2 months ago
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The 100th day celebrations of Sangeetacharya Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay marked a momentous juncture successful the past of Kolkata’s classical music. For decades, his students person organised a peculiar performance arsenic portion of his day celebrations, and each twelvemonth helium has unfailingly elevated its entreaty with his khayal renditions. The Vivekananda Hall of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture was packed with admirers of the seasoned musician. Clad successful a dhoti-kurta, the centenarian took the signifier with the aforesaid assurance that has defined his beingness implicit the years. His singing belied his age.
Beginning with a bada-khayal successful Bihag acceptable to Ektaal, helium brought retired the poignancy of the raag with singular finesse. The show besides reminded listeners of the value of melodic aesthetics — an thought that forms the essence of his publication Sangeete Saundarya-Chinta, written successful Bengali. He followed it up with Drut Teentaal. The badhat phrases were abbreviated but awe-inspiring. Without immoderate repetition, helium highlighted myriad shades of the raag and stringed them lovingly with delicate meends. Similar were the taans that came astir successful lightning speed.
Interestingly, isolated from well-known names successful the tract of euphony specified arsenic Ajoy Chakrabarty, Anindo Chatterjee and Samar Saha, respective young euphony enthusiasts were besides present. After a serene guru-vandana by Ramanuj Dasgupta, the assemblage was treated to an engaging league successful which Shantanu Bandyopadhyay (Amiya babu’s son) and a radical of elder musicians recalled galore facets of the maestro’s beingness and art. Particularly striking is his heavy admiration for Ustad Amir Khan’s emotive yet intellectually rigorous attack to music-making. They besides spoke astir however helium is simply a stickler for perfection and his heavy consciousness of commitment.
Despite hailing from a household of dhrupad singers, Amiya babu, lad of Satyakinkar Bandyopadhyay, chose to prosecute khayal. Apparently, determination would beryllium implicit soundlessness successful his location erstwhile helium would beryllium to bash his regular riyaaz. Though rooted successful tradition, Amiya babu likes to determination with the times. A speedy learner, helium embraced modern exertion and to this time records his greeting riyaaz sessions, which helium listens to aboriginal to analyse and refine the nuances. He besides continues to thatch much than 50 students some online and in-person.
Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay hails from a household of dhrupad singers | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As a module subordinate and aboriginal arsenic the Head of the Department of Music astatine Rabindra Bharati University, helium ne'er missed an accidental to spot and promote promising talent. This trait endeared him to Vijay Kichlu, the founder-director of the Sangeet Research Academy (SRA). At Kichlu’s request, Amiya babu agreed to service arsenic a visiting subordinate of SRA’s adept committee to measure the advancement of its scholars.
During 1 specified gradation test, helium listened to a young Rashid Khan. So astounded was helium by the boy’s brilliance that helium recovered himself incapable to constitute thing successful the reappraisal book. When requested to grounds astatine slightest a little remark, helium responded, “He is already a prima musician. How tin I measure him?”
On different occasion, helium predicted that Chandana Chakraborty was a endowment to ticker retired for. Today, she is an important subordinate of Ajoy Chakrabarty’s philharmonic family.
The evening echoed the precise qualities helium had agelong nurtured successful others — present revealed done his ain artistry. Accompanied by his favourite tabla artiste Samar Saha and a big of disciples connected the harmonium, tanpuras and vocals, the sangeetacharya sat successful sukhasana similar a yogi.
