ROOTS
PANDIT SUNIL BANERJEE
A tabla player of rare skill and an uncompromising perfectionist, Sunil Banerjee showed has natural talents in rhythm at a very tender age. He received his initial training in tabla when he was only seven, under the guidance of Shri Narayan Goswami and performed over the A.I.R. when he was barely eight. Since then he has been the prime disciple of the leading table maestro of international fame Acharya Pandit Shankar Ghosh.
Zeal, dedication and inherent talent brought immense success and recognition to the artiste as he won many renowned competitions and musical soirees all over India. An eminent soloist and an able accompanist, Sunil is a regular performer for the All India Radio and T.V. and is invited for almost all major conferences in India. He has accompanied many renowned musicians of India including Late Ustad Nasir Ahmed Khan, Late Ustad Munawwar Ali Khan, Pt.V.G. Jog, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Nishat Khan, Irshad Khan, Pt.Buddhaditya Mukherjee etc.
His extraordinary prowess in this art was further recognized by the famous Jazz musician Louis Banks who invited him to collaborate for one of the first fusion albums “Explorations” produced by H.M.V. He was one of the prime table artistes in the unique all-drum orchestra “The Calcutta Drum Orchestra” conducted by Pandit Shankar Ghosh which toured Europe and Japan with roaring success on a special invitation from one of the world’s biggest Television companies N.H.K. Recently, Sunil also curated the revival of the orchestra with next generation musicians.
Equipped with such remarkable skill and bestowed with dexterity and clarity of “Bols”, Sunil has to his credit, many foreign tours and has performed at the Paris Radio Station before an invited audience. He has travelled extensively for concert tours all over America, Europe and Japan.
Sunil is dedicated in passing on his vast knowledge to the next generation and has well established students all over the country, including his son, Unmesh Banerjee, a young artiste in his own right.
PRESS PLAUDITS
Sunil Banerjee accompanied him on the table with zest. Each bol was effective for its clarity, dexterity and dazzle, and were joined together with intelligence and wit, winning applause from the listeners for their accuracy and effectiveness. This was in good contrast to the serious tone of the main performance and added life to it.
3.9.79 The Statesman
Sunil Banerjee had a few occasions to show his individual brilliance was soft and sensitive on the table.
3.1.88- The Statesman
The same can be said of Sunil Banerjee, His bols were also executed with force, clarity and dexterity.
7.4.81- Amrit Bazar Patrika
(Translated)Pt.V.G Jog’s performance was further made lively by Sunil Banerjee’s table accompaniment. His speed, clarity and rich musical tone showed his class.
13.6.94 Sabad Pratidin
(Translated)Young Sunil Banerjee showed the expertise of a senior artiste.
2.3.80 Jugantar
(Translated)Sunil Banerjee showed his mastery over the instrument albeit not overshadowing the other artistes thereby showing his superior musical sense.
17.10.79- Ananda Bazar
(Translated)Sunil Banerjee’s table and Louis Bank’s piano enthralled the audience
6.1.79 Jugantar
Sunil Banerjee’s accompaniment with Nishat Khan was delectable, slipping in effortlessly with the main flow of music.
10.2.88- Telegraph
Ustad Irshad Khan received attractive table support from Sunil Banerjee.
16.4.88 Amrita Telegraph
Sunil Banerjee has acquired greater finish in his table vocabulary, and higher maturity in his accompaniment.
27.9.82 Statesman
Sunil Banerjee accompanied Ustad Nasir Ahmed Khan. Sunil’s clear bol and sense of balance sangat was evident even with the comparatively lesser scope of table playing with vocal music.
24.12.80 The Statesman
Pt.V. Balsara was given excellent support on table by Sunil Banerjee.
2.2.93 The Statesman
SMT BHARATI NANAVATI BANERJEE
Bharati Nanavati was initiated in to Classical Music by her father, Shri Hardeo Nanavati, a great connoisseur of music. She received her early lessons from Shri.Sailen Banerjee and then had the rare privilege of becoming a shagird of Ustad Munawwar Ali Khan Saheb, who was the son of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Saheb, the doyen of Patiala Gharana.
Years of ‘taalim’ and rigorous ‘riyaz’ has gifted Bharati with a rich and melodious voice, marked by a clear ’aakar’. She performs Khayals with vivid imagination, depicting intricate patterns of taans and sargams, and has a powerful urge for extempore attempts, which are characteristics of the Patiala Gharana.
An approved artiste of A.I.R and Doordarshan, Bharati has performed in many prestigious conferences all over India. She has been a worthy recipient of the “Kal Ke Kalakar” award from Benaras, presented by Pandit Kishen Maharaj in 1978. She has passed with distinction, the BMus examination held by Prayag Sangit Samity, Allahabad. Bharati has sung in many albums
and also has to her credit, a super E.P. record of Gujarati Bhajans, where the music arrangement has been provided by Pandit V.Balsara, the famous music director of India. To widen her horizons of artistic experience, in spite of her preference to Classical music, Bharati is keenly interested and performs regularly, Gujarati Sugam Sangeet (composed by her Father) and also Garbas and Folk songs of Gujarat- her homeland. She takes special delight in performing light classical styles of singing including Thumris, Dadras, Kajris, Horis as well as Hindi and Gujarati Bhajans with equal ease and excellence. Bharati has been a globetrotting artiste since early 90’s, and has been invited to perform and enthrall the audience in countries like U.S.A., Canada, Singapore and many other countries.
Bharati has whole heartedly dedicated herself to propagate the rich heritage of the Classical arts to the culture-conscious masses. She also teaches and nurtures music students as she believes in passing on her rich musical knowledge to the younger generation. Bharati’s disciple and daughter, Anandi Banerjee, is a vocalist and son, Unmesh Banerjee, is a percussionist and both of them are well established artistes.
PRESS PLAUDITS
Bharati presented 16 songs which were all composed beautifully by her father Shri Hardeo Nanavati. Her “Taalim” in classical music enabled her to bring out the poet’s feelings with remarkable ease. Her clarity of diction made the program all the more memorable.
Navroz, Calcutta 27.8.77
Bharati Nanavati’s vocal recital was outstanding. She presented Raga Malkauns and then a Bhajan. There is no doubt that Bharati will be a leasing singer of our country in future. She has the required self-confidence, ‘taiyari’ and a powerful voice.
Jatdesh, Benaras.22.7.78
Bharati Nanavati, a Gujarati, presented Tagore songs much better than the over-rated professionals.
The Statesman, Calcutta,3.6.79
Bharati’s Bhupali was memorable. She sang with ease, clarity and confidence. What was most appealing was that she was not trying to emulate other great singers, as is in vogue today. Her understanding of the
raga was good and her long years of ‘riyaz’ showed.
Times of India, Calcutta, 16.12.80
Amongst solo performances, Bharati Nanavati’s songs appealed the most. She was able to express the feelings of the beautiful poetry by her youthful and melodious voice.
Desh, Calcutta, 21.11.87
Bharati Nanavati gave a beautiful vocal exposition of Raga Yaman.
The Telegraph, Calcutta, 10.10.90
Bharati Nanavati presented Raga Jaunpuri. She has a powerful and melodious voice. Her Patiala Gharana background was ably demonstrated during the ‘Raga-vistaar’. Her thought structure of the Raga was good. She also sang a Tarana and the famous Bhairavi Thumri ‘Aaye na balam’. Taans and Sargams were also good.
Desh, Calcutta, 3.7.93
Bharati sang a khayal in Raga Jaunpuri and a Thumri. Her ‘taankari’ was powerful and she made a lasting impression with her “raga-vistaar’ in a powerful and resonant voice.
Pratidin, Calcutta, 28.2.94
Chitresh Das was given able support by Bharati Nanavati who sang with equal ease and confidence.
The Telegraph, Calcutta, 25.2.95
SHRI HARDEO NANAVATI
Shri Hardeo Nanavati hailed from Junagadh, the land of Narsinh Mehta, a celebrated Nagar saint. He came to India after partition and settled down in Kolkata, his Karmabhoomi. He was a hardware merchant and founder of the Steelcraft Agencies.
Devastated by the loss of his brothers he was encouraged to take up music by his wife, Smt Nitilaxmi Nanavati and therefore started his initial training from Shri Sailen Banerjee. Hardeoji's abundant musical talent unveiled itself when he started composing music for poetries he loved. He was a self taught, dynamic, creative musician and his compositions were taught to many students. He was a connoisseur of music, literature and art and had a vision for amalgamating these art forms to produce unforgettable songs in Gujarati, penned by famous poets like Harindra Dave, Suresh Dalal, Makrand Dave, Anil Joshi, Ramesh Parekh etc based on classical raagas like Parmeshwari, Charukeshi, Nat Bhairav, Gujari Todi, Jog, Basant Mukhari, Yaman Kalyan, Vrindavani Sarang which were sung by his daughter and protégé Smt Bharati Nanavati and other disciples. He composed about 250 songs in Gujarati and Hindi which were acknowledged and appreciated by almost all the musicians and poets of his time. His compositions were produced as a super EP Record from INRECO by the legend Pandit V Balsara, an admirer of Hardeoji, sung by Smt Bharati Nanavati.
He was the foremost musician who worked for propagating Indian Classical Music among Gujaratis of Kolkata. He established the organization 'SHRAVANI' which staged young talented artists with an idea to spread love for Indian Classical Music. Shravani successfully carried out the baithak tradition of Indian Classical Music for decades. He invited and hosted artists like Rasiklal Andharia, Atul Desai, Krishnakant Parikh, Niraj Parikh, Kantilal Sonchhatra and Balwantrai Bhatt. Later renamed as 'SUR SHRAVAN', the cause of spreading Indian Classical Music has been taken forward by Smt.Bharati Nanavati and Pt.Sunil Banerjee. Hardeoji was a philanthropist who helped lots of Educational Institutions and organizations lsuch as Julien Day School, Bhawanipur Gujarati Educational Society, Gujarati Sahitya Mandal, Kolkata Nagar Mandal, Chinmaya Mission, Gita Mandir.
Hardeoji lived his life to the fullest and his rich legacy lives on through his family and students.
VIDWAN S SEKHAR
Vidwan S Sekhar Started learning mridangam at the age of 6 and underwent extensive training under Late respected Sri L.V.Vaidyanathan, the foremost mridangam player of Kolkata . Sekhar is an “A” Grade artiste of both All India Radio and Doordarshan for the last 35 years . He had his “arangetram”performances in 1966 at 2 famous temples of Kerala- ‘Guruvayur’ and ‘Vaikom’, as per his late father Sri N.S.Mani’s wish.
He has accompanied Ustad Amjad Ali Khan for major concerts, including at the prestigious Dover Lane Music Conference Kolkata and also accompanied maestro Ustad Ashish Khan.
Vidwan S Sekhar has played with great Tabla maestros Late Pandit Kishen Maharaj, Late Pandit Shankar Ghosh, Pandit Swapan Chowdhuri, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Ustad Sabir Khan, Pandit Vijay Ghate and also the younger generation players like Sri Bickram Ghosh, Sri Abhijit Banerjee, Sri Shubhankar Banerjee, Sri Tanmoy Bose, etc. He accompanied a unique Jugalbandi concert of Ustad Rashid Khan and Sri Shankar Mahadevan. He has played for the background score for films of Late Sri Satyajit Ray, Late Sri Salil Chowdhury, Late Sri Tapan Sinha and Sri Goutam Ghosh. He has been continuously providing extensive tutelage to mridangam students, tabla players, ghatam, sitar and clarionet players and western drummers.
Vidwan S Sekhar has accompanied a number of stalwart Carnatic musicians -- Late Sri T. R. Mahalingam (Flute), Late Sri S. Balachander (Veena), Late Sri Maharajapuram Santhanam (Vocal), Late Sri Chitti Babu (Veena), Sri T. N. Krishnan (Violin), Late Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman (Violin), Late Dr. N.Ramani (Flute), Late Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna (Vocal), Late Dr. S. Ramanathan (Vocal), Sri T. V. Sankaranarayanan (Vocal), Sri P.S.Narayanaswamy (Vocal), Late Sri S.Kalyanaraman (Vocal), Late Sri Thiruvengadu Jayaraman (Vocal), Late Sri T. R. Subrahmanyam (Vocal), Sri O. S. Thiagarajan (Vocal), Sri T. N. Seshagopalan (Vocal), Late Sri Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana (Vocal), Smt T.Rukmani (Violin), Prof R.Visveswaran (Veena), Sri Kadri Gopalnath (Saxophone), Late Sri Neyyatinkara Vasudevan (Vocal), Late Sri B. N. Suresh (Flute), Late Smt. M. L. Vasanthakumari (Vocal), Smt Sudha Raghunathan (Vocal), Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan (Vocal), Lalgudi Sri G.J.R.Krishnan and Smt.Vijayalakshmi (Violin), Sri Ganesh and Sri Kumaresh (Violin), the Hyderabad Bros (Vocal), Sri Sanjay Subramanyam (Vocal), Sri T. M. Krishna (Vocal), Dr. R. Ganesh (Vocal), S/S Mysore Nagaraj and Manjunath (Violin), etc. He visited U.S.A., Canada, U.K. Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland , Dubai and Sri Lanka for concert tours.
On successful completion of 50 years of public performance, Pandit Sekhar was felicitated on 9th Jan 2016 at Sree Thyagaraja Hall Kolkata by his students and well-wishers both local as well as coming from different parts of the country and abroad as well as by various organizations . A beautiful lec-dem on the Palghat Mani Iyer school of play was given by Mahavidwan Sri V Kamalakar Rao on the occasion. Sri Rao was also the Chief Guest for the following grand concert by Padmabhushan Sangeeta Kalanidhi Sri T V Sankaranarayanan accompanied by Sri V K Ramanujacharulu on violin and Sri Sekhar on mridangam. He has participated as an accompanist in the prestigious grand finale championship of Zee Bangla Saregamapa and also in Star Jalsa Star Super Singer .