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Pandit Biswajit Roy Chowdhury is a
Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...
ian and a renowned
sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...
player from
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.


Career

Roy Chowdhury belongs to the Senia Bangash gharana of sarod playing, and who has also been specially trained in the musical tradition of the
Jaipur-Atrauli gharana The Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana (also known as Jaipur Gharana, Atrauli-Jaipur Gharana, and Alladiyakhani Gayaki) is a Hindustani music apprenticeship fraternity ('' gharana''), founded by Alladiya Khan in the late-19th century. Evolved from the dhr ...
. Roy Chowdhury was born on 12 January 1956, in
Deoghar Deoghar (pronounced ''Devghar'') is a city and a municipal corporation in Deoghar district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is also the administrative headquarters of Deoghar district. It is a holy place of Hinduism. The city is primarily ...
in
Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...
state. He was initiated into music by his father Shri Ranjit Roy Chowdhury, a teacher of chemistry by profession, but more importantly, a serious
Sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...
player who had trained under the late Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan and others. In 1978, Roy Chowdhury's talents were spotted by the Maestro Ustad
Amjad Ali Khan Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (born 9 October 1945) is an Indian classical ''sarod'' player, best known for his clear and fast ekhara taans. Khan was born into a classical musical family (the Bangash lineage of the Senia Gharana) and has performed ...
accepting him as a disciple. A turning point came when Pandit
Mallikarjun Mansur Pandit Mallikarjun Bheemaraayappa Mansur, (31 December 1910 12 September 1992) was a Hindustani classical singer from Karnataka. He sang in the khyal genre and belonged to the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. Early life and background Mallikarjun was ...
took an interest in young Roy Chowdhury's quest in 1982. Roy Chowdhury’s tutelage with Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur was formalized in a ''
gandha bandhan Gandha (the Hindi or Sanskrit word गंध; meaning smell or fragrance An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance, flavoring or flavor, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class ...
'' ceremony in 1985. The intensive guidance and training lasted till the demise of the guru in 1992. He is perhaps the only sarod player who plays the compositions from the Jaipur-Atrauli tradition. Over the years Roy Chowdhury has performed in various locations all over India and has participated regularly in prestigious concerts. These include the Tansen Festival in Gwalior, the Shankar Lal Music Festival, New Delhi, the Harvallabh Sangeet Samaroha in Jalandhar, the Vishnu Digambar Jayanti in Delhi, the Sankat Mochan Music Festival in Varanasi, the Dhwani-BKF Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur Music Festival in Bangalore, among others. He recorded the album "The Sarod Master" (1991) for
Hot Club Records Hot Club Records is a jazz record label established 1982, by guitarist Jon Larsen in Oslo, Norway.Dregni, Michael (2008) ''Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing'', OUP USA, , p. 229 The label has released over 35 ...
, produced by guitar player
Jon Larsen Jon Larsen (born 7 January 1959) is a gypsy jazz guitarist, record producer, painter, and amateur scientific researcher. He is the founder of the group Hot Club de Norvège. In 2007 he received the Buddy Award for his lifelong contribution to ...
. Biswajit Roy Chowdhury is an acclaimed artist of the
All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...
and
Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...
and has featured in the national music concert and the annual Radio Sangeet Sammelan of these organisations. Roy Chowdhury teaches Sarod at Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra, New Delhi.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Biswajit Roy 1956 births Hindustani instrumentalists Living people Sarod players