Kaushiki Chakraborty: Difference between revisions

'''Kaushiki Chakraborty''' (born 24 October 1980) is an Indian [[Hindustani classical music|classical]] vocalist. She attended [[ITC Sangeet Research Academy|Sangeet Research Academy]], and was one of the exponents of [[Patiala gharana]].<ref name="Music">{{Cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kaushiki-chakraborty-mn0000769140|title=Kaushiki Chakraborty: Artist Biography|access-date=15 January 2016|publisher=All Muic.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/spectrum/society/voice-of-punjab-is-bengali/740552.html|title=Voice of Punjab is Bengali|access-date=21 July 2019|work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]}}</ref> Her repertoire covers [[Khyal|''Khyals'']] and semi-classical [[Thumri|''Thumris'']]. She is the recipient 2005 [[BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music]] in the Asia-Pacific category. She is the daughter of Hindustani classical vocalist, [[Ajoy Chakraborty]] and she has held performances with her husband, Parthasarathi Desikan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlantadunia.com/dunia/News/N223.htm|title=Kaushiki Chakraborty Desikan and Partha Desikan delight Atlanta|access-date=15 January 2016|publisher= atlantadunia.com}}</ref> In 2020, she was awarded [[Nari Shakti Puraskar]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=#GoodNewsOfTheDay: 15 Women honoured with Nari Shakti Puraskar by President Ram Nath Kovind on Women's Day|url=https://www.pinkvilla.com/lifestyle/people/goodnewsoftheday-15-women-honoured-nari-shakti-puraskar-president-ram-nath-kovind-womens-day-513693|access-date=2021-03-21|website=PINKVILLA|language=en}}</ref>

Chakraborty was born on 24 October 1980 in [[Kolkata]]. She is the daughter of Chandana Chakraborty and the Padma Bhushan recipient Indian classical singer, [[Ajoy Chakraborty]]. She had an interest in music from the age of two. She accompanied her father on world tours of music performances since the late 1980s. She sung her first song in public, a ''[[tarana]]'', at age 7, at the [[Calcutta Rowing Club]].<ref name=Dual>{{Cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120911/jsp/entertainment/story_15960400.jsp|title= Kaushiki's dual role|date= 11 September 2012|access-date=15 January 2016|work=The Telegraph|location=Kolkota}}</ref>  

At age ten, she started learning Indian classical music at the academy of [[Jnan Prakash Ghosh]] who was also her father's guru. Later, she joined the [[ITC Sangeet Research Academy]] from where she graduated in 2004,<ref name="Hall" /><ref name="Lusk">{{Cite web|last=Lusk|first=Jon|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2005/profile_kaushikichakraborty.shtml|title=Winner 2005 Kaushiki Chakraborty (India)|year=2005|access-date=14 January 2016|publisher=BBC News}}</ref><ref name="Banerjee" /> and was also groomed by her father at his [[Shrutinandan]] school of music in Kolkata. She has not only specialized in rendering of ''Khyals'' and ''Thumri'' but she has also learned [[Carnatic music|South Indian Classical music]] from Vidwan [[Balamurali Krishna]] from 2002.<ref name="Lusk" /><ref name="Banerjee">{{Cite news|last= Banerjee |first= Meena|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/05/29/stories/2009052950150300.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411024052/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/05/29/stories/2009052950150300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 April 2013|title= Thinking of khayal in Bengal|date=29 May 2009|newspaper= [[The Hindu]] |access-date=14 January 2016}}</ref>  

She completed her schooling at Patha Bhavan School, [[Kolkata]]. In 2002, she graduated from the [[Jogamaya Devi College]], an affiliated undergraduate women's college of the [[University of Calcutta]], in Kolkata with a first class degree in Philosophy. She also obtained a master's degree in Philosophy from [[Jadavpur University]], Kolkata.<ref name="Taan">{{Cite web|url=http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main46.asp?filename=hub250910The_Gril.asp|title=The Girl with the Runaway Taan: Tehelka Magazine, Vol 7, Issue 38|date=25 September 2010|access-date=14 January 2016|work=Tehelka Magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216031319/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main46.asp?filename=hub250910The_Gril.asp|archive-date=16 February 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jogamayadevicollege.org/history.htm|title= History of the College|access-date=14 January 2016|publisher=Jogmayadevi College}}</ref>

Chakraborty has participated in many major concerts. Apart from rendering ''Khyals'' in her performances, she has occasionally adopted contemporary form of Indian pop music.<ref name=Music/> She performed at the [[Dover Lane Music Conference]] from the age of 20 and continued participating for the next 5 years. In her recitals, she presents a mature and rhythmical swing succeeded by unrestrained [[Taan (music)|''taans'']] in three and-a-half octaves.<ref name= Taan/>  

In the two-day celebration in honour of vocalist [[Kishori Amonkar]] in recognition of her 60 years contribution to music held at [[Pune]] on 14 February 2011, Chakraborty rendered raga ''[[Todi]]''. Two other artists, Kalapini Komkali, daughter and disciple of Pt. [[Kumar Gandharva]] and Nandini Bedekar of the [[Jaipur-Atrauli gharana]], also rendered ''[[Bandish|bandishes]]'' in the same raga at the same venue during the morning session. [[Bharat Kamat]] on the [[tabla]] and Suyog Kundalkar on the [[harmonium]] provided support to all three artists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_the-blend-of-three-gharanas-a-musical-experience-beyond-words_1507614|title= The blend of three 'gharanas', a musical experience beyond words|date= 14 February 2011|access-date=14 January 2016|work= Daily News and Analysis}}</ref> In the unique musical sessions organized by Mumbai's [[National Centre for the Performing Arts (India)|National Centre for the Performing Arts]] (NCPA), ''ragas'' in different time-cycles were presented on 18 September 2011 by three vocalists which included Kaushiki Chakraborty, [[Ulhas Kashalkar]], and [[Devaki Pandit]]. This rendering was a departure from the normal evening concerts, and the ragas were sung in time periods appropriate to each raga, starting from early morning till evening.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/An-experience-of-Dawn-to-Dusk-raags/849735/|title= An experience of Dawn to Dusk raags|date= 22 September 2011|access-date=14 January 2016|newspaper=The Indian Express}}</ref>

Chakraborty hosts a weekly talk-show with singers in the entertainment channel, [[Ruposhi Bangla]]. The talk-show named "Gaan-Golpo ar Gaan" (Songs, Stories and Songs), aired on Sundays, presents music and gossip. She presents Bengali songs such as Classical, [[Rabindra Sangeet]], Nazrulgeeti, [[Folk music]], Toppa, Adhunik, Bangla Bands, film songs, and remixes. Her guests who have appeared on this show are Banasree Sengupta, [[Subhamita Banerjee]], [[Lopamudra Mitra]], [[Joy Sarkar]], her father, [[Ajoy Chakraborty]], as the guests.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ruposhibangla.in/index.php?bmkey=20|title= Gaan Golpo aar Gaan|access-date=14 January 2016|publisher=News Time}}</ref>

Chakraborty has formed an exclusive women's musical group called the "Sakhi" (meaning, friend) which is a forerunner in classical music in the country to "celebrate womanhood" and as a dedication to the famous mythological and historical woman of India – [[Ganga]], [[Saraswati]], [[Durga]], [[Lakshmi]], [[Draupadi]], [[Kunti]], [[Sita]], [[Radha]] and [[Meera]].  The first programme of the group was planned to be held on 20 January 2015 at Kala Mandir, Mumbai. Chakraborty was the vocalist and the other members of this group were Shaoni Talwalkar on the tabla, Mahima Upadhyay on the [[pakhwaj]], [[Debopriya Chatterjee]] on the flute, [[Nandini Shankar]] on the violin while the [[Kathak]] dance performance was by Bhakti Deshpande. They are daughters or grand daughters or disciples of famous Hindustani musicians.<ref name="Chowdhury">{{Cite news|last= Chowdhury|first= Tathagata Ray |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/music/Kaushiki-Chakraborty-forms-first-all-womens-classical-band-Sakhi/articleshow/45940344.cms|title=Kaushiki Chakraborty forms first all women's classical band, Sakhi |date=19 January 2015 |access-date=14 January 2016 |newspaper=The Times of India}}</ref> Chakraborty presented this musical ensemble with her group at the [[Carnegie Hall]] in October 2015; the programme was of 90 minutes duration.<ref name="Hall">{{Cite web|url=http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2015/10/16/0830/PM/Kaushiki-Chakrabortys-Sakhi/|title=Kaushiki Chakraborty's Sakhi:Women in Indian Music|date=16 October 2015|access-date=15 January 2016|publisher= Carnegiehall Organization}}</ref>

Chakraborty married Parthasarathi Desikan, also a professional singer in Hindustani music, in 2004 and they have a son, Rishith.<ref name=Desikan>{{cite web|last=Biswas|first=Jaya|title=Are Kaushiki and Parthasarathi back together?|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/music/Are-Kaushiki-and-Parthasarathi-back-together/articleshow/39609459.cms}}</ref>

Chakraborty's discography includes "Footsteps," a solo debut in 1998, and "A Journey Begins" (2002). Her album "Pure" in 2004 was a record of her performance in London on 30 August 2003.<ref name=Lusk/> She has also sung a ''[[kirtan]]'' at [[Coke Studio (Pakistan)|MTV Coke Studio]] – Season 2 – song name – Lagi Lagi with [[Shantanu Moitra]] & [[Swanand Kirkire]].<ref name= Mathur/> Her other popular song recordings are for movies ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]'', ''[[Thirumanam Enum Nikkah]]'' (2014) and ''[[Kutti Puli]]'' (2013).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1982578/|title=Kaushiki Chakraborty|access-date=15 January 2016|publisher= IMDb }}</ref> [[Rituparno Ghosh]] had asked her father to permit Chakraborty to act in his films but he refused saying that it would interfere with her musical career.  

Chakraborty has released her album titled "''The Best of Kaushiki Chakraborty.''"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.in/The-Best-Kaushiki-Chakraborty-Chakraborty/dp/B00AO6CW3S|title=The Best of Kaushiki Chakraborty|access-date=15 January 2016}}</ref> Some of her other classical audio recordings are: [[Dhrupad]] [[Alap]] in [[Poorvi]] raga, Dhrupad in Poorvi raga, Khayal in [[Bageshree]] raga (in teen taal), Khayal in Bageshree raga (in [[ektaal]]), and [[Varnam]] in Swarashtram raga.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://imusti.com/#!/artists/info/26268/Kaushiki|access-date=15 January 2016|publisher=iMusti India Pvt. Ltd|title=Kaushiki Chakraborty|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625035621/http://imusti.com/#!/artists/info/26268/Kaushiki|archive-date=25 June 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

|rowspan="1"  |2018|| Naanaagiya Nadhimoolamae || ''[[Vishwaroopam II]]'' || [[Kamal Haasan]], Master Karthik Suresh Iyer || [[Ghibran]] || [[Kamal Haasan]]

|rowspan="1"  |2016|| Kaaga || ''[[Mirzya (film)|Mirzya]]'' || None || [[Shankar Ehsaan Loy]] || [[Gulzar]]

|rowspan="2" |2014|| Thuli Thuliyay || ''[[Ramanujan (film)|Ramanujan]]''  || [[Ramesh Vinayakam]] || [[Ramesh Vinayakam]] || [[Na. Muthukumar]]

|rowspan="2"|2012|| Bhalobashi || ''[[Teen Kanya (2012 film)|Teen Kanya]]'' || None || [[Indradeep Dasgupta]] || [[Srijato]]

==Albums appeared==

* 2002– A Journey Begins

* 2005– Hamaaro Pranaam

* 2005– Water

* 2007– Rageshri

* 2007– Pure

* 2008– Jhanak

* 2010– Jag Do Din Ka Mela

* 2011– Manomay

* 2011– Kaushiki

* 2011– Jaani Dyakha Hawbe

* 2012– Paanch Adhyay (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

* 2013– Boon

* 2013– Hanuman.com

* 2013– Shunyo Awnko

* 2013– Thirumanam Enum Nikkah

* 2014– Parapaar (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

* 2014– Gulaab Gang

* 2014– Ramanujan

* 2014– Sondhey Naamar Aagey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

* 2014– Hrid Majharey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

* 2015– Karvaan

* 2015– Kadambari (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

* 2015– Family Album (Original Motion Picture Soundtracks)

* 2016– Mirzya

* 2017– Kaushikis Sakhi

* 2017– Arani Takhon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

* 2017– Gaayeja

[[Category:Indian female classical singers]]