From rebellion to melody, Salil Chowdhury’s timeless music unites hearts across generations, languages, and cultures
Maybe it’s because of the traditional mindset about music that most Bengalis still don’t know Rupa Biswas. Many couldn’t imagine that boogie style music could exist in Bengali — especially in the 1980s. But back then, Rupa did something extraordinary. Had she not disappeared from
Iasonas Psarakis is a Greek-born composer, musician, and filmmaker, specializing in North Indian classical music and global music traditions. He came to India from Greece and earned a degree in Hindustani classical music (sitar) from the Music Faculty at Visva-Bharati University. Iasonas’s music has reached audiences in
The leaders of pre-independent India showed how secular politics should be practiced. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose replaced ‘Vande Mataram’ to avoid religious biases, keeping harmony and strengthening the spirit of unity among all Indians. During pre-independence, Indians used to sing “Vande Mataram” for protests and political assemblies. Since the song
On many an afternoon when Bengal’s very own storm, the Kalbaishakhi strikes, one might feel like singing that famous Salil Chowdhury number, Pagol Hawa. Lyrics of this song can even soften the harshest of tempers. But hardly any of us knows, how a talented singer was almost
Je raate mor duarguli bhanglo jhorey… Only Debabrata Biswas could bring out the pain and the spirituality of this song through that god-gifted voice that is still the best seller. Biswas’ music was notable for its exceptional depth of emotional expression combined with an exploration
There are singers, great singers and then there is Kishore Kumar, God’s gift to mankind. An unschooled singer who had no classical training, Kishore Kumar was a genius, a master of all trades — be it his mellifluous, deep baritone voice that could breathe life into
Ifirst fell in love with R.D. Burman’s songs and music when I was in school. Little did I know then that a day will come when I shall develop a personal relationship with this stalwart and one of the greatest musicians of India. That I
The bitterness rippling out of the Partition of 1947 has remained for ages. The destructive agenda of Partition continued to impact Bengal’s cultural ethos on and off. Many talented and eminent maestros and their disciples were lost in the vast chasm that separated the East
