Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay turns 100: Marks the historic moment with a khayal rendition

The 100th birthday celebrations of Sangeetacharya Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay marked a momentous occasion in the history of Kolkata’s classical music. For decades, his students have organised a special concert as part of his birthday celebrations, and each year he has unfailingly elevated its appeal with his khayal renditions. The Vivekananda Hall of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture was packed with admirers of the veteran musician. Clad in a dhoti-kurta, the centenarian took the stage with the same confidence that has defined his presence over the years. His singing belied his age.

Beginning with a bada-khayal in Bihag set to Ektaal, he brought out the poignancy of the raag with remarkable finesse. The performance also reminded listeners of the significance of melodic aesthetics — an idea that forms the essence of his book Sangeete Saundarya-Chinta, written in Bengali. He followed it up with Drut Teentaal. The badhat phrases were short but awe-inspiring. Without any repetition, he highlighted myriad shades of the raag and stringed them lovingly with delicate meends. Similar were the taans that came about in lightning speed.

Interestingly, apart from well-known names in the field of music such as Ajoy Chakrabarty, Anindo Chatterjee and Samar Saha, several young music enthusiasts were also present. After a serene guru-vandana by Ramanuj Dasgupta, the audience was treated to an engaging session in which Shantanu Bandyopadhyay (Amiya babu’s son) and a group of senior musicians recalled many facets of the maestro’s life and art. Particularly striking is his deep admiration for Ustad Amir Khan’s emotive yet intellectually rigorous approach to music-making. They also spoke about how he is a stickler for perfection and his deep sense of commitment.

Despite hailing from a family of dhrupad singers, Amiya babu, son of Satyakinkar Bandyopadhyay, chose to pursue khayal. Apparently, there would be complete silence in his house when he would sit to do his daily riyaaz. Though rooted in tradition, Amiya babu likes to move with the times. A quick learner, he embraced modern technology and to this day records his morning riyaaz sessions, which he listens to later to analyse and refine the nuances. He also continues to teach more than 50 students both online and in-person.

Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay hails from a family of dhrupad singers
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As a faculty member and later as the Head of the Department of Music at Rabindra Bharati University, he never missed an opportunity to spot and encourage promising talent. This trait endeared him to Vijay Kichlu, the founder-director of the Sangeet Research Academy (SRA). At Kichlu’s request, Amiya babu agreed to serve as a visiting member of SRA’s expert committee to assess the progress of its scholars.

During one such gradation test, he listened to a young Rashid Khan. So astounded was he by the boy’s brilliance that he found himself unable to write anything in the review book. When requested to record at least a brief remark, he responded, “He is already a star musician. How can I assess him?”  

On another occasion, he predicted that Chandana Chakraborty was a talent to watch out for. Today, she is an important member of Ajoy Chakrabarty’s musical family.        

The evening echoed the very qualities he had long nurtured in others — now revealed through his own artistry. Accompanied by his favourite tabla artiste Samar Saha and a host of disciples on the harmonium, tanpuras and vocals, the sangeetacharya sat in sukhasana like a yogi.