Sanjukta Biswas - Vocal
Sabina Mumtaz Islam
Tabla - Dibyarka Chatterjee
Harmonium - Srikar Ayyalasomayajula
Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening duet by two accomplished vocal artists: Sanjukta Biswas and Sabina Mumtaz Islam. The performance will also be streamed live.
Sanjukta Biswas
Sanjukta Biswas was born in the Nadia District West Bengal. Sensing a rare talent in his daughter, her father Shri Bharat Chandra Biswas helped and encouraged her in developing this art from an early age. Her earliest lessons in music were from Shri Amalendu Pal and Shri Kalyan Guha Thakurta. As a child prodigy she won the first prize in All Bengal Music Competition at the age of ten. She is a first-class graduate with honors in music from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. After Graduation, she entered the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in 1994, initially as a general student and later in 1999 promoted to a scholar under her Guruma Vidushi Subhra Guha of Agra Gharana. Sanjukta at present lives with her Guruma Vidushi Subhra Guha and learns in a true Guru Shishya Parampara.
In 2001 she obtained the prestigious first prize in All India Radio Competition. Following this she also received the coveted ITC SRA Award of a Promising Artist at the Music Forum, Mumbai. In 2002 she was awarded the National Scholarship for Young Artistes by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. In 2005 Sanjukta became the recipient of the prestigious Janana Pravha Scholarship for being a promising and budding young musician of West Bengal State. In 2007 Sanjukta won the prestigious Swar Vilas, Vadodra. In 2010 she was given the prestigious Suramani award in the Kal-Ke-Kalakar Sammelan of Sur Singar Samsad of Bombay. In 2011, Sanjukta received the prestigious Madhobi Chatterjee Fellowship Award from Sanskriti Pratishthan, Delhi for excellence in Indian Classical Music. In 2011, Sanjukta has won the prestigious Girija Devi Puruskar 'Ankurit' in the Purab Ang Gayaki Utsav in Delhi which covered Thumri-Dadra performers from all over the country.
Sanjukta became an approved artist of All India Radio and Television and regularly broadcasts from Kolkata Radio Station and performs for various Television Channels. Now she is an A grade artist of All India Radio. Her gaikee provides an impeccable blend of learning with perfect Raagdari on the one side and aesthetics with perfect tuneful voice and aakar on the other. Sanjukta also excels as a Thumri, Dadra, Kajri singer in the perfect Poorab Ang of Benaras. Sanjukta has now blossomed into a mature performing artist and is being invited by not only various major platforms in West Bengal but by other cities of India like Delhi, Bombay, Vadodra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Guwahati, etc. She has also been invited by various organizers of the United States of America and has performed with great success at New York, Chicago, Buffalo, Albany and various cites of New Jersey.
Sabina Mumtaz Islam
Sabina Mumtaz Islam was born in a cultured family in Guwahati. Sabina’s musical journey was set off by her father Late Janab Nurul Islam. Her schooling was from T.C. Govt High School, Guwahati Assam. Later, while obtaining bachelor’s degree in English Literature as honors from Cotton College, and Diploma in Tourism and Management and Computer Science from IGNOU, she simultaneously enriched herself musically. In the year 1988, she became Sangeet Visharad from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth. Sabina’s classical sojourn further flourished when she joined ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in 1997, where she was trained by Janab Jainul Abedin and then under Late Pandit Sunil Bose, a senior exponent of the Agra Gharana. She later came under the tutelage of Vidushi Subhra Guha, one of the doyens of the same Gharana, acquiring the prestigious scholarship in 1999. As a scholar of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, she has undergone rigorous training from her guru in the famous guru-shishya tradition for the past 25 years. And she still continues to do so. She is permitted to give guidance in the absence of her Guru in the Academy. At the same time, she also adheres to the astute guidelines from her Guru Padmashree Pandit Vijay Kumar Kichlu, one of the great musicologists/exponents of Agra Gharana.
Sabina has now blossomed into a full-fledged performer and performs nationally as well as across the globe. Sabina is an “A” grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan in both Khyal & Light Classical (Thumri/Dadra/Kajri/Chaiti/Tappa etc.). She has been selected a member artist in SPIC MACAY. Apart from this, she also delivers performances in various television channels regularly. She has played back Chaiti in the Bengali debut film Har Byomkesh. Sabina is an empaneled artist of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt. of India in both Khyal and Light Classical Music.
Sabina has performed in many major platforms in our country and different places/cities in West Bengal. Her concert reached far and wide outside the country like USA, Canada and Bangladesh. At a tender age of ten, she won the 1st prize in All Assam Music competition. In 1989 Sabina was a participant and winner in the All India National Integration Camp & workshop in Bangalore. In the year 1991 she was awarded 1st prize for representing the state of Assam in the light music and classical categories in All India Inter College Youth Festival Dhanbad (Indian School of Mines). Apart from ITC Sangeet Research Academy scholarship award she has earned numerous awards and fellowships from 2004 to 2022. Among them the most exceptionals are -
1. ‘Young Artist Award’ under EZCC and the Jnana Pravaha fellowship for being an astoundingly promising musician. She achieved GOLD MEDAL from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture,Government of India delivered to her by the then
Governor of WB Shri Viren J. Shah.
2. Girija Devi Award for Exquisitely Melodious Ahuti in Purab Ang Gayki.
3. Fellowship award conferred by SANSKRITI - MADHOBI CHATTERJEE Fellowship, Delhi for excellence in Indian Classical Music (vocal) under the aegis of Sanskriti Pratisthan.
She also delivered her performances in the platforms of SANGEET NATAK Academy, 103rd SHASTRIYA SANGEET SAMMELAN at Amritsar. Sabina has performed in the most prestigious DOVERLANE CONFERENCE in the year 2023 obtaining accolades with standing ovation. In 2024 Sabina had other major jugalbandis with Smt Sanjukta Biswas in Dakhhini annual festival and so on. Sabina was blessed to perform National Anthem in front of His Excellency President of India Dr. Shri APJ Abdul Kalam in the occasion of 54th All India AGM International Seminar on “Indian Aviation – Challenges & Perspectives” under Aeronautical Society of India in January 2003, Kolkata. Sabina enthralled the audiences by her mellifluous and soulful voice and highly appreciated as having a Golden Voice by then President Dr. Shri APJ Abdul Kalam himself. Between 2006- 2022 she has been performing in the major platforms of Indo Occidental Symbiosis at Kala Mandir, at Uttam Manch for Sangeet Piyasi organization, G.D Birla Sabhagar for Sangeet Ashram, Janana Pravaha, concerts organized by India International Center (IIC) Delhi, “Agra Gharana Samaroh” in Bharat Bhavan Bhopal (2015), Auroville Pondicherry, Shrutinandan Kolkata, Arpan Malhar Festival organized by ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Thumri Festival in Choudhury House, VSK baithak at WWF Delhi, NCPA Mumbai, “VASUNDHARA” Festival of Dance and Music by Women on the 9th Punyatithi of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi at DHARWAR, ITC Sangeet Sammelans, HCL Concert (online), UTSAAH Series #spreading happiness conducted by Smt. Durga Jasraj, SARB AKAL, Calgary to name a few.
Sabina performed in the Shanti Series of concerts organized by Arati Music Foundation as tribute to Late Pt. Subhankar Bannerjee. She also performed in the silver jubilee celebration of Shrutinandan under the banner of Thumri Festival; Ras bhav rang thumri ke sang, Sangeet Ashram concert etc. From 2006 to 2009 she had been a regular visitor to USA and Canada. Sabina performed in the Navaratri World Music Festival in Wesleyan University, Connecticut. She also performed in the prestigious platforms like The Arch, Chhandayan in New York City and in cities like Chicago, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, etc. She is a former faculty of at AAICM, NYC. She was also a faculty of Sangeet Ashram. From the year 2010, Sabina has been going to Bangladesh for offering music Sessions, workshops as well as for performances. She had been performing there under the aegis of ITC Sangeet
Research Academy, Bengal Foundation and Fulki. Eminent personalities like late Padmavibhushan Pandit Kishan Maharaj, late Padmabhushan Pandit Rajan Sajan Mishra, late Padmavibhushan Vidushi Girija Devi, Padmashri Gundecha Brothers highly appreciated her for her wonderful soulful renditions and her gaikee.
Sabina’s wide repertoire and versatility includes Thumri, Dadra, Chaiti, Kajri, Tappa as well as Ghazal, Bhajan, Sufi, regional Assamese, Bengali songs etc. She is proficient in the ‘Poorav ang’ gayaki of Banaras. Her dulcet matured voice
attuned with perfect ‘aakar’ provides an impeccable blend of perfect raagdari, laykaari, unrestrained taans, bol taans (speciality in Agra gaikee) on one hand and aesthetics on the other.
Dibyarka Chatterjee
Dibyarka Chatterjee is a young Tabla player from the Farrukhabad Gharana, and is the son and disciple of Pt. Samir Chatterjee. Having grown up in a musical environment, his natural inclination towards Tabla became apparent early in his childhood. At the age of five he was initiated by his father into the ancient system of pedagogy called the guru-shishya parampara (master-disciple tradition).
Dibyarka was born in Kolkata, where even in his childhood he was already performing in concerts as well as on Akaashbani Kolkata's Children's Section (National Radio - Kolkata Station). At the age of ten he moved to New York City with his family; since then he has continued to perform regularly with both Indian and Western music. Dibyarka has had the honor and privilege of performing with renowned musicians like Pandit Jasraj, Pdt. Budhhadev DasGupta, Pta. Lakshmi Shankar, Utd. Shujaat Khan, Pta. Joya Biswas, Utd. Mashkoor Ali Khan, Pdt. Ramesh Mishra, Pta. Shubhra Guha, Pta. Tripti Mukherjee, Pdt. Suman Ghosh to name only a few.
He has collaborated in world music projects with groups like the Dance Theater of Harlem (in 'South African Suite'), the Battery Dance Co. (in “Songs of Tagore”), and with fusion musician/composers like Salman Ahmad (Junoon), Douglas Cuomo, John McDowell (on the award-winning documentary “A Son’s Sacrifice”), Gary Lucas & Najma Akhtar (on their collaborative album "Rishte") etc. He has composed music for, and performed in, two off-Broadway theatrical productions (Nuraldeen's Lifetime & Lee/gendary). He has also performed in many prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, the United Nations General Assembly, Lincoln Center & Asia Society in NYC, Place des Arts (Montreal), the Google Amphitheater (Palo Alto), Salt Lake Music Conference (Kolkata, India), Pratishruti Festival (Bhopal, India) etc. He has also appeared on numerous radio shows such as The Leonard Lopate Show and New Sounds on NPR, Raag Aur Taal on WKCR etc.
Dibyarka has a Masters in Fine Arts from Goddard College (VT). His academic pursuits are mainly focused on the history, theory, and philosophy of Indian Music. As a guest lecturer, Dibyarka has conducted classes and lecture demonstrations at numerous institutions such as Columbia University, Dartmouth College, New York University, Manhattan School of Music etc. He also teaches Tabla classes regularly at various institutions and locations in NY & NJ.
Srikar Ayyalasomayajula
Srikar grew up in central New Jersey and currently lives in Brooklyn. He has learnt Harmonium from Guru Sri Hemant Kulkarni in New Jersey for over ten years. Srikar has performed harmonium solo pieces in a number of concerts and competitions in harmonium growing up, including winning first prize in national competitions conducted by Marathi Vishwa, Academy of Indian Music and Fine Arts, Bharat Sevashram, etc. Apart from solo performances, Srikar has also provided dynamic as energetic Harmonium saath to artists from around the world regularly for over a decade. Srikar was also the Music Chair of Michigan Sahana, the premier Indian Classical Music and Dance Organization at the University of Michigan and had been organizing and performing in their concerts throughout his time at the university. After graduating, Srikar had been continuing to be a part of both classical accompaniment and fusion collaborations across the country. Apart from music, Srikar currently works at Google as a Software Engineer in New York City.