Kaushiki Chakraborty, badged as the face of Patiala gharana, is the highest-paid woman classical musician, with a massive fan following on social media and a youthful audience in every city she sings in.
She has transcended the barriers of classical music and appeals to all types of listeners, reports The Tribune.
In a recent article, the Indian classical vocalist is said to be often criticised for being a product of superb marketing, however, she stands out for her singing technique executed with excellence.
The article adds:
Her training under different gurus, including the late Balmuralikrishna, Ustad Mashkur Ali Khan and Pt Ajoy Chakravorty, lends to her singing a newness, which has catapulted her ability to connect with audiences. She sells and her eagerness to explore uncharted grounds musically is appreciated by her listeners too.
At the recently concluded Patiala Heritage Festival, Kaushiki, who is today the most popular singer of Patiala gharana, is happy to talk about her link with Punjab. “I just love the spirit of the people here,” she gushes. “And I love shopping here too! I bought myself the world-famous Patiala parandis and juttis. I love to see the places that I perform in and am so happy I was invited to sing in Patiala, which today is my musical identity.”
SEE FULL ARTCLE, Voice of Punjab is Bengali (The Tribune, 10 March 2019), here.
In an entry at its Facebook page last year, Sabad Naad said that Kaushiki hails from a well known musical family of Calcutta and the daughter of Ajoy Chakraborty, belonging to the Patiala Gharana.
It adds: “At age ten, she started learning Indian classical music at the Academy of Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh who was also her father’s guru and later joined ITC Sangeet Research Academy from where she graduated in 2004 and was also groomed by her father, under whom she also trained at his Shrutinandan school of music in Kolkata.
“She has not only specialized in rendering of Khayals and Tumri but she has also learned South Indian Classical music from Shri Balamurali Krishna from 2002. So her singing repertoire covers Indian classical, Khayals and Thumris and in her recitals, she presents a mature rendition, often with a rhythmical swing succeeded by unrestrained taans in three and-a-half octaves.”
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