SAPTARSHI CHAKRABORTY

                                                        Hindustani Classical Vocalist

 

The Artist

          Born in Shillong in 1981,  to a family of three generations of renowned musicians, Saptarshi Chakraborty inhaled music with his very first breath. Initiated into music by his illustrious grandfather , Late Radhika Ranjan Chakraborty, a close disciple of Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore; and grandmother Late Asha Chakraborty who was the first female vocalist of A.I.R. Shillong , Saptarshi , since the tender age of five(5), has been trainning under his father , the much acclaimed Sangeet Guru , Acharya Sudip Chakraborty , Principal of the Shillong Music College, an expert exponent of the Kotali and Kirana Gharana Gayaki of the Sangeetacharya Tarapada Chakraborty musical lineage.

            After having trained under his father for almost fifteen (15) years, Saptarshi went on to place himself under the tutelage of none other than Padma Vibhushan Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj ji , the doyen of Mewati Gharana , the living legend of Hindustani Classical Music , who , having spotted the immense talent , takes utmost care in polishing his skills as he believes that Saptarshi has the required dedication and devotion to carry forward the rich tradition of the Mewati Gharana. For this fact , Saptarshi considers himself immensely blessed which has transformed him into a more humble and mature artist.

            Saptarshi is an empanelled artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (I.C.C.R.)

            A first class master degree holder in Hindustani Vocal Music from Rabindrabharati University , Saptarshi has mersmerised audiences in the major cities of the country like Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Delhi, Banaras ,Raipur etc.  Saptarshi has had the rare privilege of performing at the Kumbh Mela  Mahotsav  2010 at Haridwar , where the artist line up included the likes of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Hema Malini and Pandit Jasraj.

            Saptarshi has to his  credit a solo album  ‘Reverence’,  which has been broadcast from World Space Satellite Radio , having received high acclaim for his performance.

            Apart from ‘Khayal’, ‘Bhajan’ and ‘Haveli Sangeet’ Saptarshi is equally adept at singing ‘Rabindrasangeet’ owing to a musically rich family tradition.

 

The Music

            Blessed with a stunningly rich and melodious voice, the soft , emotive and spiritual approach of the Mewati Gharana forms the ethos of Saptarshi’s Gayaki, or style of singing. However he has been able to create an individualistic appeal owing to his earlier training in the Kotali and Kirana gharana styles , thereby lending a colour to his music which stands unique to him. A master at grasping and expressing the correct mood of a raaga, Saptarshi’s music is at once arresting, full of somber yet colorful elements.

            Having trained under his Guru Pandit Jasraj, who is well known for his spiritually rich music ,Saptarshi also specializes in rendering the 600 Year old tradition of ‘Haveli Sangeet’, the temple song of the ‘Vaishnava Sampradaya’, founded by Sant Mahaprabhu Ballavacharya. Saptarshi’s rendition of these Bhajans never fail to leave his audience on a spiritual high.

 

Awards

• First (1st) prize for Classical Vocal Performance in Firodia Inter College competition – Pune

• Sangeetacharya Girija Shankar Chakraborty award for Best Performance in Classical Vocal – Rabindrabharati University , Kolkata

• Acharya UdayBhushan Bhattacharya Memorial Award for best performance in Dhrupad – Rabindrabharati University , Kolkata

• Idea Jalsa National Talent Hunt Indian Music Competition Winner from Kolkata

• Asha  Memorial  Running  Trophy for Best Rabindrasangeet (Senior Group) in Ananda Sammelan, Manju Smriti Majlish  -  Shillong

• Best  Rabindrasangeet  Running Trophy (junior group) in Ananda Sammelan , Manju Smriti Majlish -  Shillong

 

 

Notable Performances

• India International Centre , New Delhi

• Bandish Annual concert in association with Haldia Music Circle

• Swaranjali Gharana Festival 2010, Epicentre , Gurgaon, Delhi

• Sargam Music Festival , organized by Chattisgarh Shastriya Sangeet Shrota Samiti , Raipur

• ICCR Horizon Series concert in association with Kala Prakash – Banaras

• Swar Amrit Mahotsav in Kumbh Mela Prangan – Haridwar

• Bharatiya Sanskriti Samsad – Kolkata

• Sur Shravan Music concert in association with Swami Chinmayanand Mission – Kolkata

• Dadar Matunga Youth Festival – Mumbai

• Rabindrabharati University Annual Classical Music Conference – Kolkata

• Nad Brahma Sangeet Sevashram Classical Music Festival – Kolkata

• Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Memorial Music Festival – Hyderabad

• Ramkanai Adhikary Jhoolan Yatra Annual Classical Music Conference (140 years old) – Kolkata

• Swar Sangam Sangeet Samaroh - Dhanbad

• Sahmati Musical Meet – Pune

• Geetali ‘Bonding With Music ‘ Concert – Shillong

• Aurobindo Institute of Culture – Shillong

and many more concerts and musical soirees. In addition to these , Saptarshi has also performed for All India Radio – North East , Doordarshan Kolkata ,  Doordarshan – Shillong  and other television channels, apart from giving  lecture-cum-demonstrations  on Indian Classical Music  and   having been invited as the Resource Person  in  C.C.R.T’s National Festival 2011. Saptarshi has also been invited as a part of the jury for National Scholarship by the Ministry of Culture , Govt. of India.

Apart from performing , Saptarshi is also a very keen teacher of music as he believes in preserving and propagating the rich musical heritage of India .