Gouri Choudhury ( bn, গৌরী চৌধুরী; born May 1964) is a Bangladeshi-born British singer and
music teacher
Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a res ...
.
Early life
Choudhury was born into a musical family in
Sylhet District
Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট), located in north-east Bangladesh, is the divisional capital and one of the four districts in the Sylhet Division.
History
Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Pro ...
,
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
(now
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
). She started singing from the age of six.
In 1984, Choudhury completed her
Secondary School Certificate
The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) or Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), Matriculation examination, is a public examination in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan conducted by educational boards for the successful completion of the seco ...
. In 1985, she attended Sylhet Academy of Fine Arts and gained a diploma in Folk Songs. She then studied at Sylhet
Shilpakala Academy
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy ( bn, শিল্পকলা একাডেমি; National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts) is the principal state-sponsored national cultural center of Bangladesh.
History
It is the national academy of f ...
, where received a diploma in Music and her Higher School Certificate. She continued her education and went to
Chittagong University
The University of Chittagong ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, caṭṭagram bishwabidyalay) is a public research university with multidisciplinary faculties situated across a 1754-acres hilly landmas ...
in 1988, where she studied Bachelor of Arts.
Career
After finishing her education, Choudhury came to the United Kingdom and started to work from 1989. She has worked as a
Bengali music
Bengali music ( bn, বাংলা সংগীত) comprises a long tradition of religious and secular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. Composed with lyrics in the Bengali language, Bengali music spans a wide variety of ...
teacher in various London schools. She has in the past also volunteered as a Women's Development Officer for Bangladesh Welfare Association where she helped develop Asian women's skills and talents. She has recorded four cassettes and two CDs, one of Hindi music and one of
Bengali music
Bengali music ( bn, বাংলা সংগীত) comprises a long tradition of religious and secular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. Composed with lyrics in the Bengali language, Bengali music spans a wide variety of ...
. In September 2011, she appeared on ''
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
''Sa Re Ga Ma Pa'' is an Indian Hindi-language reality singing television show. It started airing on Zee TV in 1995 as ''Sa Re Ga Ma''. It is the oldest running game show in India as well as the oldest show on private television in India. The ...
'', a music show broadcast on
Zee TV
Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 2 October 1992, as the first privately owned TV channel in the country. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee TV also ...
.
Choudhury featured in the music video for
Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a num ...
's 1996 song "
Tattva
According to various Indian schools of philosophy, ''tattvas'' () are the elements or aspects of reality that constitute human experience. In some traditions, they are conceived as an aspect of deity. Although the number of ''tattvas'' varies ...
", which reached number four in the UK charts. She is seen sitting playing the sitar. She also appears on different tracks and albums of this band. For example, in 1996 as 'Gauri' on the track "
Govinda
Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
" with Himangshu Goswami on '' K'' and in 1999 as 'Gouri Choudhury' on the track "Radhe Radhe" with
Crispian Mills
Crispian Mills (born 18 January 1973 as Crispian John David Boulting; spiritual name Krishna Kantha Das) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director. Active since 1988, Mills is best known as the frontman of the psychedelic ...
on ''
Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts
''Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts'' is the second album by the British Indie rock, indie and psychedelic rock Musical ensemble, band Kula Shaker.
Recording
Initial Studio recording, recording sessions for the album were Record producer, produced by ...
''.
In May 2011, Choudhury performed at the
Boishakhi Mela
The Boishakhi Mela ( bn, বৈশাখী মেলা, Boishakhi Mela, Fair of Boishakh) is a Bengali celebration ( mela) which takes place outside of Bangladesh. It is celebrated by the Bangladeshi diaspora in the United Kingdom, United St ...
. In the same month, she was interviewed by Anwarul Hoque on
BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British Asian radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially British Asians between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has ...
.
Choudhury has over 20 years of experience singing a range of songs, including folk,
Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter ...
and modern songs in multiple languages such as
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
,
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
She now lives in London, United Kingdom and teaches Hindi and Bengali music to younger children through our music company Gouri Choudhury Suraloy.
Awards and recognition
Choudhury has won many "Best Singer" awards, from
Bangla TV
Bangla TV ( bn, বাংলা টিভি) is a Bengali-language satellite television channel based in the United Kingdom and Bangladesh. It was established in the United Kingdom on 16 September 1999, targeting Bengali audiences both there an ...
in 2004, BIMA in 2004,
ATN Bangla
ATN Bangla ( bn, এটিএন বাংলা), 'ATN' being the acronym of the unused Asian Television Network, is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable television channel owned by Multimedia Production Company. It is based in the ...
in 2005 and the community award for "Best Singer" from
Channel S
Channel S is a UK-based, free-to-air television channel targeting the British Bangladeshi community. The channel was established on 16 December 2004 by Mahee Ferdous Jalil, a Bangladeshi businessman in London. On Sky it at first had a timesha ...
in 2006.
In 2002, she won the "Best Performance Award" after being asked by Zee TV to perform on their show '' Antaksari''.
See also
*
British Bangladeshi
British Bangladeshis ( bn, বিলাতী বাংলাদেশী, Bilatī Bangladeshī) are people of Bangladeshi origin who have attained citizenship in the United Kingdom, through immigration and historical naturalisation. The term ...
*
List of British Bangladeshis
This is a list of notable British Bangladeshis ( bn, উল্লেখযোগ্য বিলাতী বাংলাদেশীদের তালিকা). This includes Bangladeshi immigrants settled or residing in the United Kingdom a ...
*
Music of Bengal
Bengali music ( bn, বাংলা সংগীত) comprises a long tradition of religious and secular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. Composed with lyrics in the Bengali language, Bengali music spans a wide variety of ...
British Bangladeshi Who's Who
''British Bangladeshi Who's Who'' is an annual publication highlighting the accomplishments, contributions and achievements of successful British Bangladeshis. It was established in 2008 and also holds an annual award ceremony in London, England. ...