Sahana Devi

Sahana Devi (1897 – 1990) was an Indian singer, considered one of the best-known exponents of the songs of Rabindranath Tagore: (Rabindrasangeet). She was amongst the few singers to learn directly from Rabindranath Tagore and Dinendranath Tagore. Sahana Devi was the niece of the great leader Chittaranjan Das and the singer Amala Das in her mother's side. Through her father's side, she was linked to the famous Brahmo leader and composer Kalinarayan Gupta, his son Sir K. G. Gupta, the composer Atulprasad Sen, and the filmmaker Satyajit Ray. In 1922, she met Dilipkumar Roy in the Gaya session of the Indian National Congress and was deeply influenced by his musical style, though she retained a distinct way of her own. In 1928, she left for Pondicherry Aurobindo Ashram where she breathed her last in 1990.

While in Pondicherry, she recorded two Tagore songs in 1935, on hearing which Rabindranath Tagore is said to have commented, "When you sing my songs, it seems my creation has found its fulfillment". Sahana Devi was the only singer whom Tagore ever allowed to improvise on his own tunes. Her autobiography, 'Smritir Kheya' tells us of her fascinating journey from her birth to the Pondicherry Ashram.