, devotional songs, love songs, and Puja compositions — helping introduce Rabindra Sangeet to younger generations of listeners.

Manoj is deeply committed to preserving the authenticity of Tagore's music, and believes that performing it well requires a genuine understanding of the poet's life and philosophy; he has been openly critical of reckless experimentation with Rabindra Sangeet. At the same time, he has explored thoughtful new ground — planning a Malayalam rendition of Rabindra Sangeet to reach wider audiences, and working on an album blending Tagore's compositions with the music of Mozart and Beethoven. He has also organised cultural events such as Basantika and the Britwaropan Utsav.

Carrying this vision forward, Manoj founded DAAKGHAR, a music institution dedicated to teaching and nurturing Rabindra Sangeet and the broader tradition of Tagore's music, giving students a space to learn the art form with the depth and authenticity he holds so central to his own practice.

DAAKGHAR — meaning "post office" in Bengali — takes its name from Rabindranath Tagore's own play of the same title. Like the letters it's named for, DAAKGHAR exists to carry something forward: the music, movement, and meaning of a tradition that continues to speak across generations. It grew out of the same spirit that has guided Manoj's own journey — a space for Rabindra Sangeet, and the wider world of music, dance, and art that surrounds it, to be shared, performed, and passed on. Every concert, workshop, and gathering under the DAAKGHAR name is, in a small way, another letter delivered — carrying Tagore's world to whoever is listening.

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