Ajoy Chakrabarty

Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty
Birth name Ajoy Chakrabarty
Born 25th December, 1952
Origin Shyamnagar, West Bengal, India
Genres Hindustani classical music
Occupation(s) Vocalist
Years active 1977–present

Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty (Bengali: অজয় চক্রবর্তী; born 25th December, 1952) is an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist, composer, lyricist and Guru, poised nearly as a cult figure among all the legendary Indian classical musicians.[1]

Although considered a scion and doyen of the Patiala-Kasur Gharana (style), primarily representing Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Ustad Barkat Ali Khan sahibs gayaki, he can equally portray even the most subtle features of other major classical gharanas of India like Indore, Delhi, Jaipur, Gwalior, Agra, Kirana, Rampur and even Carnatic music of South India.[2]

He is a recipient of the Padma Shri (2011) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Delhi, 1999-2000) and the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1989- in Bengali Film "Chhandaneer" 1989.[3]

He was the first Indian classical vocalist to be invited by Pakistan and China and by BBC for their Golden Jubilee Celebration of India’s Independence.

Early life and Gurus


Chakrabarty was born in Kolkata, West Bengal to Shri Ajit Chakraborty in a Hindu Brahmin family. He moved to India from his homeland, Mymensingh of Bangladesh during the partition and raised two sons in Shyamnagar. His younger brother, Sanjay Chakraborty is a world class lyricist and composer.

He graduated top of his class in music, both in B.A and M.A from the prestigious Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata and joined the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in 1977. Being the academy’s very first outstanding scholar, he became their only gold medalist fellow, a member of their Experts’ Committee and a senior Guru where he still serves as a prime mover in all its promotional courses to date.[4]

His father, late Shri Ajit Kumar Chakraborty was his first Guru. After this Shri Pannalal Samanta and Shri Kanaidas Baigari were the ones with whom his initial orientation with music happened, before he was warmly accepted by the ultimate and the greatest Guru of all times, Padmabhushan Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh.[5]

Besides that, he had learnt from several other maestros like Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan, Pt. Nibruttibua Sarnaik, Vidushi Hirabai Barodekar and in Carnatic styles from Professor, Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, that kept enriching his musical expression and repertoire. Despite having such pure classical "taleem" in the Dhrupad-Khyal genre, he is amazingly adroit and a trend setter, in rendering all the lighter forms like Thumri, Tappa, Geet, Bhajan, Keertan, Folk, Film/Non-Film and modern songs, in several different languages, like Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telegu, Persian and even in English, which all together, has given him the single distinguished recognition of being an absolutely one-of-a-kind musical personality, in the music scene of India today.

Awards

Ajoy Chakrabarty at Kolkata

He had received several prestigious awards including – Padma Shri (2011), Sangeet Natak Akademi (Delhi, 1999–2000), Kumar Gandharva (National Award, 1993) and the Best Male Playback Singer (Bengali Film "Chhandaneer" 1990) ("For bringing the rare depth of emotion, adorned by his command on the classical idiom") and National Tansen Samman 2015 - by the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh,[6]. He has also received felicitations from both the former and present Chief Ministers of his own State, West Bengal. In 2012, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee conferred him the Maha Sangeet Samman and the Banga Bibhushan, two of the State’s highest awards. In 2015 he has received Guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh Lifetime Achievement Award.

He also was awarded honorary citizenship in New Orleans, after performing with jazz musicians at Preservation Hall, the birthplace of jazz music.

Singing career

Chakrabarty is considered one of the vocal legends of Indian classical music. He is notable for imagination and sensitivity to lyrics, coupled with his uncanny sense of rhythm. Thus far, Chakrabarty has recorded over 100 albums, mostly published from India, the United States, Canada, UK, and Germany, composed of pure classical numbers including live performances and various other genres – Thumri, Dadra, Bhajan and other devotional songs like Shyamasangeet and many Bengali numbers, including songs of Tagore and Qazi Najrul Islam.[4]

He has performed in some of the most prestigious venues around the world like the Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, New Orleans Jazz Preservation Hall – in the USA, including being the recipient of Golden Key to the city of New Orleans; The Royal Albert hall and Queen Elizabeth hall in the UK, Theatre de la Ville in France; Sammukhananda, Nehru Center, NCPA in Mumbai, Shirifort auditorium in New Delhi-India et al.

Inspired by the ideals of his Guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Chakrabarty founded Shrutinandan – a school of music.

Personal life

Chakrabarty is married to Chandana Chakraborty. Their daughter, Kaushiki Chakraborty is an accomplished vocalist of Hindustani classical music. Their son, Ananjan Chakraborty is a sound engineer .

Movies

Year Song Film Co-Singer Composer Lyricist
1985 Bela Jay Shyamrai Baidurjya Rahasya None Tapan Sinha Tapan Sinha
Nain Mein Nandalal Baidurjya Rahasya None Tapan Sinha Tapan Sinha
2000 Isaiyil Thodanguthamma Hey Ram None Ilayaraja Ilayaraja
Har Koi Samjhe Hey Ram None Ilayaraja Ilayaraja
2001 Aan Milo Sajna Gadar: Ek Prem Katha Parveen Sultana Uttam Singh Anand Bakshi
2005 Yeh Kaun Mujhe Yaad Aaya Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story None Naushad Ali Naqsh Lyallpuri
Vaishnava Jan To Water Kaushiki Desikan A. R. Rahman,(originally composed by Narsinh Mehta) Sukhwinder Singh
2011 Bhorer Alo Bhorer Alo None Jeet Ganguly Priyo Chattopadhyay
2013 Rabso Neha Laage (Bilaval Bandish Shunyo Awnko Kaushiki Desikan Gautam Ghose Gautam Ghose

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Sharma, Jyotirmaya (19 March 2005). "Ahoy Ajoy!". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Chatterjee, Guatam (5 August 2005). "Impeccable voice". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "37th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Official Website of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty". 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  5. ↑ Sharma, Jyotirmaya (28 April 2006). "In honour of Bade Khansaheb". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty". SouLSteer. 2015-12-25. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  7. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Alva's Virasat off to a flying start". The Hindu. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
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