Art and Culture

Classical vocalist Sohini Roychowdhury enthralls audience with her mellifluous singing

by Trans World Features | @twfindia 30 Jul 2018, 01:04 pm

Kolkata, July 30 (IBNS): Classical singer Sohini Roychowdhury entranced the audience with her mellifluous renditions at an evening concert organised recently in Kolkata.

The musical concert Shrutivilas was organised by Chakrasaptak.

Her Kafi Tappa reminded us of some  legendary female singers of bygone days such as Rasoolan Bai and Siddheswari Devi.

Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande classified most ragas into ten thaats; Kafi thaat is one of them.

The raga Kafi is the principal raga of its thaat.

It is a more recent raga; according to Bhatkhande, the name of the raga first appears in the Raga Tarangini of Lochana Pandit, who lived in the Mithila district in 15th century.

Raga Kafi has a direct lineage with the folk music of India.

Folk music in Tappa, Hori, Dadra, Kirtan and Bhajans from different parts of India have been composed in this raga.

Roychowdhury followed it up with a composition in Desh Malhar set to Addha tal and a Ragpradhan in Ahir Bhairav.

According to legends, raga Malhar is so powerful that when sung, it can induce rainfall.

Thereafter, she rendered a Rajasthani bhajan by Mirabai and concluded her recital with a colourful dadra in Bhairavi.

Babu Bardhan and Sanjeev Ghosh provided excellent support on the harmonium and the tabla, respectively.

Sohini is a classical vocalist trained by Pandit A. Kanan and Ustad Sagiruddin Khan of Kirana Gharana.

She has also acquired a rich repertoire of Thumri, Dadra, Kajri, Hori, and other semi-classical forms from Dalia Rahut of Benaras Gharana.

Roychowdhury is the niece of R. D Burman. She is the granddaughter of painter Shyamal Sen on the paternal side and great-granddaughter of poet Rajanikato Sen on the maternal side.