A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.

In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems. Countries that do not have national systems include Ireland and Panama. Although Hong Kong and Macau are now Special Administrative Regions of China, each maintains its own long-established postal system, which does not utilize postal codes for domestic mail, and no postal codes are assigned to Hong Kong and Macau. Mail between Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China is treated as international.

Although postal codes are usually assigned to geographical areas, special codes are sometimes assigned to individual addresses or to institutions that receive large volumes of mail, such as government agencies and large commercial companies. One example is the French CEDEX system.

Terms

There are a number of colloquial terms for ''postal code''.

; ''postal code'': The general term is used directly in Canada. ; ''postcode'': This portmanteau is popular in many English-speaking countries. ; ''ZIP code'': The standard term in the United States and the Philippines; ''ZIP'' is an acronym for ''Zone Improvement Plan''. ; ''PIN code'' / ''pincode'': The standard term in India; ''PIN'' is an acronym for ''Postal Index Number''.

History

Postal codes were first introduced in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in December 1932, but the system was abandoned in 1939. The next country to introduce postal codes was Germany in 1941, followed by Argentina in 1958, the United Kingdom in 1959, the United States in 1963 and Switzerland in 1964.

Presentation

Character sets

The characters used in postal codes are

The arabic numerals "0" to "9"

Letters of the Basic Latin alphabet,

space " ",

hyphen "-"

Reserved characters

Postal codes in the Netherlands originally did not use the letters 'F', 'I', 'O', 'Q', 'U' and 'Y' for technical reasons. But as almost all existing combinations are now used, these letters were allowed for new locations starting 2005. The letter combinations SS, SD and SA are not used for historical reasons.

Postal codes in Canada do not include the letters D, F, I, O, Q, or U, as the OCR equipment used in automated sorting could easily confuse them with other letters and digits. The letters W and Z are used, but are not currently used as the first letter.

Alphanumeric postal codes

Most of the postal code systems are numeric, only a few are alphanumeric (i.e. use both letters and digits). Alphanumeric systems can, given the same number of digits, encode many more locations. They are often more precise, as is the case in the United Kingdom or in the Netherlands, where a postal code corresponds to a street or even a building, meaning the post code and the number of the home/business is all that is needed for accurate delivery. However, there is no ''a priori'' reason why numeric postal codes cannot be equally precise, as illustrated by 9- and 11-digit codes in the United States. The independent nations using alphanumeric postal code systems are:

Argentina (see table)

Brunei (see table)

Canada (see table)

Jamaica (see postal codes in Jamaica)(suspended in 2007 )

Malta (see table)

Netherlands (see table)

United Kingdom (see table)

Venezuela (look up at http://www.ipostel.gob.ve/nlinea/codigo_postal.php).

Country code prefixes

Usage of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes was recommended to be used starting in 1994, but they have not become widely used. The European Committee for Standardization recommends use of ISO Alpha-2 codes for international postcodes and a UPU guide on international addressing states that "administrations may recommend" the use of ISO Alpha-2 codes.

Andorra, Ecuador, Latvia, Moldova, Slovenia use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 as prefix in their postal codes.

In some countries (such as those of continental Europe, where a postcode format of four or five numeric digits is commonly used) the numeric postal code is sometimes prefixed with a country code to avoid confusion when sending international mail to or from that country. Recommendations by official bodies responsible for postal communications are confusing regarding this practice. For many years, licence plate codes — for instance "D-" for Germany or "F-" for France — were used, although this was not accepted by the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

Placement of the code

Postal services have their own formats and placement rules for postal codes. In most English-speaking countries, the postal code forms the last item of the address, following the city or town name, whereas in most continental European countries it precedes the name of the city or town.

When it follows the city it may be on the same line or on a new line.

In Japan, China, Korea and the Russian Federation, it is written more to the beginning of an address.

Geographic coverage

Postal codes are usually assigned to geographical areas. Sometimes codes are assigned to individual addresses or to institutions that receive large volumes of mail, e.g. government agencies or large commercial companies. One example is the French Cedex system.

Postal zone numbers

Before postal codes as described here were used, large cities were often divided into ''postal zones'' or ''postal districts'', usually numbered from 1 upwards within each city. The newer postal code systems often incorporate the old zone numbers, as with London postal district numbers, for example. Ireland still uses postal district numbers in Dublin. In New Zealand, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were divided into postal zones, but these fell into disuse, and have now become redundant as a result of a new postcode system being introduced.

Codes defined along administrative borders

Some postal code system, like the one of Ecuador and Costa Rica show an exact agreement with the hierarchy of the administrative country subdivisions.

Format of 6 digit numeric (8 digit alphanumeric) postal codes in Ecuador, introduced in December 2007: ECAABBCC : EC - ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code : AA - one of the 24 provinces of Ecuador (24 of 100 possible codes used = 24%) : BB - one of the 226 cantons of Ecuador (for AABB 226 of 10000 codes used , i.e. 2.26%. Three cantons are not in any province) : CC - one of the parishes of Ecuador.

Format of 5 digit numeric Postal codes in Costa Rica, introduced in 2007: ABBCC : A - one of the 7 provinces of Costa Rica (7 of 10 used, i.e. 70%) : BB - one of the 81 cantons of Costa Rica (81 of 1000 used, i.e. 8.1%) : CC - one of the districts of Costa Rica. In Costa Rica these codes are also used by the National Institute for Statistics and Census (INSEC).

The first two digits of the postal codes in Turkey correspond to the provinces and each province has assigned only one number. They are the same for them as in ISO 3166-2:TR.

The first two digits of the postal codes in Vietnam indicate a province. Some provinces have one, other have several two digit numbers assigned. The numbers differ from the number used in ISO 3166-2:VN.

Codes defined close to administrative borders

In France the numeric code for the departments is used in the first digits of the postal code, except for the two departments in Corsica that have codes 2A and 2B and use 20 as postal code. Furthermore the codes are only the codes for the department in charge of delivery of the post, so it can be that a location in one department has a postal code starting with the number of a neighbouring department.

Codes defined indirectly to administrative borders

The first digit of the postal codes in the United States defines an area including several states. From the first three digits (with some exceptions), one can deduce the state.

Codes defined independently from administrative borders

The first two digits of the postal codes in Germany define areas independent from administrative regions. The coding space of the first digit is fully used (0-9); that of the first two combined is utilized to 89%, i.e., there are 89 postal zones defined. Zone 11 is non-geographic.

The UK post designed the postal codes in the United Kingdom mostly for efficient distribution. Nevertheless, with time, people associated codes with certain areas, leading certain people wanting or not wanting to have a certain code. See also postcode lottery.

Precision

Netherlands

Postal codes in the Netherlands are alphanumeric, consisting of four digits followed by a space and two letters (NNNN AA). Adding the house number to the postcode will identify the address, making the street name and town name redundant. For example: 2597 GV 75 will direct a postal delivery to the International School of The Hague.

USA

Other countries allow equally precise coding. For example, in the United States, the delivery point is typically derived from the last two digits of the house number and thus (at least theoretically) allows an unambiguous identification of every address in the country.

UK

For domestic properties the postcode refers to up to 100 properties in contiguous proximity (e.g. a short section of a populous road, or a series of less populous neighbouring roads). The postcode plus the number or name of a property is not always unique, particularly in rural areas. For example GL20 8NX/1 might refer to either 1 Frampton Cottages or 1 Frampton Farm Cottages, roughly half a kilometre apart. The postcode plus the ''first line of the address'', however, is always unique (except where sub-properties occurs).

Structure is alphanumeric with the following seven valid permutations, as defined by BS 7666:

A9 9AA A9A 9AA A99 9AA A99A 9AA AA9 9AA AA9A 9AA AA99 9AA

There are always two halves: the separation between outward and inward postcodes is indicated by one space.

The outward postcode covers a unique area and has two parts which may in total be two three or four characters in length. A postcode area of one or two letters, followed by one or two numbers, followed in some parts of London by a letter.

The outward postcode and the leading numeric of the inward postcode in combination forms a postal sector, and this usually corresponds to a couple of thousand properties.

Larger businesses and isolated properties such as farms may have a unique postcode. Extremely large organisations such as larger government offices or bank headquarters may have multiple postcodes for different departments.

There are about 100 postcode areas ranging widely in size from BT which covers the whole of Northern Ireland to ZE for Shetland. Postcode areas may also cross national boundaries, such as SY which covers a large, predominantly rural area from Shrewsbury and Ludlow in Shropshire, England, through the eastern Welsh town of Welshpool, Powys in Wales to the seaside town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion on Wales' west coast.

States and overseas territories sharing a postal code system

Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are part of the UK postcode system. They use the scheme AAN NAA, in which the first two letters are a unique code (GY, JE and IM respectively).

Seven British overseas territories use nine postal codes: three for Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and one apiece for the others. Note that the former has two ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes, and the British Antarctic Territory has none, so the number of ISO codes is seven.

Ascension Island: ASCN 1ZZ, ISO code: AC

British Antarctic Territory: BIQQ 1ZZ

British Indian Ocean Territory: BBND 1ZZ, ISO code: IO

Falkland Islands: FIQQ 1ZZ, ISO code: FK

Pitcairn Islands: PCRN 1ZZ, ISO code: PN

Saint Helena STHL 1ZZ, ISO code: SH

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: SIQQ 1ZZ, ISO code: GS

Tristan da Cunha: TDCU 1ZZ, ISO code: included under SH

Turks and Caicos Islands: TKCA 1ZZ, ISO code: TC

Two other British areas have their own systems, and use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 prefix:

Cayman Islands: KYN-NNNN*

British Virgin Islands: VGNNNN.

French overseas territories use the five-digit French postal code system, each code starting with the three letter department identifier. Monaco also uses the French system.

Italy, San Marino and Vatican City use one system. Liechtenstein and Switzerland use one system. Slovakia and the Czech Republic base their systems on the codes of Czechoslovakia, their ranges not overlapping.

Non-geographic codes

In Finland the special postal code 99999 is for Korvatunturi, the place where Santa Claus (Joulupukki in Finnish) is said to live.

In Greenland the postal code 2412 is for Julemanden (Santa Claus)

In Canada the amount of mail sent to Santa Claus increased every Christmas, up to the point that Canada Post decided to start an official Santa Claus letter-response program in 1983. Approximately one million letters come in to Santa Claus each Christmas, including from outside of Canada, and all of them are answered in the same languages in which they are written. Canada Post introduced a special address for mail to Santa Claus, complete with its own postal code:

:SANTA CLAUS :NORTH POLE  H0H 0H0

In the United Kingdom, the non-conforming postal code GIR 0AA was used for the National Girobank until its closure in 2003.

Formats

A = letter

N = number

CC = ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code

!Country	!Introduced	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2>ISO	!Format	!Note
Afghanistan			- no codes -
			NNNNN	With Finland, first two numbers are 22.
			NNNN
			NNNNN	First two as in ISO 3166-2:DZ
	2004		CCNNN
			- no codes -
	1974, modified 1999		1974-1998 NNNN; From 1999 ANNNNAAA	Codigo Postal Argentino (CPA), where A is the province code as in ISO 3166-2:AR
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	2006-04-01		NNNN
Ascension island			AAAANAA one code: ASCN 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
	1967		NNNN
	1966		NNNN
			CCNNNN
			NNNN
		BB	CCNNNNN
		BY	NNNNNN
		BE	NNNN	First number indicates the province. (not completely correct)
		BZ	- no codes -
		BJ	- no codes -
			NNNNN
	1972	BR	NNNNN	Código de Endereçamento Postal (CEP)
	1992	BR	NNNNNNNN (NNNNN-NNN)
British Indian Ocean Territory			AAAANAA one code: BIQQ 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
		VG	CCNNNN
			AANNNN
	1975		NNNN
			NNNNN
	1971–1975		ANA NAN	The system was gradually introduced starting in April 1971 in Ottawa
		CV	NNNN	The first digit indicates the island.
			NNNNNNN (NNN-NNNN)
			NNNNNN
			NNNNNN
	2007-03	CR	NNNNN	First codes the provinces, next two the canton, last two the district.
		HR	NNNNN
	1994-10-01	CY	NNNN
	1973	CZ	NNNNN (NNN NN)	with Slovak Republic, Poštovní směrovací číslo (PSČ) - postal routing number
	1967-09-20	DK	NNNN
	2007-12	EC	CCNNNNNN
		EG	NNNNN
		EE	NNNNN
Falkland Islands			AAAANAA one code: FIQQ 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
	1971	FI	NNNNN
	1972	FR	NNNNN	First mostly as in ISO 3166-2:FR.
			NNNN
	1941-07-25	--	NN	Postleitzahl (PLZ)
	1962	DE	NNNN	Postleitzahl (PLZ)
	1993	DE	NNNNN	Postleitzahl (PLZ)
	1983	GR	NNNNN
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	1993		AAN NAA	UK-format postcode (first two letters are always GY not GG)
Hong Kong			- no codes -
		HU	NNNN
		IS	NNN
	1972-08-15	IN	NNNNNN,	NNN NNN	Postal Index Number (PIN)
		ID	NNNNN	Kode Pos
			NNNNN-NNNNN	کد پستی
	2004		NNNNN
			- no codes -	Alphanumeric system planned, however no known rollout date
	1993		CCN NAA, CCNN NAA	UK-format postcode
		IL	NNNNN
	1967		NNNNN	Codice di Avviamento Postale (CAP)
	1968	JP	NNNNNNN (NNN-NNNN)
	1994		CCN NAA	UK-format postcode
			NNNNNN	Reference:
		LV	CC-NNNN
	1964	LI	NNNN	With Switzerland, ordered from west to east
		LT	NNNNN	References: http://www.post.lt/en/?id=421 http://www.post.lt/en/?id=271
		LU	NNNN	References: http://www.upu.int/post_code/en/countries/LUX.pdf
Macau		MO	- no codes -
		MY	NNNNN
		MT	AAANNNN (AAA NNNN)	Kodiċi Postali
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
		MX	NNNNN
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
		MD	CCNNNN (CC-NNNN)
	1972	MC	980NN
		ME	NNNNN
	1997-01-01	MA	NNNNN
	1977	NL	NNNN AA
	2008-06	NZ	NNNN	Postcode
		NI	NNNNNN
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	1968-03-18	NO	NNNN	From south to north
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
			NNNNNN
		PK	NNNNNN
		PY	NNNN
		PE	Alphanumeric	New National Postal Code system to be implemented in February 2011
		PH	NNNN
Pitcairn Islands			AAAANAA one code: PCRN 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
	1973	PL	NNNNN (NN-NNN)
	1976		NNNN
	1994	PT	NNNN-NNN (NNNN NNN)
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	2003-05-01	RO	NNNNNN
	1971		NNNNNN
			NNNNN	With Italy, uses a five-digit numeric CAP of Emilia Romagna
	2005-01-01		NNNNN	Poshtanski adresni kod (PAK)
	1950		NN
	1979		NNNN
	1995		NNNNNN
	1973	SK	NNNNN (NNN NN)	with Czech Republic from west to east, Poštové smerovacie číslo (PSČ) - postal routing number
			CCNNNN (CC-NNNN)
	1975		NNNN
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands			AAAANAA one code: SIQQ 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
			NNNNNN (NNN-NNN)
	1976		NNNNN	First two indicate the province, range 01-52
			NNNNN	Reference: http://mohanjith.net/ZIPLook/
	1968-05-12		NNNNN (NNN NN)
	1964		NNNN	With Liechtenstein, ordered from west to east
			NNNNN	includes some territories administrated by Japan
	1982-02-25	TH	NNNNN	The first two specify the province, numbers as in ISO 3166-2:TH, the third and fourth digits specify a district (amphoe)
Tunisia			NNNN
Turks and Caicos Islands			AAAANAA one code: TKCA 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
			NNNNN	The first two specify the province as in ISO 3166-2:TR
			NNNNN
	1959–1974		A(A)N(A/N)NAA (A[A]N[A/N] NAA)	Postcode, letters before the first number identify a town or district. AN NAA, ANN NAA, ANA NAA, AAN NAA, AANN NAA, AANA NAA. Complex as incorporates early non-systematic postal districts.
	1963-07-01		NNNNN (optionally NNNNN-NNNN or NNNNN-NNNNNN)	ZIP code
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
			NNNNN	with Italy, uses a five-digit numeric CAP of Rome
			NNNNNN

Non-postal uses and economic aspects

While postal codes were introduced to expedite the delivery of mail, they are very useful tools for several other purposes, particularly in countries where codes are very fine-grained and identify just a few addresses. Among uses are: Finding the nearest branch of an organisation to a given address. A computer program uses the postal codes of the target address and the branches to list the closest branches in order of distance as the crow flies (or, if used in conjunction with streetmap software, road distance). This can be used by companies to inform potential customers where to go, by job centres to find jobs for job-seekers, to alert people of town planning applications in their area, and a great many other applications.

Fine-grained postal codes can be used with satellite navigation systems to navigate to an address by street number and postcode.

Geographical sales territories for representatives in the pharmaceutical industry are allocated based on a workload index that is based upon postcode.

Availability

The availability of postal code information has significant economic advantages. In some countries, the postal authorities charge for access to the code database. , the United Kingdom Government is consulting on whether to waive licensing fees for some geographical data sets (to be determined) related to UK postcodes.

See also

List of postal codes

:Category:Lists of postal codes

Mailing address format by country

References

External links

Universal Postal Union

*Addressing

*Postcodes

Reference on World Postcodes

countries postal codes Formats and list

Category:Postal system

als:Postleitzahl ar:رمز بريدي an:Codigo postal ast:Códigu postal az:Poçt indeksi bn:পোস্ট কোড be:Паштовы індэкс be-x-old:Паштовы індэкс bar:Postleitzoi bs:Poštanski broj br:Kod-post bg:Пощенски код ca:Codi postal cs:Poštovní směrovací číslo cy:Côd post da:Postnummer de:Postleitzahl el:Ταχυδρομικός κώδικας es:Código postal eo:Poŝtkodo ext:Coigu postal eu:Posta-kode fa:کد پستی fr:Code postal fy:Postkoade fur:CAP gl:Código postal ko:우편번호 hy:Փոստային ինդեքս hr:Poštanski broj id:Kodepos is:Póstnúmer it:Codice postale he:מיקוד (דואר) jv:Kodhe pos la:Numerus cursualis lv:Pasta indekss lb:Postcode lt:Pašto kodas lij:Codiçe postâ hu:Irányítószám mk:Поштенски број ms:Poskod nl:Postcode nds-nl:Postcode ja:郵便番号 no:Postnummer nn:Postnummer oc:Còde postal nds:Postleddtall pl:Kod pocztowy pt:Código postal ro:Cod poștal ru:Почтовый индекс sq:Kodi postar scn:CAP simple:Postal code sk:Poštové smerovacie číslo sl:Poštna številka v Sloveniji sr:Поштански код sh:Poštanski broj fi:Postinumero sv:Postnummer ta:அஞ்சல் குறியீடுகள் th:รหัสไปรษณีย์ tg:Нишонаи почта tr:Posta kodu uk:Поштовий індекс ur:رمزِ ڈاک vec:Codice postale vi:Mã bưu chính wa:Limero del posse vls:Postnummer wuu:邮政编码 zh:邮政编码

Coordinates	38°52′15.56″N77°3′21.46″N
name	Kabir Suman
bengali name	কবির সুমন
original name	Suman Chattopadhyay
birthyear	1949
background	solo_singer
origin	Kolkata, West Bengal, India
genre	Bengali Modern Songs , Rabindra Sangeet
years active	1992–present
associated acts	Singer, Songwriter, Musician, guitarist, poet, journalist, T.V.Presenter, Actor, politician
notable instruments	}}

name	Kabir Suman
birth date	March 16, 1949
birth place	Kolkata, West Bengal
constituency	Jadavpur
office	Member of Parliament
predecessor	Sujan Chakraborty
party	Trinamool Congress
religion	Islam
alma mater	Jadavpur University
profession	Musician, Journalist, Writer
spouse	Sabina Yasmin
footnotes	}}

Kabir Suman (; born 16 March 1949) is a Kolkata-based modern Bengali singer-songwriter, musician, poet, journalist, politician, TV presenter, and occasional film actor. Since May 2009, he is a member of parliament of India in the 15th Lok Sabha, having been elected from the Jadavpur constituency in Kolkata on an All India Trinamool Congress ticket.

He changed his name from Suman Chattopadhyay to 'Kabir Suman' (Bangla: কবীর সুমন) when he converted to Islam . He shot to fame in the 1990s with albums such as ''Tomake Chai'' (Bangla: তোমাকে চাই ''I Want You'') and ''Boshe Anko'' (Bangla: বসে আঁকো ''Sit-and-Draw'').

Early life

Suman was born on March 16, 1949 to Sudhindranath and Uma Chattopadhyay at Cuttack, Orissa. He was trained in classical music in his childhood, under the tutelage of this father. He graduated from Jadavpur University with an honours in English Literature and a diploma in French language. He then worked briefly in All India Radio and the United Bank of India. Suman left for Europe in the mid seventies, and worked as a radio journalist in the Voice of Germany (Bengali Dept.) from 1975-79. It is during this period that he heard the music of Bob Dylan in France, which became one of his most defining musical experiences.

Suman then went on to stay at the United States from 1980–1986, working for the Bengali language Department of the Voice of America at Washington D.C. Here, Suman came into contact with a number of musical and literary personalities including Pete Seeger and Maya Angelou. Suman also became highly interested in the Sandinista revolution at Nicaragua during the mid eighties. Pete Seeger introduced him to Father Ernesto Cardenal, the priest, poet, freedom fighter and Nicaragua's Minister of Culture. At Cardenal's invitation, Suman visited Nicaragua in 1985. He writes that he was largely impressed by what he saw in Nicaragua. It is here, that he also came into contact with the New Song Movement in Latin America.

Musical life

His contemporary urban, socially conscious songs draw upon both Bengali ''adhunik'' (modern) and Western folk and protest music. His work has been a major influence in the development of the Bengali songs, which has influenced bands like Chandrabindoo, and has grown to become a major movement in contemporary Bengali music. Most of his songs are played solo with just a synthesiser or a guitar. Like many other Bengali singers, Suman has also recorded albums of Rabindra Sangeet (Songs of Rabindranath Tagore), starting in the late-1990s.

Suman's primary training was in Indian classical music and Rabindra Sangeet, and he picked up Western folk forms while living abroad in Germany and the United States. He finished his second contract with German International Radio in 1989, and returned to Kolkata. In Kolkata,he was first associated with a band called "Nagorik", and released two albums "Onyo kotha onyo gaan 1" and "Onyo kotha onyo gaan 2". He released his first solo album, ''Tomake Chai'', in 1992, which was immensely successful. Since then he has released over twenties albums, his most recent one being ''Lalmohaner Laash'' in 2010.

Influences and legacy

Suman has often been credited with creating a new genre of music in Bengal, called ''Jibanmukhi Gaan'' (songs facing life), with lyrics that reflect common life experiences. He is sometimes referred to as the 'nagarik kabiyal' (city troubadour). His music also reflects on social mores, and is often directly political, and much of his oeuvre bears the influence of Bob Dylan (he also transcrated Dylan's 'Blowin' in the wind' as 'Uttoro to Jana' album 'Ichche Holo' (1993). Dylan's influence is also obvious in the musical arrangements of his early albums, often consisting of only guitar and mouth-organ, both of which he played himself. Later on his musical arrangements became more elaborate.

Suman himself influenced a generation of singer-songwriters in Bengal, including Nachiketa Chakraborty and Anjan Dutta.and others like Lopamudra Mitra.

Political activities

Along with his musical contributions, Suman has always held strong political views. He was a journalist in Nicaragua during the Sandinista revolution and wrote ''Mukto Nicaragua'' (Liberated Nicaragua) on his experiences. During the 2002 Gujarat riots, he composed songs in protest against fundamentalism. He is also noted for his strong declamations against political opponents in public.

Since 2006, when Suman was involved in the land struggle in Nandigram, he started aliging himself to All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee. His songs on the Nandigram land issues have been released on two albums, ''Nandigram'' and ''Pratirodh''. Suman also participated in the Singur agitation & other TMC party programmes on a regular basis. He was present during the inauguration of TMC's stall in Kolkata Book Fair.2009.

The Trinamoool Congress nominated him for the 2009 general election from Jadavpur constituency in Kolkata, West Bengal, and won the election, defeating his nearest rival, Sujan Chakraborty of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) by 54,000 votes (by a 10% margin).

In November 2009, Suman had a spat with the Trinamool Congress. He complained that the local leaders of the party were not allowing him to work, and his views were not taken seriously in the party. However, the issue was resolved amicably in a series of closed door meetings.

Suman has also been vocal in his support for the movement of tribals in Lalgarh, and has composed an album called "Chatradharer Gaan" in support of the movement, going against the wishes of the party. Going against the party position, he has also expressed his protests against "Operation Green Hunt", the Indian Government's military operation in the areas hit by Naxal violence.

Suman,in the end of march 2010,claimed that he is going to leave Trinamool Congress and also his membership of the Parliament. Though on the request of Mahasweta Devi he postponed his resignation for seven days. Within a few days, however, he makes a u-turn and declares on the 7th of April that he does not want to resign by further embarrassing the party

Personal life and political views

Suman is married five times. He calls himself agnostic, nihilist-anarchist and a "polygamous" person. He is married to Sabina Yasmin, a popular Bangladeshi singer.

References

External links

Official Site

Short Bio

Kabir Suman -Profile

Translations of his songs

Indian Foundation for Arts page on Suman

Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:Converts to Islam Category:15th Lok Sabha members Category:Bengali musicians Category:Bengali poets Category:People from Kolkata Category:All India Trinamool Congress politicians Category:Indian Muslims Category:Jadavpur University alumni

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Coordinates	38°52′15.56″N77°3′21.46″N
name	Hemanta Mukherjee
background	solo_singer
birth name	Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay
birth date	16 June 1920
birth place	Varanasi, Benares State, British Raj (now in Uttar Pradesh, India)
death date	26 September 1989
Death place	Kolkata, West Bengal, India
spouse	Bela Mukhopadhyay
genre	Bengali and Hindi/Marathi Playback
occupation	Singer/Composer
years active	1937 – 1989 }}

Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay (; ''Hemonto Kumar Mukhopaddhae'') also known as Hemanta Mukherjee (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989) was an Bengali singer, composer and producer. He sang in Hindi films under the name Hemant Kumar.

Early life

Hemanta was born in the city of Varanasi, India although his family hailed from a village named Baharu in West Bengal. They migrated to Kolkata in the early 20th century. Hemanta grew up there and attended Mitra Institution school of Bhawanipore area. There he met his longtime friend, Subhas Mukhopadhyay who later became a Bengali poet. After passing the intermediate examinations (12th grade), Hemanta joined Jadavpur University to pursue Engineering. However, he quit academics to pursue a career in music, despite parental objection. He briefly tried his hand at literature and also published a short story in a prestigious Bengali magazine called ''Desh'', but by the late-1930s he was committed entirely to music.

Early music career

Under the influence of his friend Subhas Mukhopadhyay, Hemanta recorded his first song for All India Radio in 1933. The first line of the song was ''Amar Ganete Ele Nabarupi Chirantanii''. Hemanta's music career was primarily mentored by the Bengali musician, Sailesh Duttagupta. In an interview on television in the early 1980s, Hemanta had mentioned that he had also received classical music training from Ustad Faiyaz Khan, but his tutelage was cut short by Ustad's untimely death.

In 1937, Hemanta cut his first gramophone disc under the Columbia label. The songs (non-film) on this disc were ''Janite Jadi Go Tumi'' and ''Balo Go Balo More'' whose lyrics were by Naresh Bhattacharya and music was composed by Sailesh Duttagupta. Thereafter, every year Hemanta continued to record non-film discs for the Gramophone Company of India (GCI) till 1984. His first Hindi songs were ''Kitana Dukh Bhulaya Tumne'' and ''O Preet Nibhanewali'', released in 1940 under GCI's Columbia label. Music for these songs were composed by Kamal Dasgupta, lyrics were by Faiyaz Hashmi.

Hemanta's first film song was in the Bengali film Nimai Sanyas released in 1941. Music for this film was scored by Hariprasanna Das. Hemanta's first compositions for himself were the Bengali non-film songs ''Katha Kayonako Shudhu Shono'' and ''Amar Biraha Akashe Priya'' in 1944. Lyrics of these two songs were by Amiya Bagchi.

His first Hindi film songs were in Irada in 1944 under Pt. Amarnath's music direction. Lyrics were by Aziz Kashmiri.

Hemanta is considered a foremost exponent of Rabindrasangeet. His first recorded Rabindrasangeet was in the Bengali film Priya Bandhabi (1944). The song was ''Pather Sesh Kothaye''. He recorded his first non-film Rabindrasangeet disc in 1944 under the Columbia label. The songs were ''Aamar Aar Habe Na Deri'' and ''Keno Pantha E Chanchalata''.

His first movie as a music director was the Bengali film Abhiyatri in 1947. Although many of the songs Hemanta recorded during this time received critical acclaim, major commercial success eluded him until 1947. Some contemporary male singers of Hemanta in Bengali around that period were Jaganmay Mitra, Robin Majumdar, Satya Chowdhury, Dhananjay Bhattacharya, Sudhirlal Chakraborty, Bechu Dutta and Talat Mahmood.

Family

Hemanta had three brothers and a sister, Nilima. His elder brother, Tarajyoti, was a short-story writer in Bengali. The youngest brother, Amal Mukhopadhyay, composed music for some Bengali movies, most notably Hospital and Abak Prithibi. He also recorded a few Bengali songs in the 1960s.

In 1945, Hemanta married Bela Mukherjee (died 25 June 2009), a singer from Bengal. Although Bela (maiden name also Bela Mukhopadhyay) had sung some popular songs in a Bengali movie, ''Kashinath'' (1943), with music by Pankaj Mullick – she did not actively pursue her musical career after marriage.

They had two children: a son, Jayant, and a daughter, Ranu. Ranu as Ranu Mukhopadhyay pursued a music career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with somewhat limited success. Jayant is married to Moushmi Chatterjee, an Indian film actress who was popular in the 1970s.

Success and migration to Mumbai

In the mid 1940s, Hemanta became an active member of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and started an association with another active IPTA member – songwriter and composer – Salil Chowdhury. One of the main driving forces behind the establishment of IPTA was the Bengal famine of 1943 and the inaction of the British administration and wealthy Indians to prevent it from happening. In 1948, Hemanta recorded a non-film song called ''ganyer badhu'' (literally translates to 'The rural bride') that had music and lyrics by Salil Chowdhury. The six minute song recorded on two sides of a 78 rpm disc was sung at a varying pace and lacked the conventional structure and romantic theme of a Bengali song. It depicted an idyllic, prosperous and caring rural woman's life and family, and how it gets ravaged by the demons of famine and ensuing poverty. This song generated an unforeseen popularity for Hemanta and Salil in eastern India, and, in a way, established Hemanta ahead of his male contemporaries. Hemanta and Salil paired again in several songs over the next four years and almost all these songs proved to be very popular.

Around the same period, Hemanta started receiving more assignments for music composition for Bengali films. Some of these films were for a director named Hemen Gupta. When Hemen moved to Mumbai a few years later, he called upon Hemanta to compose music for his first directorial venture in Hindi titled ''Anandmath'' under the Filmistan banner. Responding to this call, Hemanta migrated to Mumbai in 1951 and joined the Filmistan Studios. The music of ''Anand Math'' (1952) was a moderate success. Perhaps, the most notable songs from this movie is ''vande mataram'' sung by Lata Mangeshkar, which Hemanta set to a marching tune. Following Anandmath, Hemanta scored music for a few Filmistan movies like ''Shart'' in subsequent years, the songs of which received moderate popularity. Simultaneously, Hemanta also gained popularity in Mumbai as a playback singer. His songs playbacked for actor Dev Anand under music director Sachin Dev Burman in movies like ''Jaal'', ''House No. 44'', and ''Solva Saal'' became quite popular.

Career rise

By the mid-1950s, Hemanta had consolidated his position as a prominent singer and composer. In Bengal, he was one of the foremost exponents of Rabindrasangeet and perhaps the most sought after male singer. In Mumbai, along with playback singing, He also carved a niche as a composer. He composed music for a Hindi film called ''Nagin'' (1954) which became a major success owing largely to its music. Songs of Nagin remained chart-toppers continuously for two years and culminated in Hemant receiving the prestigious Filmfare Best Music Director Award in 1955. The very same year, he scored music for a Bengali movie called ''Shapmochan'' in which he also played back four songs for the Bengali actor Uttam Kumar. This started a long partnership between Hemant and Uttam as a playback singer-actor pair. They were the most popular singer-actor duo in Bengali Cinema over the next decade.

In the latter part of the 1950s, Hemanta composed music and sang for several Bengali and Hindi films, recorded several Rabindrasangeets and Bengali non-film songs. Almost all of these, especially his Bengali songs became very popular. This period can be termed as the zenith of his career and lasted for almost a decade. He sang songs composed by the major music directors in Bengal such as Nachiketa Ghosh, Robin Chatterjee and Salil Chowdhury. Some of the notable films Hemanta himself composed music for during this period include ''Harano Sur'', ''Marutirtha Hinglaj'', ''Neel Akasher Neechey'', ''Lukochuri'', ''Swaralipi'', ''Deep Jwele Jaai'', ''Shesh Parjanta'', ''Kuhak'', ''Dui Bhai'', and ''Saptapadi'' in Bengali, and, ''Jagriti'' and ''Ek Hi Raasta'' in Hindi.

Movie production

In the late 1950s, Hemanta ventured into movie production under his own banner Hemanta-Bela productions. The first movie under this banner was a Bengali film directed by Mrinal Sen, titled ''Neel Akasher Neechey'' (1959). The story of this film was based on the travails of a Chinese street hawker in Calcutta in the backdrop of India's freedom struggle. The movie went onto win the President's Gold Medal – the highest honour for a movie from Government of India. In the next decade, Hemanta's production company was renamed Geetanjali productions and it produced several Hindi movies such as ''Bees Saal Baad'', ''Kohraa'', ''Biwi Aur Makaan'', ''Faraar'', ''Rahgir'' and ''Khamoshi'' – all of which had music by Hemanta. Almost all of these, except ''Bees Saal Baad'' and ''Khamoshi'', weren't major commercial successes. Back in Bengal, Hemanta scored music for a movie titled ''Palatak'' in 1963 where he experimented with merging Bengal Folk Music and light music. This proved to be a major success and Hemanta's composition style changed noticeably for many of his future films in Bengal such as ''Baghini'', and ''Balika Badhu''. In Bengali films ''Manihar'' and ''Adwitiya'', both of which were major musical as well as commercial successes, his compositions had a light classical tinge. In 1961, for commemorating Rabindranath Tagore's birth centenary, Gramophone company of India featured Rabindrasangeet by Hemanta in a large portion of its commemorative output. This too proved to be a major commercial success. Hemanta also went on several overseas concert tours in this period including his trip to the West Indies. Overall, in the 1960s decade he retained his position as the major male singer in Bengal, and, as a composer and singer to be reckoned with in Hindi films.

Latter part of career

In the 1970s, Hemanta's contribution in Hindi films was nominal. He scored music for a handful of his home productions, but none of these movies were successful nor the music of them. In Bengal, however, he remained the foremost exponent of Rabindrasangeet. His non-film output was popular in the early part of the decade. In 1971, Hemanta debuted as a film director in for his self-produced Bengali movie titled ''Anindita''. The movie didn't fare exceedingly well at the box office. In the early to mid 1970s, two major music composers in Bengal, Nachiketa Ghosh and Robin Chatterjee, who had worked closely with Hemanta since the early 1950s, died. Simultaneously, music composed by Hemanta for Bengali films like ''Fuleswari'', ''Raag Anurag'' and ''Dadar Kirti'' established Hemanta as the major film music composer in the Bengal movie scene. In 1979, Hemanta re-recorded some of his earlier works with composer Salil Chowdhury from the 1940s and 1950s. This album, titled 'Legend of Glory, vol. 2' was a major commercial success, despite Hemanta's aged and slightly tired voice.

In 1980, Hemanta suffered a major heart attack (myocardial infarction) that severely affected his vocal capabilities, especially his breath control. He continued to record songs in the early eighties, but his voice was a shade of its rich baritone past. In 1984, Hemanta was felicitated by different organizations, most notably by the Gramophone Company of India, for completing 50 years in music. Ironically, that very year Hemanta released his last album with Gramophone Company of India – a 45 rpm extended play disc with four non-film songs. Over the next few years, Hemanta released non-film songs under various small-time labels that had cropped up in the nascent cassette-based music industry. Only a few of these were commercially successful. He composed music for a handful of Bengali movies and one Bengali and one Hindi tele-series. However, by this time he had become an institution, a beloved personality, and a courteous and friendly gentleman. He continued to feature regularly on All India Radio, Doordarshan (TV) and live programmes/concerts during this period.

In September 1989, he travelled to Dhaka, Bangladesh to receive the Michael Madhusudan Award. He performed a concert in Dhaka as well. Immediately after returning from this trip, he suffered a major heart attack (myocardial infarction) on September 26 and breathed his last at 11:15 pm in a nursing home in South Calcutta. Interestingly, even 15 years after his death, Gramophone Company of India releases at least one album by him every year, repackaging his older songs, because of the commercial viability of his songs. His legacy still lives on through the numerous songs he has recorded, music he has composed and through many male singers in Bengal and the rest of India who continue to imitate his singing style.

English filmography as a composer

1972: Siddhartha

Bengali filmography as a composer

Total number of films: 138

1947: Abhiyatri, Purbaraag

1948: Bhuli Naai, Padma Pramatta Nadi, Priyatama

1949: Diner Par Din, '42, Sandipan Pathshala, Swami

1951: Jighansa, Paritran

1952: Swapno O Samadhi-(Jointly with Khagen Dasgupta)

1955: Shapmochan

1956: Suryamukhi

1957: Shesh Parichay, Taser Ghar, Harano Sur

1958: Lukochuri, Shikar, Surjatoran, Joutuk, Neel Akasher Neechey

1959: Deep Jwele Jaai, Khelaghar, Marutirtha Hinglaj, Sonar Harin, Kshaniker Atithi

1960: Baishey Shravan, Gariber Meye, Kuhak, Khoka Babur Prayabartan, Shesh Paryanta

1961: Dui Bhai, Agni Sanskar, Madhya Rater Tara, Punashcha, Saptapadi, Sathi Hara, Swaralipi

1962: Atal Jaler Ahwan, Agun, Dada Thakur, Hansuli Banker Upakatha, Nabadiganta

1963: Badshah, Barnachora, Ek Tukro Agun, High Heel, Palatak, Saat Pake Bandha, Shesh Prahar, Tridhara

1964: Arohi, Bibhas, Natun Tirtha, Pratinidhi, Prabhater Rang, Swarga Hotey Biday, Sindure Megh

1965: Alor Pipasa, Ek Tuku Basa, Ek Tuku Chhonya Lage, Suryatapa

1966: Kanch Kata Hirey, Manihar

1967: Balika Badhu, Dushtu Prajapati, Nayika Sangbad, Ajana Shapath

1968: Adwitya, Baghini, Hansamithun, Jiban Sangeet, Panchasar, Parisodh

1969: Chena Achena, Man Niye, Parineeta, Shuk Sari

1970: Deshbandhu Chittaranjan, Duti Mon

1971: Kuheli, Malayadan, Nabarag, Nimantran, Sansar, Mahabiplabi Arabindo

1972: Anindita, Shriman Prithviraj

1974: Bikele Bhorer Phool, Thagini, Phuleshwari

1975: Agniswar, Mohan Baganer Meye, Nishi Mrigaya, Raag Anuraag, Sansar Simantey

1976: Banhi Sikha, Datta, Sankhabish, Pratisruti

1977: Din Amader, Hatey Roilo Tin, Mantramugdha, Pratima, Proxy, Rajani, Sanai, Shesh Raksha, Swati

1978: Ganadevta, Nadi Theke Sagare, Pranay Pasha

1979: Shahar Theke Dooray, Nauka Dubi

1980: Bandhan, Dadar Kirti, Paka Dekha, Pankhiraj, Shesh Bichar

1981: Kapal Kundala, Khelar Putul, Meghmukti, Subarna Golak

1982: Chhoto Maa, Chhut, Uttar Meleni, Pratiksha

1983: Amar Geeti, Rajeshwari

1984: Agni Shuddhi, Ajantay, Bishabriksha, Didi, Madhuban, Suryatrishna

1985: Bhalobasa Bhalobasa, Tagari

1986: Pathbhola, Ashirwad

1987: Pratibha, Tunibou, Agaman, Boba sanai, Parasmani, Surer Sathi

Hindi filmography as a composer

A: Anand Math, Anjaan, Anupama, Arab Ka Saudagar

B: Bahu, Bandhan, Bandi, Bandish, Bees Saal Baad, Bees Saal Pehle, Bhagwat Mahima, Bin Badal Barsaat, Biwi Aur Makaan

C: Chand, Champakali

D: Daku Ki Ladki, Do Dil, Do Dooni Char, Do Ladke Dono Kadke, Do Mastane, Durgesh Nandini, Duniya Jhukti Hai,Devi Choudhurani

E: Ek hi Raasta, Ek Jhalak

F: Ferry, Faraar, Fashion

G: Girl Friend

H: Hamara Watan, Hill Station, Hum Bhi Insaan Hai

I: Inspector

J: Jagriti

K: Khamoshi, Kohraa, Kitna Badal Gaya Insaan

L: Lagan, Laalten, Love in Canada

M: Maa Beta, Majhli Didi, Miss Mary

N: Nagin

P: Payal, Police

R: Rahgeer

S: Sahara, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Samrat, Sannata, Shart

T: Taj

U: Us Raat Ke Baad

Y: Yahudi Ki Ladki

Other languages filmography as a composer

''Ayel Basant Bahar'' (1961)

''Balma Bada Nadaan'' (1964)

Hemant Kumar also sang several Marathi songs, notably "Mee Dolkara, Dolkara, Dolakra dariyacha raaja...." (मी डोलकर, डोलकर दर्याचा राजा) with Lata Mangeshkar. This song became immensely popular. Another popular Marathi song by Hemant Kumar, "Gomu sangatina mazya tu yeshil kay" (गोमू संगतीनं माझ्या तू येशील काय), is filmed on the famous actor Kashinath Ghanekar in the film Ha Khel Saavalyancha, हा खेळ सावल्यांचा.

References

Sources

# Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay, "Ananda dhara", Deb Sahitya Kutir Press, Calcutta, 1970. # A. Rajadhakshya and P. Wilhelm, "An Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema," 2nd ed., British Film Institute, 1999. # S. Bhattacharya, "Amar gaaner swaralipi," A. Mukherjee Press, Calcutta, 1988.

External links

Songs of Hemanta Mukherjee

Hemant Kumar home page

Mostly complete discography

Articles on Hemanta Mukherjee

Hemanta's Hindi Filmography

Hemanta's Bengali Songs

Hemanta's Bangla Gaan

Hemanta Mukherjee's Bengali Songs

Category:1920 births Category:1989 deaths Category:Bengali music Category:Bengali musicians Category:Indian film singers Category:Indian male singers Category:People from Kolkata Kumar, Hemant Kumar, Hemant Category:Artists from Varanasi Category:Asutosh College alumni Category:University of Calcutta alumni Category:Indian music directors

bn:হেমন্ত মুখোপাধ্যায় fr:Hemant Kumar hi:हेमंत कुमार mr:हेमंत कुमार मुखोपाध्याय pl:Hemanta Kumar fi:Hemant Kumar