Asit Kumar Banerjee is one of the few remaining

rudra veena The ''Rudra veena'' ( sa, रुद्र वीणा) (also spelled ''Rudraveena'' or ''Rudra vina'')—also called ''Bīn'' in North India—is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani Music, especially dhrupad. It is one of the m ...

players in India. He is the disciple of

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (14 March 1929 – 28 September 1990), popularly known as Z. M. Dagar, was a North Indian ( Hindustani) classical musician, one of the 19th generation of Dagar family dhrupad musicians. He was largely responsible for the ...

, and can play both

Sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

and

. He was the head of the Department of Instrumental Music in The Anand Foundation, Punjab, and has performed many

concerts both in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and abroad.

Career

Asit Kumar Banerjee started learning

Tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

at the age of six. His earliest master was V.C. Ambedkar of

Benares gharana Benares gharānā (Hindi: बनारस घराना) is one of the six most common styles of playing of the Indian tabla. History The Benares tabla gharana was developed a little over 200 years ago by Pandit Ram Sahai (1780–1826). At ...

, and continued his lessons with Amir Hussain Khan of

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

. Later he became the student of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and learnt

Surbahar ''Surbahar'' (; ) sometimes known as bass sitar, is a plucked string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is closely related to the sitar, but has a lower pitch. Depending on the instrument's size, it ...

and

. He received training also from Fariuddin Dagar, of Dagar

Gharana In Hindustani music (North Indian classical music), a ''gharānā'' is a system of social organisation in the Indian subcontinent, linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and more importantly by adherence to a particular mus ...

. Asit Banerjee prefers

dhrupad Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music, Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampraday and also related to the South In ...

style of playing. He is a member of

East Zone Cultural Centre The East Zone Cultural Centre has its headquarters in Sector III, IB 201, IB Block, Salt Lake City, Kolkata, which is also known as the ''Cultural Capital of India'' and most commonly City of Joy is situated in the Indian state of West Bengal.It ...

(E.Z.C.C.) and

Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 Apri ...

(I.C.C.R.), an organization under the

Ministry of External Affairs (India) The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; hi, विदेश मंत्रालय, Videśa Mantrālaya, translit-std=ISO) of India is the government agency responsible for implementing Indian foreign policy. The Ministry of Ex ...

. Through his tours in India and abroad, he has tried to popularize the rudra veena by lecture-demonstrations and recordings for Television and Radio. He was the music director for two documentary films about Sikh Regiments and about Ganges. He has worked as the head of the department of instrumental music in The Anand Foundation, Punjab. He also carry the title of ''Pramukh Acharya'' of Tansen Sangeet Vidyapith,

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

. Between 1986 and 1989 he has performed

in Doordarshan, together with his students. Between 19 December 2003 and 30 December 2003, Asit Kumar Banerjee performed

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Suriname and

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, under the sponsorship of I.C.C.R.

Personal life

He is married to Arati Banerjee, and she is also a

player. She has performed together with Asit Kumar Banerjee in many concerts.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banerjee, Asit Kumar Rudra veena players Hindustani instrumentalists Sitar players Living people Year of birth missing (living people)