Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta () is a Bengali musician and exponent of

Rabindra Sangeet ''Rabindra Sangeet'' ( bn, রবীন্দ্র সঙ্গীত; ), also known as Tagore Songs, are songs from the Indian subcontinent written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in ...

Early life

Dasgupta was born into a musical family, the daughter of Late Shri Pabitra Dasgupta, a lecturer at Bhatkhande Marris Music College in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

, who trained her in pure Hindustani classical music. Swagatalakshmi completed her M.A. in music at

Rabindra Bharati University Rabindra Bharati University is a public research university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. ...

, Kolkata. She received further training from Smt. Maya Sen, an expert on

. Swagatalakshmi subsequently worked at Rabindra Bharati University for two years as a lecturer. In 1985, Swagatalakshmi won the All India Singing Talent Contest, leading her towards the musical profession. The following year, she came first in Rabindra Sangeet and Bhajan in the All India Radio Music Competition ( Akashbani), and Rabindra Sangeet and Atul Prasadee in West Bengal Rajya Music Competition.

Music

Swagatalakshmi has recorded over 5000 songs across genres including

North Indian classical music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani language, Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is ...

, Rabindra sangeet,

Carnatic classical music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is o ...

, Western music, Scottish and

Irish folk songs Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...

Gazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

Nazrul Geeti Nazrul Sangeet ( bn, নজরুল সঙ্গীত), also Nazrul Geeti ( bn, নজরুল গীতি; ), refers to the songs written and composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul Geeti incorporate revolut ...

, modern Bengali songs, Sanskrit

Stotra ''Stotra'' (Sanskrit: स्तोत्र) is a Sanskrit word that means "ode, eulogy or a hymn of praise."Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'Stotra'' It is a literary genre of In ...

s and chanting. In 2006 she recorded the entire '' Geetabitan'' (2,023 Songs of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

) in 105 days, released as the album ''Ekla Geetobitan'' on 8 August 2006, the anniversary of Tagore's death. She has also recorded the entire 700-verse

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

, Sampurna Chandi, Sanskrit Veda, and the whole of Tagore's ''

Gitanjali __NOTOC__ ''Gitanjali'' ( bn, গীতাঞ্জলি, lit='Song offering') is a collection of poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore received the Nobel Prize for Literature, for the English translation, Gitanjali:'' Song Off ...

''. Swagatalakshmi has released over 225 albums. Swagatalakshmi sings in nine languages: Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Scottish, English, and Assamese, and has performed internationally. She often accompanies herself on piano, and composes and plays the musical score for her albums. She was the music director, lyricist and singer in the film '' Ding-Dong'', directed by

Chinmoy Roy Chinmoy Roy (1940–2019) was an Indian Bengali male actor. He was famous for his comic roles in Bengali movies, though his versatility has allowed him to play a variety of roles. Though he was known for portraying various character roles, Ro ...

Writing

Swagatalakshmi has published three books on poetry and songs: ''Jhaapsa Holo Taapoor Toopoor'', ''Duoranir Chithi'', and ''Aakasher Gaan''.

Awards and honors

* 1995: Promothesh Barua Award for best female performance * 1997: Uttam Kumar Award for best Rabindra Sangeet cassette (''Esechho Prem'') * 1998: Anandolok Award for best Female Playback Singer * 1998: Sailajaranjan Award * 1998/99: Dishari (Film Journalist Award) for best female playback * 1999: Cha-Cha-Cha Award for outstanding achievement in music during the 1990s * 2002: Anandolok Award for best Female Playback Singer * 2003: Anandolok Award for best Female Playback Singer * 2004: Zee Bangla television award for Best Rabindra Sangeet album by a female artist (''Chena Fagun'') Swagatalakshmi also received the Millennium Kalakar Award for her outstanding contribution to Indian music, and the Bharat Nirman Award and Sangeet Mahasamman Award from the

Government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal also known as the West Bengal Government, is the subnational government of the Indian state of West Bengal , created by the National Constitution as the state's legislative, executive and judicial authority. The ...

in 2013.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dasgupta, Swagatalakshmi Culture of Kolkata Bengali Hindus Bengali music Rabindra Bharati University alumni Rabindra Sangeet exponents Singers from West Bengal