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Atri Kotal

Domain: Hindustani Classical Vocalist | Educator | Music Composer | Community Builder | LIVE Concert Performer | Recording Studio Artist & Musician

Genre: #IndianClassical #Ghazal #Thumri #Dadra #MusicComposition #SemiClassical #recording #studio 

Location: Kolkata, India

InterviewsPerformance

Journey

JUST ANOTHER CHILD DESTINED TO BE A MUSICIAN

Atri Kotal grew up just like other children her age, with a regular training in Hindustani classical music. She was introduced to Hindustani classical music early in her childhood by her mother Smt. Ratna Kotal, following which, she started to take classes from Vidushi Mandira Lahiri. She was trained by Late Pandit Biresh Roy and Ustad Jainul Abedin. She has also received semi classical (Thumri) singing taalim from Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty for 2 years. Atri is an upcoming and talented economist turned musician currently training under Shri Deborshee Bhattacharjee.

Atri holds a distinguished academic career with a Masters Degree in Economics from University of Calcutta and with a work experience as Business analyst at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Bangalore. (2012-2014)

2014: THE TURNING POINT AND A LIFE-CHANGING PATHWAY IN MUSIC

After graduating with a Degree in Economics, Atri started working at TCS, and was performing LIVE at several platforms, stage shows, her own office music Band, winning prizes in several music competitions, so her parents wished to preserve her voice release an Album, as they thought she would never pursue music in a full-time basis. In order to record that album, bhajan genre was chosen as she was most confident about the same. Her Guru (at the time) gave a fresh music to the chosen bhajan, and she started practicing it for studio recording at a later date. The exercise entailed her visiting the studio for a week, where she had 1st hand experience working with full-time musicians.

After her recording was done, she was scheduled to join back work in Bangalore. In the month of November, 2013, when she was in the aircraft on her flight back to Bangalore, she started missing the life that she just experience during her recording session. And, she garnered the courage to take a stand and quit her corporate world to embrace of life in music. She quit her job at TCS, in March, 2014.

She moved to Kolkata in August 2014 and her Guru inspired her to practice 8-10 hours a day, sacrifice any social life altogether, including the digital world of whatsapp, facebook, and basically dedicate full-time towards music practice, listening, resting of voice, practising with Tabla accompaniment, attending concerts, and introspection, research and deep-thinking in music. That is how she embraced a musical life, full-time. Yes, in 2014, Atri quit her job to pursue music as her primary career-path.

EARLY RECOGNITION AS A PROMISING MUSICIAN

By the end of 2015, the year that was her last eligible year to appear for the CCRT scholarship exam, she made it with flying colours. She bagged the prestigious National Scholarship by Ministry of Culture, under Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) that rewards Rs. 1,20,000 over a period of 2 years. In 2016, she won 1st prize in Pratima Chandra  Memorial award in association with Doverlane Music Academy, with cash prize of Rs. 50,000.

Atri is a graded artist of All India Radio (AIR), and a recipient of prestigious awards and accolades listed below:

  • Girija Devi Vishesh Kalakar Puraskar for purab-ang gayaki, 2017
  • Ganwardhan award conferred by Vidushi Dr. Prabha Atre, in Pune, 2017

Atri has performed in prestigious Music concerts in different parts of India, namely:

  • 61st Uttarpara Sangeet Chakra, West Bengal
  • Thumri festival at VSK Baithak, New Delhi
  • Doverlane periodic concert, Kolkata
  • Tarang, Hyderabad
  • Hamsadhwani, Lucknow
  • Dover Lane Annual Music Conference, 69th Edition
  • The Fifth Note – Ustad Rashd Khan Academy
  • SPICMACAY Workshop Demonstration series at Kota, Chittorgarh, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Atri’s vocal texture, accuracy of notes and musical maturity have gathered much appreciation over the past few years during 2019 – 2023, by legends and stalwarts in the community of Indian classical music, who have encouraged her to keep marching ahead on her chosen path.

She realized hard work has no substituted and she was strategic about taking the right steps that led her to bagging coveted opportunities, and well-deserved accolades.

RISING STAR IN HINDUSTANI VOCAL CLASSICAL AND MUSIC COMPOSITION

With her authentic expression of the divine talent, touring pan-India for LIVE performances, Atri has gained substantial experience and visibility in elite corners of prominence, and has established herself as a professional musician. In this pursuit of her life of immense sadhana, Atri shares videos, music, on her Facebook page, YouTube channel, which helped her get discovered by Dhaka-born and New York-based poet, lyricist and music producer Ahmed Toslim, who approached her for a professional collaboration on a Single, where she requested her to create a raag-based composition, of which he had shared the lyrics of, and they worked together on releasing the song BOROSHEY that is now available on all popular streaming Apps. She has been receiving several other such proposals for composing music, from all over the world.

She is a woman of substance and a clear vision. Atri aspires to spread the rich Indian music of all genres, hindustani classical, thumri, dadra, and create, archive, distribute her works so as to keep alive the legacy of Indian Music, beyond her lifetime and spanning across generations. Aligned with this mission, Atri started a movement – Raagarohan Arts  to bring out the best updates on Indian classical music of all hearts. In 2020, she organized a concert in collaboration with Kala Vikas Parishat’s Bhimsen Music Foundation, Gadag, Karnataka, hosting India’s prominent artists, namely, Deborshee Bhattacharjee (Vocals), Piu Mukherjee (Vocals), Ayan Sengupta (Sitar), Indrayuddh Majumder (Sarod), Debjit Patitundi (Tabla), Emon Sarkar (Tabla), Chiranjit Mukherjee (Tabla), and Jyotirmoy Banerjee (Harmonium).

2016 onwards, Atri started teaching music, and has now expanded her community of students across India, USA, Australia, England, London, South Africa, also western Classical instrumentalists who play the Cello, Keyboard, Violin, who want to learn Indian music. Atri is also a tenured classical vocal music instructor at Rathijit Vocal Art, Kolkata and iPassio, Bangalore. She guides all of her students as per their levels and aspirations.

Chandrasekhar Laveti, one of her students from Tampa, Florida, said, “I have been taking music lessons from Atri Kotal for almost 2 years now and I am quite pleased with the progress I have made. She is not only a naturally gifted and accomplished singer but also an equally gifted teacher. With her down to earth attitude, pleasant personality and patience, she is an ideal teacher for beginners as well as intermediate and advanced level singers. Her knowledge and passion for music comes across in every teaching session. A good teacher can reinforce the passion for music and simplify the concepts so that they can be easily grasped and that is exactly who I found in Atri Kotal. I strongly recommend her to anyone looking for a good music teacher”.

In 2023, Atri is on her way to officially launch her school of music, to take forward her legacy of Raagarohan Arts, nurture her community of learners, expand her repertoire in music compositions, organize concerts, and we are grateful to be the official Legacy Partner, to work in partnership with Atri Kotal.

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