As the winter chill sets in, it is time for the annual musical concert organised every year by the Jadavpur University Alumni Association, Hyderabad (JUAAH) and this time we are proud to present a musical evening with the brightest star in the galaxy of Hindustani Classical Music – Vidushi Kaushiki Chakraborty at Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad at 7pm on 15 December, 2019. She will be accompanied by Tanmay Deochake (Harmonium), Sandip Ghosh (Tabla), Meghodeepa Gangopadhyay (Tanpura) and local artist Satarupa Kar (Tanpura).
Blessed with a mellifluous voice, Kaushiki’s singing reminds one of an effervescent mountain spring or a forest nymph swift but sure footed, flitting away from one rock to another. Belonging to the prestigious Patiala Gharana and a follower of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan’s gayaki, Chakraborty's vast repertoire includes khayal as well as other ‘light classical’ genres like thumri, dadra, kajri, chaiti, bhajan etc. Her singing is characterized by a fine balance between virtuosity, intellectual rigour and aesthetic sensibility. Her mature vistaars in khayal and her emotionally charged improvisations in thumris enthral the audience along with her fast taans across three and a half octaves. Despite the fact that many aspects of the Patiala style are tailored for the male voice, Kaushiki has overcome these challenges by blending lilt and force and forging a gayaki that is so distinctively her own.
Hailing from a family of musicians, Kaushiki began her training under her mother Smt. Chandana Chakraborty before she became the “Ganda Bandh” disciple of legendary Guru Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Later she trained under her father, vocal maestro Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty. The taalim in Carnatic Classical Music from Padmavibhushan Pandit Balmurali Krishna made her repertoire complete and added to her proficiency in singing almost all forms of Hindustani music. Apart from being a regular at the prestigious Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata, she has performed twice at the Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsava in Pune, multiple times at the Tansen Samaroh in Gwalior, Harbhallab Sangeet Sammelan in Jalandhar and Saptak music festival in Ahmedabad. Abroad, she has performed in many prestigious venues in Europe and United States of America including Carnegie hall in New York, Metropolitan Museum in New York, Queen Elizabeth hall in London, Theatre de la ville and Cite de la Music in Paris, Dresden Museum in Germany, where she has collaborated with the national orchestra on a piece composed by the great composer Antonio Vivaldi. She has sung for music director A. R. Rahman for the film Water and shared album space with the likes of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Smt. Lata Mangeshkar in Jana Gana Mana, also produced by Rahman. Her filmography as a playback singer includes Chaplin, Chitrangada,Teen Kanya, Jani Dekha Hobe, Parapar, Shunyo Anka, Hrid Majhare, Lorai, Rajkahini,Jogajog, Aroni Takhon, Panch Adhyay (for music director Shantanu Moitra), in Bengali, Gulaab Gang and Mirzya in Hindi, Ramanujan and Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah in Tamil. Her performance of an original song on the popular music programme MTV Coke Studio has won her many new fans across the globe.
The concert is special to our patrons because of another heartwarming reason, that is, it is aimed at raising funds to support various philanthropic activities by Jadavpur University Alumni Association, Hyderabad Chapter. Echoing the sentiment Mr Soumitra Pahari, General Manager, Mercure Hyderabad KCP said: "We are extremely proud to be the hospitality partner for the event - 'A Soulful evening' with Vidushi Kaushiki Chakraborty organised by Jadavpur University Alumni Association, Hyderabad (JUAAH). JUAAH provides education for needy and deserving children and also supports other noble endeavours associated with orphanages and old age homes. We at Mercure Hyderabad KCP are committed towards the cause of societal development and this association will help us support the same";