At the cross-roads of corrupting commercial culture , when allegations of Oriya bhajans going banal and vulgar, inflicting people with profound moral and spiritual degeneration, and even so-called music directors and singers seem to have fallen prey to the sway of salability, it is heartening to listen to Gurudutta Samantsinhar, his way of bhajans. He resisted the crass commercialisation and non the worse for it. He embarked on a new bhajan wave breezing the breve of "bhakti rasa" with wholesome bhajans dappled with cultural ethos to alleviate the accumulated frustration of the age." In a small but significant touch I have stood my ground and never stoop to the demands of commercial bhajans which are transient, trashing of our culture by people having no iota of devotion in their heart," believes Gurudutta in his mid forties now.   

Dr. Gurudatta Says:

      " Yes I have submitted myself to Lord jagannath and while composing and singing  bhajans I try to instill some of the love I have for God into the bhajans too. Commercialisation does not mean degradation. I choose simple but evocative lyrics and tune them interestingly,  sometimes ingeniously with qualitative overtone that scores with bhajan loving audience, "he reveals his success formula, firmly believing that musicians should have social responsibility to create taste not to corrupt the human sensibility..

        My first album "Bhakti Sudha" with its opening line ("Kemiti mu dekhibi Kala thakura") drew enthusiastic response and set the trend being an instant hit. I was convinced that the soulfulness and bhakti rasa of the bhajans can overwhelm listeners who have devotion in their heart, "says the soft-spoken lecturer in English who also had a stint as an actor in the early eighties. But interestingly in the four films (Bhakta salabeg, Manika, Jayadev, Sati Sabitri) he has acted in, he has played the role of "Lord Jagannath" (Lord Krishna) on screen.   

        Clubbed with and composed for celebrity singers like Kavita Krishnamurty, Anuradha Paudwal, sadhna Sargam and Anupama Despande, he has come out with seven albums of devotional music and his albums have been released by none other than Sri Ranganath Mishra, the former Supreme Court Chief Justice, Hema Malini, Sankaracharya, and the then Governor of Orissa and Speaker of Orissa Legislative Assembly Yagnadutt Sharma and Yudhistir Das respectively. No wonder with exception that his "Geeti Sudha" was allowed inaugural ritual before Lord Jagannath during the car festival. Y et Gurudatta does not court publicity.   

         The second son of Puri based lawyer Late Sadanananda Samantsinhar and the yesteryear celebrity and state award winner Late Bishnupriya Devi, the first Oriya vocalist of A.I.R. Kolkata, Gurudatta is solely devoted to music like his mother. "I am willing to sing for other composers too, bhajans remain my first preference and the songs should have the aesthetics of "Bhakti Rasa", says the singer with a sweet and serious voice. At no cost would he go for anything tasteless. After his debut as a singer at the Glasgow Festival, U.K., in 1992 when he thought of cutting a disc, it is a bhajan album (Bhakti Sudha) that became his maiden break through Venus records, Mumbai followed subsequently by "Prema Sudha", "Mukti Sudha", "Bibhu Sudha", "Bani Sudha", "Giti Sudha", and the latest "Shanti Sudha". And Gurudatta's name became synonymous with the "Sudha" Series of bhajans that struck the inner cords of devotion in the heart of discerning listeners and devotees. No wonder that Gurudatta whose guru was his late mother, then idolises such singing greats like Pndt. Bhimsen Jopsi, Rafi Saheb, Lataji, and follows in the foot-step of Orissa's greatest talents like Singhari Shyamsundar Kar, Balakrushna Dash and Bhikari Bal with his characteristic musical mode.   

         He was the Ex-dramatic Secretary of Utkal University, Vani Vihar and S.C.S. College, Puri in 1981 and 1977 respectively, and is presently posted at S.M.S. College, Puri, who has been recently awarded Ph.D. degree in English for his doctoral dissertation on Arnold Wesker, the modern British Playwright from Utkal University.  

        How does he presume the posterity of Oriya bhajans going down-hill ? Hopeful as he is, says, "such vulgarity would not last. The so-called music peddlers would be finally rejected by the people who start resisting this stuff being marketed as bhajans. Doing my bit I hope there would be more musicians who would do what I am doing with enlightenment rationality. Bhajans can not be composed, written or sung without the creative will of "Bhakti Rasa".