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Leena Taposi Khan
 Mohoshina
Akter Khanom, popularly known as LEENA TAPOSI
KHAN comes from a family possessing high musical
interest. Inspired by her father M.A.Khan, she
began her singing career in 1974. In 1975, she
started performing in childrens programs
Nutan Kuri, Asho Gan Shikhi on Bangladesh
Television and Radio Bangladesh. In 1981, Leena
went to Viswa-Bharati University (popularly
known as "Santiniketan") which was
established by Nobel Laureate Tagore and is well
known for its curriculum in music. She had an
Indian Government Scholarship for pursuing
higher education in Music. She has performed in
various parts of India as an invited artist on
many occasions with highly acclaimed and
well-known Indian artists like Hemanta Mukherjee,
Satinath Mukherjee and Dhirendra Chandra Mitra.
More recently, she has performed in various
cities of the United States, Europe and
continues to perform and teach in Bangladesh.She
has contributed greatly as a vocal artist in the
field of Classical Music, especially in Nazrul
Songs (a particular genre of music named after
the revolutionary Kazi Nazrul Islam). She is
equally successful in presenting modern songs.
She has also taught in the Department of Theater
and Music at Dhaka University, Bangladesh.While
presenting songs, she succeeds in creating a
trance-like atmosphere. Her presentation amply
proves that songs can overpower the listeners
and transport them irresistibly to a region of
sublime feelings
Banani
Ghosh
 Rabindrasangeet
is not a past time but a priest hood to Banani
Ghosh. Her music career began at the tender age
of six. To explore the fascinating world of
vocal music and master the art of rendition, she
took rigorous training from eminent scholars of
Rabindrasangeet, Classical, traditional songs
and Bhajans in Calcutta and Santiniketan, India.
Banani is a Rabindra Bharati University and
Geetabitan graduate. Banani's pursuit for
excellence gives her recognition amongst the
foremost Rabindrasangeet performers. Since 1961,
Banani has been globetrotting on invitations to
re-acquaint Tagore to the people at large
through Rabindrasangeet. She religiously makes
annual visits to India to participate in the
Rabindra-Jayanti festivities. During these
visits, she performs for the All India Radio,
Doordarshan Kendra and for HMV - The Gramophone
company of India Ltd. Besides Rabindrasangeet,
Banani also mastered songs of Atulprasad,
Rajanikanta and Dwijendralal Roy. Banani has
received numerous honors and awards for her
relentless efforts to promote and propagate
Tagore's culture and traditional Bengali songs.
And in this effort, Banani founded Antara-
a Tagore music institution across the United
States and Canada.
Archana
Dutta
Archana
Dutta's first vocal recording was released in
1982 under the banner of Geetabitan (Kolkata) -
where she teaches Rabindrasangeet. Her first
solo album, "Ajana Bedana", a fine
collection of Tagore's songs has been released
with the approval of the venerable Visva-Bharati.
It has received favorable reviews praising her
voice, clarity of notes and intonation. Archana
studied music under well known artists
Akhilbandhu Ghosh and Chinmoy Chatterjee. She
studied Rabindrasangeet at the famous
institution Geetabitan in Kolkata. In 1969,
Archana won the coveted Nandita Purashkar from
Visva-Bharati. The following year, she was
placed first in the All India Radio's
Rabindrasangeet contest. Soon after Archana
began performing as a radio artist. She had many
public performances through the years. Archana
also appeared on "Doordarshan" in the
television adaptation of Tagore's dance drama,
Chandalika.
Arumoy and Swati Banerjee
Arumoy Banerjee is one of the most promising
young performers in the field of recitation and
Audio drama in West Bengal. A Master degree
holder in Drama from Rabindra Bharati
University, Arumoy, has done a series of
meritorious production in All-India Radio,
Television and Stage of Calcutta. He is a
regular employee in Production wing of Calcutta
Television Center and produced many programs for
regional and national network with tremendous
capacity. He became State champion in recitation
organized by West Bengal Government. With more
than ten audio albums already released, Arumoy
is enjoying his popularity in the cultural arena
of Bengal with his extraordinary creativity.
Arumoy
is married to Swati, who is also a very gifted
performer in recitation and audio-drama. Swati
has given solo as well as duet performances with
Arumoy in many recitation programs in Bengal.
She has about three audio albums to her credit
and is slowly cementing her place in the hearts
of the poetry lovers.
SAYAK
SAYAK,
a name associated with a theatre group, have
through its journey of 28 years, become a
household word in the world of Bengali theatre.
Having assumed the formation by eleven dedicated
the theatre workers in December 1973 with the
objective to nourish progressive, modern
creative theatre enriching cultural heritage of
Bengal, Sayak at this stage, feels proud for its
ability in rousing a place of honor and
admiration in the hearts of the theatre lovers
through total devotion to genuine work. The
nitty-gritty professionalism, never failing
discipline, dexterous leadership and dignified
productions under the able leadership of Meghnad
Bhattacharya, have made Sayak popular and
significant, transcending it to the position of
a dramatic institution with its multifarious
activities.
Sayak
did never retreat to court the challenge of
making productions of various original plays as
well as translated or adapted from remarkable
works of great playwrights which carries a clear
evidence of a rendezvous of reputation and
popularity. Out of the 15 full length plays so
far produced by Sayak, some of the plays which
were outstanding and significant are Dui Huzurer
Goppo (1979), Gnan Briksher Fal (1985),
Daibaddha (1991), Bashbhumi (1993), Karnabati
(1996) and Aa-Awa-Ka-Kha (2000).
Sayak
has received lots of awards and laurels like
Shiromoni Award, Dishari Award, Critic Circle of
India Award, Kalakar Award and P.C. Barua Award.
Irshad Khan
 Irshad
Khan is today universally recognized as one of
the most outstanding young sitar players and the
leading surbahar player of the younger
generation. He is the son and disciple of Ustad
Imrat Khan. Having emerged as a prodigy, Irshad
has been giving public performances from the age
of seven. His international debut was at the
Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, England, when he
was thirteen. At eighteen, he made history by
becoming the youngest soloist to perform at the
first Indian All Night Concert at the
prestigious PROMS international festival in
London. Today he performs extensively at major
music festivals and universities throughout the
world. He has received various honors, medals
and awards including recognition as the Artist
of the Year by the West Bengal Government of
India in 1992. Irshad is based in Toronto and
Mumbai. He teaches and composes music and
conducts intensive workshops at various
educational institutions. He is the founder of
Universal Academy of Musicians in Toronto.
Irshad is not only continuing in the family
tradition but is also making his own
contribution to present day Indian music.
Shafaatullah
Khan
Shafaatullah
Khan is the first known artist in Indian
Classical Music to have attained simultaneous
excellence in performing on three different
instruments: Tabla, Sitar and Surbahar. His
multidimensional musical repertoire, therefore,
also distinguishes him in his pedigreed
ancestry. Shafaat began his career at an early
age on sitar and surbahar under the tutelage of
his father Ustad Imrat Khan. Shafaat later
developed a passion for the tabla and then
studied under the guidance of the respected
Ustad Ibrahim Khan. Debuting in the Kings
Lynn Festival opened by the Queen Mother of
Great Britain, he has since been acclaimed for
countless performances around the world. He is a
virtuoso of the tabla and tours extensively,
performing in India, China, Greece and Europe.
He has given lecture-demonstrations at the
University of California at Los Angeles, Harvard
and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington,
D. C. Currently based in Philadelphia; he is a
professor at the Univerisity of Pennsylvania.
Prasanna
Kasthuri
The eldest of the
Kasthuri family, Prasanna started his training
in Bharatanatyam under Guru Smt.
Lalitha Srinivasan in 1977 and had his
arangetram in 1984. In 1985 he scored a rank in
Bharatanatyan Vidwath examinations held by the
Karnataka Govt. Later he continued under Guru
Smt. Narmada and Guru Adyar K. Lakshmanan. He
has been trained in Kathak by
Guru Maya Rao. Prasanna's 24-hour
marathon recital in 1986 was a great
dance feat for his dance career. In 1989
Prasanna was invited by the "Lasya Dance
Company" of UK to perform leading roles in
their productions of dance-dramas as well as
solo Bharatanatyam performances. He proceeded to
USA where he conducted workshops in Texas,
Arizona and performed in several cities in USA.
He was the artistic director of "Tribhang",
a dance troupe which toured in USA, UK, France
and Switzerland and performed successfully. His
significant achievement was establishing the
Shantala Dance Academy (SAA) which is training
many dance enthusiasts in Bangalore and in St.
Louis, USA. Prasanna, now settled in St. Louis
since 1997, is actively involved in the St.
Louis community, spreading the knowledge of
Indian Classical Dances. The comment from Times
of India succintly describes Prasanna
as, "This young dancer has a flair for
innovation within the conventional domains and
is sure to go places of course with
opportunities and experience". TIMES
OF INDIA 11.05.86. |
