ARPAN- A Tribute to Swami Vivekananda - Organised by Bhattacharya’s School of Universal Music

“Drama and music are themselves held to be religion.
Any song — whether it be a love-song or otherwise — if one's whole soul is in that song, one attains salvation, one has nothing else to do. They say it leads to the same goal as meditation”
-Swami Vivekananda

Organised by
Bhattacharya’s School of Universal Music

ARPAN - [ 150th Birth Anniversary Celebration - A Tribute to Swami Vivekananda ]


Guru Vandana and Tanpura presentation to Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty	Guru Vandana to Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra

Guru Vandana to Pandit Vijay Kichlu	Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya and Bickram Ghosh playing for the 25th Year of their friendship

Sangeet Samman Award Presentation to Vijay Kumar Kichlu	Ratna Garva Award presentation to Ma Manjushree Bhattacharya

After the concerts two maestros.	Legends in the Audience.

ARPAN- The Event

Bhattacharya’s School of Universal Music commemorates the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda through ‘Arpan’,-a musical offering featuring Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya and Bickram Ghosh. Grammy 2009 nominated Debashish, who turns 50 on the same day as Swamiji’s birthday this year, will present an enchanting evening of instrumental classical music on his trinity of guitars-Chaturangui, Gandharvi and Anandi, along with the electrifying accompaniment of tabla wizard Bickram Ghosh.

Swamiji’s message of Vedantic philosophy and universality of God to the world religion through his journey of the world as an ambassador of India’s spiritual culture would be depicted by the rendition of different forms of Raga music on three instruments having distinct tonal quality, yet conveying the universality of the appeal of soulful music.

Debashish’ quest for musical excellence through his improvised style of performance, desire for innovation expressed through his mastery of techniques and design of the trinity of guitars, coupled with his globetrotting experience as an ambassador of Indian music, probably signifies a remarkable resemblance to Swamiji’s ideology and approach, thus making this event a befitting tribute on his 150th birthday.


January 20th, 2012 at G.D Birla Sabhaghar from 7 PM onwards

Felicitation

Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, the doyen of Indian classical music and a renowned guru, will be felicitated by his worthy disciple Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, thus symbolizing the theme of the event ‘Arpan’, meaning tribute.

Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty would grace the occasion and would speak on Swamiji’s love for music, his conquest of the world to spread the religion of brotherhood, and the Guru Shishya parampara in Indian music.

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya would present a memento to his Guru and would recollect some precious moments from his days spent under the tutelage of his Guruji.

About the artistes

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya is one of the leading Indian classical musicians of today and a master of the lap style slide guitar. Born into a musical family on January 12, 1963, Debashish displayed immense potential at the tender age of four, when he first performed on the All India Radio. Having trained under stalwarts of music like Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Brijbhushan Kabra and Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, Debashish’ style is a delightful blend of soothing melody and energetic speed.

Having designed the trinity of Guitars,-the Chaturangui, Gandharvi and Anandi, Debashish has extensively travelled the globe for the last 25 years, performing in various international music festivals and concerts, including the AMERICAN, CANADIAN, EUROPEAN and AFRICAN JAZZ, WORLD MUSIC,FOLK FESTIVALS, NATIONAL SLIDE GUITAR FESTIVAL.

He has the honour of working with the renowned maestros of the world,- Ustad Zakir Hussain from India, John McLaughlin from Monacco, Bob Brozman from USA, Rene Lacaille from France, Takashi Hiriyasu from Okinawa, Lieu Fang from China, Julian Kytasty from Ukraine and many others from all over the Globe. Debasish has over 15 albums from Indian and international music labels to his credit.

Debashish was nominated for Grammy awards in 2009 for the world music category. Two other albums were nominated in which he has shared his music earlier. He won the BBC Planet award in 2007. His albums ‘Mahima’ with Bob Brozman and ‘Calcutta Slide Guitar’ reached among the top 10 in Billboard World Music Chart.

About the artistes

Son of the great Tabla maestro Pandit Shankar Ghosh, Bickram Ghosh is a globally renowned Indian percussionist who is Equally brilliant within traditional as well as experimental genres, and has carved out a niche for himself in his diverse avataars as classical musician, new – age artiste and composer.

Having performed for over a decade with the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar who honed his skills in the art of accompaniment, Bickram has performed at famed international music venues like the Royal Albert Hall, London; The Kennedy Centre, Washington D.C; The Palais De Beaux Arts, Brussels; Carnegie Hall, New York and many others.

With over over 50 recordings as Soloist, Composer and Collaborator, Bickram has played on many Grammy nominated albums, including Grammy award winning album ’Full Circle’ along with Ravi Shankar.