Vocal - Shruti Sadolikar-Katkar
Tabla - Amod Dandawate
Harmonium - Anirban Chakrabarty
Shruti Sadolikar-Katkar
Shruti Sadolikar-Katkar is a ‘Top Grade’ artist of Akashwani (All India Radio) and Doordarshan (TV). She was initiated into music and groomed by her father, Pt. Wamanrao Sadolikar, a disciple of Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Ustad Alladiya Khan (Founder of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana) and his son Ustad Bhurji Khan. Shrutiji trained for 12 years under Ustad Gullubhai Jasdanwala, renowned for his repository of rare compositions and complex ragas of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana. Shrutiji continued to learn from Ustad Bhurji Khan’s son, Ustad Azizuddin Khan, till his demise in August 2011.
Shrutiji is a graduate of Mumbai University. She received the Sangeet Visharad from Akhila Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal with distinction and did her Master’s degree in Music from SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, with Distinction, winning the Bhaskarbua Bakhale Prize. She is presently the Vice Chancellor of Bhatkhande Music Institute Deemed University, Lucknow. Shruti is a much sought after concert artist and sis well known as a scholar musician.
Shrutiji has received a large number of prizes and awards which include the Raj Hans Puraskar, 2017; ‘Icons of Maharashtra’, Mumbai; the Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan Award, for her contribution to the Education Sector; the Jewel of Ruia Award from her alma mater, the Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai; the Swarayogini Prabha Atre Award, 2013; the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Music, 2011; The Sangeet Shiromani Award by Kashi Sangeet Samaj, Banaras, 2008; The Shanmukha Sangeet Shiromani Award by Shanmukhanand Sangeet Sabha, Mumbai, 2002. Shrutiji was awarded the Gopinath Savkar Prize, Talpade Memorial Prize and Pendharkar Prize for best production, best direction and best music direction for the play ‘Sangeet Tulsidas’ in 2001. She received the prestigious Dagar Gharana Sanman, from the Maharana Mewar Foundation, Udaipur, 1998.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Shrutiji’s achievements include The Bhulabhai Memorial Institute Scholarship, 1975; Kesarbai Kerkar Scholarship (National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai), 1976-78; The Homi Bhabha Fellowship (National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai), 1994-96.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. She has been a visiting professor at the Rotterdam Conservatorium in Netherlands.
2. Shrutiji was a Guru at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata;
3. She was a visiting professor at the Department of Music, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai;
4. She was a professor at the Department of Music, University of Mumbai.
5. Shrutiji is a guide for many research students for their PhD in Music.
6. She has delivered lecture-demonstrations on various aspects of Indian Classical Music in many schools and universities in India;
7. She has also toured for delivering lectures on music in the UK, USA, Canada, France, Switzerland, Scotland, Germany, Mauritius, UAE, Muscat, Kuwait, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Australia, etc.
8. Shrutiji has and still continues to produce research based thematic programs on various aspects of Indian culture and music.
9. She has been contributing to various research journals and magazines by way of written articles on various subjects regarding Indian Classical Music and Performing Arts.
10. Her educational CD, ‘The Raga Guide’, was produced and marketed by Nimbus Records, UK.
11. She has been recorded by prestigious record companies in and out of India.
12. As a tribute to her father, Shrutiji revived the musical play SANGEET TULSIDAS after 60 years (Pt. Wamanraoji had played the protagonist in the play in 1930).
13. As producer-music director- coordinator, Shrutiji presented the Marathi musical play SANGEET SAMSHAY KALLOL at the WORLD MUSIC THEATRE FESTIVAL in Netherlands, April 1999.
Amod Dandawate
Amod Dandawate has been primarily trained in the Farrukhabad style of Tabla playing. He was born and brought up in Hyderabad, India, and later migrated to the USA. He was initiated into Tabla by his father Dr. Vasantrao Dandawate, a disciple of the legendary Maestro Ustad Amir Hussain Khan. He started playing Tabla at a very young age but seriously pursued the art form only after completing his Bachelors degree in Engineering. At that point, he received initial guidance and encouragement from Shafaat Khan while performing as an accompanist and then spent some time taking lessons from Ustad Zakir Hussain. Having settled in New Jersey he has been receiving advanced training, since 2001, as a disciple of Pt. Samir Chatterjee, a well known Maestro of the Farrukhabad gharana (http://www.tabla.org).
Besides performing solo Tabla, Amod has accompanied several eminent artists and keeps a busy performance schedule. Amod also hold a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering.
Anirban Chakrabarty
Anirban Chakrabarty hails from a family of Musicians. His father, Amal Chakrabarty is a dedicated vocalist. From his very childhood Anirban was initiated to Hindustani Classical Music by his father. He is a post graduate in music with first class from the Rabindra Bharati University. Although he is a good vocalist, his keen interest in playing Harmonium have driven him under the tutelage of Pandit Manas Chakraborty, the doyen of Kotali Gharana to master himself in the gayaki of Kotali style. He has also keen interest in composing music in lighter forms. The guidance of the Master Musician has already shaped him in well organized Harmonium player, and hoping him to be a musician of high repute in future.
Anirban has to his credit a number of brilliant performances as a harmonium accompanist throughout the country with both upcoming and reputed musicians. Anirban has accompanied musicians of repute like Pandit Manas Chakraborty, Pandit Dinanath Mishra, Pandit Arun Bhaduri, Smt. Kankana Banerjee, Gaan Saraswati Shreela Bandopadhyay, Pandit Madhup Mudgal, Sri. Sarathi Chatterjee, Smt. Ruchira Panda, Sri. Subhasish Mukherjee, Smt. Raka Mukherjee, Sri. Ratan Mohan Sharma and many more.
He is also a regular artist of several television channels. Besides, he is equally adept in playing table, keyboard, guitar and also worked as an arranger for several light music album. Recently popular commercial artists like Indrani Sen, Manomay Bhattacharya, Shampa Kundu, Shubhankar Bhaskar, Sahaj Ma have jointly made album of Modern Bengali Songs and devotional Songs composed and arranged by Anirban. Recently an album of Poetry and songs of TAGORE of Sri Tarun Chakrabarty has been released, arranged by Anirban. Now Anirban is also working as the Lecturer of Music in ‘Vivekananda Teachers Training Institute’ and also as the General Secretary of ‘Sur Sanchayan Sangeet Vidyalaya’, an institute to uphold the diploma courses of various forms of Indian music. Anirban to his credit has accompanied on harmonium with both upcoming and veteran musicians in all major music festivals of our country. He has also visited UK and USA as a harmonium accompanist with Ruchira Panda and earned accolades both from music lovers and connoisseurs.