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ABSTRACT
Ella K. Maillart (1903–97), the Swiss travel writer-adventuress, and Deben Bhattacharya (1921–2001), the Bengali field recordist and media producer, first corresponded in July 1949 and remained friends their whole lives. This article traces the evolution of their personal and professional relationship. I begin by discussing development of Bhattacharya's career in the early 1950s. I then outline how Maillart offered Bhattacharya a model for using material collected in the field to produce multiple works. Reading Maillart's work alongside Bhattacharya's, it is possible to trace affinities, and sometimes tensions, between their practices. I then turn to the many records Bhattacharya produced. Through engaging with para-texts – liner notes, maps, and photographs – and the records themselves, I suggest these works can be read as forms of popular travel literature, written in sound. Overall, this article contributes to ongoing work to establish the profile of Bhattacharya, while highlighting the cultural influence of Maillart.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Charles Forsdick, along with colleagues at the University of Exeter, and in particular Arthur Rose, who helped me develop the research in this article. Thanks also to the journal editors of Studies in Travel Writing; to two anonymous peer reviewers who provided invaluable feedback and to Jharna Bose and the Bhattacharya family for giving permission to reproduce stills from The Chanting Lama (1980), and to quote from Deben’s letters.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 In December 1968, Bhattacharya sold the Scandinavian rights for “school and school radio & television use of the Deben Bhattacharya collection of folk music” to Rikskonserter (“Concerts Sweden”). This consisted of 700 recorded tapes, 500 colour slides, 2000 black and white negatives from Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, Rumania, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Tibet, Turkey and Yugoslavia. See “Agreement between Rikskonserter and Deben Bhattacharya”, 2 December 1968, Riksarkivet i Stockholm/Taby, SE/RA/740055/02/F 8 c/2.
2 A comprehensive assessment of his cultural legacy, that documents all published works and collaborations is yet to be completed. This article contributes to a growing conversation appraising Bhattacharya’s work and career. See the work of scholars and artists including Robert Millis, Moushumi Bhowmik, Sushrita Acharjee, Arindam Sen, Paul Purgas and Stéphane Jourdain, whose 2002 film Music According to Deben Bhattacharya, offers a sensitive portrayal of Bhattacharya’s return to Bangladesh in 2001, shortly before he died. See also the BBC Radio 3 documentary, Recording on the Nomads’ Trail, aired 12 December 2023: BBC Radio 3 – Sunday Feature, Recording on the Nomads' Trail.
3 See Guide to Edith Sitwell Letter and Telegram to Ella Maillart Citation1949 December 17 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001t2jj)
4 Lannoy was a painter, photographer, author and publisher. He was the author of India: People and Places (Thames and Hudson, Citation1955) and The Speaking Tree: A Study of Indian Culture and Society (Oxford University Press, Citation1974), among other publications.
5 I have written, for instance, about the numerous works dedicated to the career of Alan Lomax, and other figures such as A.L. Lloyd, who both worked at the BBC in the 1950s and 60s, producing programmes on international folk music traditions (Withers Citation2023).
6 A copy of the film is deposited at the Cinémathèque Suisse, Lausanne.
7 See, for example, a letter from Maillart to Shri K.H.K. Menon, Ministry of Finances, Secretariat, New Delhi, with a list of questions about travel routes and religious sites in the Himalayas, as part of her plan to make a film about Hindu religious experiences in India, targeted at European audiences. BdG, Ms. Fr 7155/4.
8 This footage forms a core part of the narrative in Double Journey, a 2015 film by Mariann Lewinsky and Antonio Bigini.
9 This was a new direction for the Argo Record Company, that was producing multi-media educational materials such as Voices, in partnership with Penguin Education.
10 For a list of films accessible in the BnF, visit https://archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cc103366g
11 Birgit Lundin, who was Bhattacharya’s partner in the 1960s–70s, was the camerawoman for these early films. Lundin supported Bhattacharya’s work in multiple ways. She was a translator (into Swedish for his programmes on Radio Sveriges, but as she was fluent in French and German, she used these language skills to help with travel and work within Europe). Lundin also managed concerts Bhattacharya produced with Rikskonserter in the early 1970s. Crucially, since Bhattacharya did not have a driver’s licence, she was the driver on many of the overland travel expeditions during the 1960s. Further research on Lundin’s contributions to Bhattacharya’s work is currently in development.
12 See, for example, the sitar performance that closes Ragas (1969), or Instruments and Music (1983), which features traditional music ensembles working in Chinese factories.
13 See for example the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (unesco.org)
14 These are the notes from the 1958 LP Music on the Desert Road, reproduced in Paris to Calcutta.
15 See, for example, Music On The Desert Road – Zappa Wiki Jawaka (https://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Music_On_The_Desert_Road).
16 Taken from to date the most extensive available discography of Bhattacharya’s work: Deben Bhattacharya – vinyl discography | Folkcatalogue's Blog (https://folkcatalogue.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/deben-bhattacharya/).
17 See, for example, Moushumi Bhowmik’s important commentary in Recording on the Nomads’ Trail.
19 As an additional point, Maillart’s will does not permit an authorised biography. Thank you to the anonymous peer reviewer for this comment.