Eminent Indian vocalist to collaborate with French musicians

Kolkata: Expanding his rich repertoire of music, amassed over decades, eminent vocalist Pt Shantanu Bandopadhyay will collaborate with a French troupe for his new venture Broken Arrows by this year."In sync with my perception on fusion art practiced by contemporary and younger musicians exploring different strands, I feel there cannot be any typical gharana one should always stick to. If there are honest efforts by mixing and blending, where is the harm?" the famed classical singer told reporters.

The renowned vocalist, who conducted an unconventional workshop on vocal science with children, said while he was all for the little ones straining their chords with classical notes, there will be no harm if they tried other forms of music to do the same. "Exerting your vocal strains for a given period every day is the most important, whether be it classical or any other form of music," he reasoned. Panditji, who had earlier cut two albums on classical music -- the vocalist in rhythm with two American companies, said this time too it will not follow any rigid parameters and largely be situational based on the jugalbandi with co-artistes. "I think there cannot be absolutely any act of iconoclasm if you break the mould and try things in your own way as long as it sounds refreshing to the ears. I am all for fusion. I had indeed tried fusion but in my own way," he said. The sixth generation descendant of the Bishnupur gharana, Bandopadhayay had introduced vocal science in classical music for the first time in the world aimed at instant improvement of voice. With proper vocal training, every singer can sing with perfection, he said. "I am not the one who would say reality shows for children and teenagers retard their real progress. I am not the one who would say only classical music is the panacea for a budding singer`s growth. "Those who make it through reality shows are not classically trained and should not be treated as outcasts," he said. Panditji, who conducted a workshop with hundreds of young boys and girls at the Rabindra Okakura Bhavan here, dubbed `Parampara Bishnupur` as a platform for the upcoming artistes of Bishnupur gharana to showcase their talents and also provide a stage for them to perform. PTI