It’s back.
It’s back and it’s bigger and it’s better. What, you ask? The world’s largest classical music festival is once again preparing to open its doors to music lovers. Judging from all the Facebook shares and questions regarding registration, the denizens of Bangladesh already have their katha-kombols bundled up and are waiting to camp out at the Army Stadium.
Bengal Classical Music Festival 2014 is set to begin on the 27th of November where the superstars of classical music will grace the stage with their presence. The names on the star-studded list include Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (sitar), Vidushi Girija Devi (vocal), Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (santoor), Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty (vocal) and Pandits Rajan and Sajan Misra (vocal), among others. This time around the festival will host a larger number of Bangladeshi classical artists as well such as Nishit Dey (sitar), Swarup Hossain (tabla), Asit Roy (sitar) and Supriya Das (vocal). The festival will kick off with a Bangla chorus featuring forty of the most notable Bangladeshi singers such as Iffat Ara Dewan, Mita Haque, and Aditi Mohsin. Given the breadth and scale of the event, it’s quite fitting that the festival is dedicated to folk poet and lyricist Jasimuddin (1903-76).
Also, did you know that the guitar is actually considered an Indian classical instrument? Long ago, in the 30’s a Hawaiian, known as Tau Moe, brought his guitar to Kolkata. Eventually the instrument found its way into the classical music platform in the hands of Pt. Brij Bhushan Kabra, who made some soul stirring sounds with it, I tell you. What’s more is that BCMF 2104 will be featuring the said maestro’s pupil, Debashish Bhattacharya on, yes you’ve guessed right, slide guitar! Moreover, instrumentals will include solos and duets in sarod, santoor, sitar, violin and tabla.
You’ve all been to the last two, and if you haven’t we’re sure you’ve heard, with a pang of envy, your friends rave about it. Don’t worry, registration has already started and of course, it’s free of charge! So, if you do not want to miss out on the biggest classical music concert in the world then we’d advise you to catch up on your beauty sleep. Because when you hear those enchanting notes escape from Chaurasia’s flute, which broke a record and fixated thirty-six thousand on the spot last year, you will be spellbound. This year the festival expects to surpass even that number, so if you want to be a part of history in the making, you know what to do. Katha? Check.
Now that we have your attention, let us introduce you to some of the hot, young talents of BCMF 2014.
Kaushiki Chakraborty
As the daughter of Chandana and Ajoy Chakraborty, a prominent Indian classical singer of the Patiala Gharana, Kaushiki was pretty much brought up within the melody filled grounds of ITC Sangeet Research Academy. Although her mother initiated her into the world of classical music from a very early age, she began her formal training under Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh, who was also her father’s guru. Eventually, when she was twelve, she began to hone her skills under the guidance of her father. Her first major concert at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi comprised an intimidating audience of some of the greatest names in Indian classical music including Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Alla Rakha Khan, Ustad Sultan Khan and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. The sixteen year old singer’s performance was unanimously received with great acclaim.
In 2012, Kaushiki smote everyone with her MTV Coke Studio debut. She performed a number composed and arranged by Shantanu Moitra and it was quite different from her normal raga-based songs, folk or thumri. In addition, Kaushiki has sung playback for many films, Bengali as well as Bollywood – Teen Kanya, Paanch Adhyay and Gulaab Gang to name a few.
Besides singing, classical or otherwise, Kaushiki Chakraborty has been involved in various activities to promote the art. In 2012, Kaushiki started the non-profit charitable trust, SVA, an acronym for Soul, Voice and Aspiration. SVA aims to ‘preserve and promote Indian music of all forms’ by actively seeking out talent and providing a platform for them.
Kaushiki is returning for the third time to perform at BCMF.
Nishit Dey
Nishit Dey, from the quiet village of Akua in Mymnesingh, is a young sitarist full of promise. At age four, he started learning to play the tabla from his father Sanjib Dey, an accomplished and celebrated musician himself. By the time he had reached age ten, Nishit had begun training with his uncle Asit Dey, a disciple of Pt. Amarnath Chawla, in classical vocal music. It was only natural that his interest in music would grow with him. By the time he was twelve years old Nishit picked up the sitar trained under the wings of Sheikh Sattar Mohammed until his demise in 2009. He continued his training with Ashim Chowdhury, a student of Pt. Bimalendu Mukherjee, from then on.
Nishit is a fourth generation musician in a family tightly packed with talent in the field of classical music. His great grandfather Pyari Mohan Dey was a clarinet and flute player, while his grandfather Pt. Mithun Dey was a noted classical vocalist and tabla player.
Debuting in 2007, Nishit Dey has been actively performing since. The young instrumentalist has impressed many an audience through recitals at events such as Praner Khela hosted by Bengal Foundation, Sadarang Uchchangya Sangeet Parishad at Chittagong, The Daily Star Celebrating Life and Concert for Charity in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Yashwant Vaishnav
The twenty one year old tabla player, though still undergoing training, has already gathered a copious following and received compliments from the likes of Ustad Zakir Hussain and the late sitar legend Pt. Ravi Shankar since he started performing. His affair with instrument began since he was three. Born in the industrial town Korba in Chattisgarh, the tabla was Yashwant’s steady companion despite the city’s lack of cultural excitement. His father, a tabla player himself, introduced Yashwant to the instrument.
Although Yashwant was from the Punjab Gharana, he started training formally under the tutelage of Pt. Hemant Sachdeva before moving to Pt. Mukund Baley. Currently he is training with Pt. Yogesh Samsi, who is also performing this year. Yashwant performed previously at BCMF 2012.
Supriya Das
Das was born to Sujata Paul and Nagendra Narayan Das in Sylhet during the autumn of 1990. By the age of four she started learning the basics of music from her mother; it wasn’t until she was ten that she started to train with Pt. Ramkanai Das. She was under his tutelage until his demise when she became a disciple of Rezwan Ali.
For a brief stint she was taught by Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar as a Bengal Scholar to prepare her for the upcoming BCMF. Das is a regular performer at Radio Bangladesh of Sylhet where she is classified a Grade A singer of both classical music as well as Nazrul Sangeet.
Supriya is a student of MBA at the Shahjalal University.
Satyajit Talwalkar
Satyajit Talwalkar is the son of the notable tabla player Suresh Talwalkar and the eminent classical vocalist Padma Talwalkar. He had his debut performance when he was nine. He accompanied many well-known singers and instrumentalists since then, and has had numerous solo tabla recitals as well.
He has frequently accompanied instrumentalists like Niladri Kumar, Kala Ramnath, Shahid Parvez and Rupak Kulkarni. He is also known to accompany the reputed classical vocalist Jasraj of the Mewati gharana. He has performed all over India along with concerts in several countries of South Asia. Satyajit has performed with Louis Banks and world renowned percussionist Trilok Gurtu in Istanbul.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Satyajit has become a masterful accompanist to instrumental and vocal music. He is recognized as a solo artist, but also performs as a member with taal vadya kacheri (ensemble of Indian percussionists), while his duets with Western drum ensembles have received critical acclaim. Satyajit, who performed at the festival last year is returing to the stage this year as well.
Manjusha Patil
Hailing from the small town of Sangli, India, this talented young vocalist was groomed by Pt. Chintubua Mhaiskar during her initial years. She completed her MA (Music) from Shivaji University with a Gold Medal, participating in various competitions along the way. During one such event, Manjusha caught the attention of late Pt. D. V. Kanebua, who then began to train her on the Gurukul pattern of Agra and Gwalior Gharana and continued to do so for twelve years. With her powerful voice, Manjusha has performed all over India and at various music conferences around the world. Pt. Jasraj Puraskar, Pt. Manik Varma Puraskar and Ustad Bismillah Khan Award are some of the many awards that this gifted singer has bagged over the years.
Rajrupa Chowdhury
Rajrupa, akin to most other successful classical musicians, started coaching in music from an early age. She took up the sarod when she five years of age. She was schooled at the Ustad Ameer Khan School of Instrumental Music under the guidance of Pranab Naha for a short period before starting to train with Siddhartha Roy Chowdhury which continued on for more than two decades. While she did learn from others like Pt. Ajay Sinha Roy and Joydeep Ghosh, it was her time with Professor Sanjoy Bandopadhyay that brought about significant changes in the way she perceived music. Due to the Professor’s intense efforts, Rajrupa discovered the values of personalized musical expressions created on the basis of traditional elements.
The gifted instrumentalist made a point of receiving numerous awards as well. This list includes the National Scholarship for Senior Students of Indian Classical Music, Government of India in 2000 and the ITC-SRA Promising Artist Award, Mumbai in 2001. Rajrupa has also performed widely across the world. She performed at BCMF 2012 and will return this year as well.
Rahul Sharma
The son of santoor maestro Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Rahul, was raised in a musical household and started learning to sing and play the harmonium early in life. He picked up the santoor, an ancient stringed instrument similar to the hammer-dulcimer, when he was thirteen years of age but was unsure of pursuing music until seventeen. Once done with his education, Rahul started performing alongside his father at the age of twenty-four.
It’s difficult for any son to step in to their father’s shoes, and it is even more so when one’s father is the illustrious Shivkumar Sharma. Rahul Sharma has vigilantly done that and more. When he was twenty-four, Rahul became the youngest Indian to have performed at the WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) in the United Kingdom.
Rahul Sharma never shied away from experimenting with his one-of-a-kind musical instrument all the while adhering to his classical roots and traditions. For instance, his 2011 record The Rebel, termed as ‘the first santoor rock album,’ showcased beautifully how a santoor can be used as a lead instrument in the rock genre. Only a true master of santoor would attempt such an endeavor, much less pull it off with such grace. Rahul, who performed last year, will be back to do so this year.
Amaan Ali Khan
Starting out by accompanying his father the sarod legend Ustad Amjad Ali Khan at concerts, he now has his own niche following of classical music enthusiasts. In 1986, he performed at the Festival of India in Moscow at the age of eight and by 1991 the young musician had already performed in several countries. He became a regular performer at Palais Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Esplanade in Singapore, Chicago Symphony Center, Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center in the USA, Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Center in the UK. During such tours he collaborated with the likes of Cellist Matthew Barley and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
Other than playing live, Amaan released numerous records on some which he worked with his father and his brother Ayaan Ali Khan, a classical musician of high calibre himself. In 2005, Amaan composed music for the film American Daylight by Academy Award winning filmmaker Rodger Christian.
Ayaan Ali Khan
The son of the celebrated sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and classical dancer Subhalakshmi Barua Khan – it is no wonder that Ayaan and his older sibling Amaan Ali Khan were schooled in the ways of music as children.
Khan has been performing on concert tours, playing the sarod, with his father and brother since the late 80s. One of his more notable performances took place at the Carnegie Hall in 1997. Khan released his solo debut record, Raga Bageshwari, in 1999. By 2005, Ayaan along with his father and brother published the album Moksha which later got nominated for Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album.
Other than Classical music, Ayaan has been involved in a variety of other activities. In the early 2000s, Khan along with his brother hosted the music talent hunt show Sa Re Ga Ma on Zee TV. Around the same time the brothers wrote a book about their father titled Abbu: God’s Greatest Gift To Us.
Vishal Krishna
Born into a family of talented musicians, Vishal Krishna carries on the legacy of the Banaras Gharana, a tradition that was founded by his great grandfather, late Acharya Pt. Sukudeo Maharaj. The Kathak dancer started training at the tender age of three under his grandmother Dr. Sitara Devi, and continued under Pt. Ravi Shanker Mishra and his father, Mohan Krishna. This twenty-three year old is the eleventh generation of a line of dancers of the Banaras tradition and has gained acclaim on account of his masterful command of Kathak. Krishna has performed in different cities of India and won numerous awards for his performances, including the first prize from Sangeet Natak Academy.
Vishal, who gave a fantastic performance last year, will be back this year.
Swarup Hossain
Swarup Hossain started training in the ways of classical music with his father Ustad Rabiul Hossain, a distinguished classical vocalist, from an early age. He later received tabla lessons from Niti Ranjan Biswas. After receiving a government scholarship in 2001 to study tabla at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in India, Swarup graduated from there with a Gold Medal. Swarup began his training as a Bengal Scholar with the maestro Pt. Sudhir Kumar Saxena of the Ajrada Gharana to prepare himself for his upcoming presentation at the BCMF.
Swarup has performed in a great number of places in India and Bangladesh. In 2012, he played at the Galle Music Festival in Sri Lanka. The musician has also played in South Korea and Germany. In 2010, Swarup also conducted a tabla workshop at the University of Stuttgart in Germany.