Creative Corner ... My Style

My personal interest in variety of cultures as well as in creative endeavors 

RUCHIRA PANDA , Raag : Chandrakauns Part 1

Live at Saptak Archive, Ahmedabad
Vilambit Khayal in Ektaal

composed by PANDIT MANAS CHAKRABORTY
Accompaniment on Tabla by Praveen Shinde, on Harmonium by Anirban Chakraborty

Ruchira Panda ..... Raag Bageshree 1@ Sangeet Piyasi 1999

Concert at Gujrat and Rajasthan

 In Search of Silence 
March 2013

The architectural style  of Santhal Gram with the picturesque blue sky backdrop is what makes it so breath-taking.

      The original beauty of Shantiniketan.. a view of Santhal Gram

          A blend of urban energy with the serenity of  nature at Shantiniketan. 

    It feels like we are enveloped in a multi shaded  emerald forest.....
    much  awaited silence in colour, creativity and loneliness of the beauty 
     of a bright and hot sunny day

     The three Idiots....

      After visiting the Exclusive Art Exhibition of Jogen Chowdhury... His works 
      were  simply stunning.  Evening  get together at Shantiniketan Kala Bhavan 
      with all great painters... 

An excerpt from a Live Concert , Basirhat Shastriyo Sangeet Sammelan, accompanied on tabla by Partha Pratim Das and on harmonium by Anirban Chakraborty. It is an exclusive Bengali Semi Classical composition in Mishra Kirwani, composed by GURU PANDIT MANAS CHAKRABORTY. 

The Doyen of Kotali Gharana ... Pandit Manas Chakraborty

Always ahead of his time, his Music transcends all languages and breaks barriers, creating a skillfully structured communicative route. His Music makes us experience different emotions of the Navarasa in their subtlest and ripest beauty. Having completed 62 years of his musical journey Pandit Manas Chakraborty’s contribution, to Indian music as a performer, guru, composer and lyricist is unquestionably of the highest order. 

Pandit Manas Chakraborty, the reigning maestro of international repute of Kotali Gharana is an outstanding luminary in the stardom of the musical-galaxy of India. Born in a highly traditional and illustrious family of sanskritologists and musicians, he could have no better Guru than his father Sangeetacharya Tarapada Chakraborty, the pioneer of this Kotali Gyaki.

The musical heritage of Kotali gharana (the schooling) emerges from a unique historical background, that spans beyond a millennium. The ancestors of Pandit Manas Chakraborty were trained in various gharanas like Seni, Gwalior, Khurja, Vishnupur, Betia, Rampur, Jaipur, Banaras, Kirana, Agra, Delhi, and so on. In his sheer individual endeavour Panditji has earned many musical treasures which adding to his ancestor’s collection created a huge musical treasure trove. His individual and ethereal style has etched a unique place for him in the realm of Hindustani Classical music. Pandit Manas Chakraborty, the son and disciple of Sangeetacharya Tarapada Chakraborty is a living legend in the realm of Hindustani Classical Music. With his multifaceted talent, creativity, intellectuality and philosophical views and research on other classical Gayaki of musical traditions, semi classical and folk-forms of India, in alliance with his own tradition opened a new vista in the Kotali gayaki. The Kotali gharana was named after the name of the place of its origin in the phase following 2000 by him in accordance with his father’s wish.

Pt. Manas Chakraborty, the devout pursuer of various sources and streams of Indian Classical Music is enriched by his keen interest in Indian Philosophical traditions of all the existing Gharanas and Gayakies. The musical phenomenon of Pt. Manas Chakraborty has attained a new altitude which is his very own and individual and has initiated a new dynamics of allegiance to the human efforts towards life and its values. He sets his Khayal Gayaki in accordance with the character of Raga. The Maestro boldly makes the manifold moves of his style to achieve an integrated oneness of the eternal Indian ethos, to enrich the dimensions of a particular raga. His Thumris have created a landmark in the evolution of Hindustani-Music. The abstract soul of the Artist comes out with musical expressions by bol-banana and unfolds his fecund mind with delicacy in his delineation. In his thumri gayaki one can notice the evolution of styles that has come through the ages and reached an ensemblic height in his style with lyrical values and poetic sensibilities of his own.

Manas is a versatile genius who has unsurpassed mastery of all languages of Khayal, Thumri and various other semi-classical styles of music such as Thumri, Dadra, Kajri, Chaiti, Jaad Ki Geet, Jhula, Hori, Birha, Pasar Ki Geet, Tappa, Bhajan, Ragpradhan etc. Most of his own created bandishes can be noted by his pseudonym ‘Sadasant’, ‘Sadasant Piya’ or ‘Sadapiya’ and he is distinctively adored among the music-lovers while rendering these for his emotional expression essentially romantic, with a great control over his voice with which he can pass-over whatever message he likes to attribute. 

His recitals throughout globe particularly in UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Holland, USA have earned an enviable distinction as an’ “Artist of Artists”, in various concerts in both at home and abroad. ‘Talim’, ‘tabiat’ and ‘taiari’ with inborn artistry, profound knowledge, intellectuality and cerebral ability has given a new dimension to his unique style of rendition which is now being followed by many artists along with his own disciples. Thus presenting the obscure reality of music in a tangibly graceful elocutionary form with his kalabant gayaki, nayaki and majestic mizaaj has made him an institution by himself in the international realm of Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet. 

His contribution towards the Hindustani Classical Music for the last sixty years is undoubtedly worth-mentioning and as a ‘Guru’ he is great. The schooling of Indian Classical Music through the mentors of his family and the torchbearers, established around the globe has already entered the seventh- generation and now the new trend of ‘Kotali Gayaki’ is his single handed orchestration, which with the synthesis of diversities has finally created and defined the ultimate shape of ‘Kotali Gayaki’. His highly technical and eclectic approach though different from his father’s individuality, is finally convergent to the philosophical end of the essence of ‘Kotali Gharana’.

An accomplished music-director, composer, lyricist and poet, Pt. Manas Chakraborty has been highly acclaimed for his published collection of Bengali poems from ‘Prativaas’, namely “Tumiyo Bhetore-Neel Nakhshatra”, essentially a landmark of his poetic-diction. Most of his classical compositions (bandishes) carry his pseudonym ‘Sadasant’. Moreover his huge compositions of Hindustani Semi Classical Music and Bengali commercial songs are highly appreciated by the connoisseurs and music lovers. He was attached with the West Bengal State Music Academy from its inception as a pertinent member of the general council and the working committee, and he was the active participant of all cultural affairs of the Academy. He is one of the directors along with Jnanprokash Ghosh to release a cassette ‘Gan-Shikhi-Gan-Gai’ from the said Academy and has also executed many musical workshops for the Academy in the district level for the upliftment of the general awareness of music. He is an approved lyricist of the All India Radio and the Saregama and many of his compositions have already been demonstrated by veteran artists on A. I. R and some of them are published recorded by himself and eminent artists like Sandhya Mukherjee, Protima Banerjee and other singers. He has also established himself as a playback singer in feature film, T.V serials & Dramas. He was in the editor board of India’s one of the significant tabloids of music & dance, ‘Damaru’. Presently he has to his credit a number of cassettes and compact disks released both from India and abroad by several companies like Saregama, HMV, Sagarika Acoustronics, Raga Music, Prime Music, Chhandayan (New York) and Maharishi World Center of Gandharva Veda, Holland.

Pandit Manas Chakraborty started his debut performance in All Bengal Music Conference at the age of seven and since then the heart of the music lovers has witnessed the creation of an artist as the rhythm pours into the melody of the maestro. The unforgettable performances throughout his journey of last 62 years in all major music festivals both in India and abroad with almost all the legendary musical stalwarts of last five decades have won him listeners and followers the world over and has made him the living legend of Hindustani Classical Music.

On this 12th day of December, 2012, with a heavy heart sharing the news that the doyen of Hindustani Classical Music and one of the foremost vocalists of India, Pandit Manas Chakraborty, is no more. This great stalwart of the Kotali Gharana and the worthy son of Sangeetacharya Tarapada Chakraborty breathed his last at the age of 70 at a South Kolkata Heart Research Centre today morning, following a 22 days illness post a by-pass surgery. Our heart-felt gratitude and regards to Guruji……you will forever remain in our hearts. We will continue to cherish the musical treasures you have gifted us all along.

— with Pandit Manas Chakraborty.