Dhirendra Nath Das is the son of Krishna Chandra Das who was a well known confectioner, entrepreneur, businessman and Bengali cultural icon of the early 20th century. Dhirendra Nath Das is an Indian classical Music connoisseur and patroniser. He was also a committee member of Tansen Sangeet Sammelan and Sadaranga Sangeet Sammelan.
Dhirendra Nath Das is the son of Krishna Chandra Das who was a well known confectioner, entrepreneur, businessman and Bengali cultural icon of the early 20th century. Dhirendra Nath Das is an Indian classical Music connoisseur and patroniser. He was also a committee member of Tansen Sangeet Sammelan and Sadaranga Sangeet Sammelan.
This incident, it happened in the ‘70’s, I think – Ravi Shankar was performing at Kala Mandir. Edward Kennedy, the brother of the President of the United States, had landed at the Kolkata airport for a brief period of time. When he heard that Ravi Shankar was playing at Kala Mandir, he came to the auditorium instead of spending his time waiting in the airport lounge. He sat quite close to us. Ananda, my brother-in-law, was sitting next to me, and Mr. Kennedy was sitting next to him. I still have his autograph. Ananda has asked him for it. Ravi Shankar’s performance was brilliant. At the end of the show, we went and met him.
Dhirendra Nath Das is the son of Krishna Chandra Das who was a well known confectioner, entrepreneur, businessman and Bengali cultural icon of the early 20th century. Dhirendra Nath Das is an Indian classical Music connoisseur and patroniser. He was also a committee member of Tansen Sangeet Sammelan and Sadaranga Sangeet Sammelan.
Tags
Rangamahal, Natya Mancha, 1940’s, Ali Akbar Khan, Allauddin Khan, Ravi Shankar, All Bengal Music Conference, Bhupendra Krishna Ghosh
Language
Bengali
Dhirendra Nath Das speaks:
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
Amrita Bazar Patrika | 03 December, 1940 | Page 10
A MUSICAL SOIREE
On Sunday evening, a pleasant musical soiree was held at the residence of Sj. Sailendra Nath Dass at 3-1, Kali Charan Ghosh Road, Sinthee . When some distinguished artists of the city gave demonstration of both vocal and instrumental music.
The function commenced with a Kheyal in “Puria” sang by Prof. Sailendra Nath Dass, a worthy disciple of Ostad Khadem Hussain followed by a “DuniKheyal”. SailenBabu was quite at home both in “tana” and “laya” and his repertoire reached theacme of classical music. Sj. Nityananda Sen Gupta’s (Nitai Babu) high class Dhrupad songs together with Sj. Amiya Prasad Sen Gupta’s skillful harmonium accompaniment was really a good treat. Last of all Sj. Nitai Charan Adhikary gave an exquisite demonstration of Sitar in Ragas like Bhupali, Bagesri etc. His masterly control over some subtle and intricate tanas etc. was highly appreciated, while Sj. Debendra Nath Ghose’s tabla accompaniment was an additional charm.
Mr. Das was all attention to his guests.
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Source:
“Amrita Bazar Patrika [Daily]. Vol: 72; Issue:333 (03 December 1940).” Accessed November 17, 2016. http://eap.bl.uk/database/large_image.a4d?digrec=4266291;catid=226925;r=28145.
Identified by Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee, Research Fellow
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
Anjan Bose is a renowned Esraj player. He is a top graded classical musician of All India Radio. He is also a regular Esraj player of commercial music and Films.
Tags
Netaji Indoor Stadium, 1989, Classical Music, Asian Paints, Bhimsen Joshi, Narayan Rao Joshi, Ravi Kichlu, Girija devi, Ajoy Chakraborty, Sarangi, Ramesh Mishra, Suchitra Mitra, Subinoy Roy, Esraj, Jakir Hussain, Tabla, Amjad Ali Khan, Sarod, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Sriradha,
Language
Bengali
Anjan Bose speaks:
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
Anjan Bose is a renowned Esraj player. He is a top graded classical musician of All India Radio. He is also a regular Esraj player of commercial music and Films.
Tags
Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Lalita Ghosh, 1980, Mallar Ghosh, Sagiruddin Khan, Harmonium, accompany, Anjan Bose, esraj, Doordarshan, sarengi, Television, TV, recording
Language
Bengali
Anjan Bose speaks:
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
S.A.P. Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University, B.T. Road Campus.
About the speaker
Renowned Sitar Player and Torchbearer of Bishnupur Gharana.
Tags
House Concerts, Manilal Nag, 1960, 1970, 1980, Musicians, Performance, Bagbazar, Naina Devi, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Keramatullah Khan, Meera Bandopadhyay, Prasun Bandopadhyay, Gokul Nag, V.G. Jog
Language
English
Ms Mita Nag Speaks:
Text Version:
When I was growing up in my family, I remember in my childhood, I have seen many house concerts taking place and at that time, my baba Pt Manilal Nag, it was his prime time, that was in sixties, and seventies, into late seventies and even in late eighties and I used to see once or twice in a year, like when there were major concerts, in winter,in or around Kolkata, many musicians from the city and from other cities, they used to come over to the town for their performances, and with such musicians with whom my baba had very cordial relations, because he got familiar with them while travelling everywhere around the countries for many years, so they just used to you know, gossip together, and they used to go to concerts together, and sometimes travelling together so, like it was a kind of a kind of ‘Adda’, musical ‘Adda’.
Naina Devi
My baba just asked some senior musicians and junior musicians and they used to come to our home at Bagbazar, and rendered their performances, so in my childhood like in seventies I remember, Smt Naina Devi ji, I also remember buddhajethu, that Pt. Buddhadeb Dasgupta, but that was off course much later, early eighties. even remember Ustad Keramatullah Khan, and they all came to our houses, I mean our home and the adjacent home where there was a big hall, or hall room on the first floor, so the concerts, when like there was some very very renowned musicians coming, then we used to shift the concerts to that place so that more people can be accommodated, so they came and I also remember that I used to call her ‘Pishima’ meere pishima, that is Bidushi Meera Banerjee, and Pt Prasun Banerjee, Prasun Pishemoshai, like they all had used to have a very cordial and friendly relation with my grand father and my father, and beside that we also used to have house concerts, sometimes the concerts were nightlong concerts, Pt V.G.Jog performed duet in our house concert with baba. So these were really interesting time, may be I don’t remember the music with that in details, because I was too young to remember, but I can recall the atmosphere in the house, and my mom used to be in the kitchen, she was cooking with the other women at the house, and sometimes our lady students, like they were cooking dinner for these artists, sometimes they were arranging, like for their rest, like some artists after concerts used to come to the concerts and relax in one of our bedrooms,
Pt. Gokul Nag
so this was the atmosphere which I have seen in my family and I grew up like this, Other thing that I should mention that these musicians like they really built a ‘Adda’ that was that when they came, they didn’t take any honorarium for their performances. They came as a sort of friendly gesture and off course they had a great respect for my ‘Dadu’ Sangeetacharya Gokul Nag, and they knew my father so well, at most they just had dinner in our house, or we arranged for their transport, so those were really good times and we enjoyed a lot.
I have accompanied with kheyal many times though I have realised that the audience loved my accompaniment more with Thumri rather than Kheyal. I want to share my experience with two artists of BenarasGharana. In my early years of performances I have accompanied VidushiGirija Debi several times. She generally preferred to perform kheyal at the beginning of her performances. It was almost 15-20 years ago. She used to sing khayal first and then go for thumri, dadra, chaiti, kajri and other semi classical forms in the Concerts which was a specialization of BenerasGharana. She had a very unique voice, though sheused to avoid variations and embellishments those were commonly applied in Thumrirecitals, but on a sudden she often rendered some beautiful variations with hercontrolled gayekiwhich turned the whole recital into a new level. She always allowed her accompanists a fair chance to perform. She gave equal importance to harmonium and sarangi. She always granted one full abartan(one time circle) for harmonium, another for sarangiand then she would take one full avartan for herself. During her later performances sheusually allowed her disciplesto sing one whole avartan as she could not sing continuously because of her age. But giving a chance to her accompanists to express themselves independently in the concerts between her singings was a regular event since her initial days of performances.It was her style. So, I got enough space during accompanying her. During her performances when she rendered I used to follow her, and then sheused to give me clues to play on my own. I used to play freely but I had always kept her style in mind.
Vidushi Purnima Choudhury
After Girija Devi when Purnima Choudhury came to Kolkata, I became her regular accompanist till her last breath. It was almost10 to 12 years. She was also from Beneras gharana. If it is back calculated then the time must be 2001 or 2002. Sometimes I played with both of them during that time period. Though both of them were from Benaras gharana still Purnimadi’s style was different from Girija Devi. Her style of singing was little bit swift moving but she had established her signature style so fascinatingly that not only the connoisseurs but also the masses couldenjoy the renditions. She encouraged me lot. We used to travel together and formed a strong bond. She sometimes took Sarangi as an accompanying instrument. Once we were performing in Madhusudan Mancha where she had not taken Sarengi. There she gave me the opportunity to play at the beginning and then she started to sing. Sometimes she would openly comment in between the rendition that if I played so nicely then audiences might not listen to her any more.She used to joke a lot.
Once in a programme in Ballygunge where my wife was present she was singing a thumri on Khambaj raga named Mrignayani. Suddenly, she stopped and said that Debubhai is in a jovial mood as his Mrignayani is present right here and then pointed at my wife. Such was her sense of humour.
