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Pandit Biswajit Deb

Domain: Tabla Maestro | Educator | LIVE Performer | Guru | Rhythm instuments | Collaborator 

Genre: #Tabla #Pakhawaj #Srikhol #Mridanga #IndianClassicalMusic #WorldMusic #RegionalMusic 

Location: Bangalore, India

Journey

BEGINNING FROM THE ZAMINDAR FAMILY OF MUSICIANS

Born and brought up in a zamindar family of musicians, Pandit Biswajit Deb received the best quality of taalim in Tabla playing. His ancestors lived in the Uttar Pradesh state of India, and they relocated to the state of West Bengal approximately 250 years ago, and settled at West Midnapore district of the state of West Bengal, where his grandfather and uncle played professional srikhol, a terracotta two-sided drum popularly used for accompaniment with devotional music. Ever since he was five years old, Pandit Biswajit Deb received his preliminary training in Tabla from his father, the renowned pakhawaj player Shri Bhutnath Deb, who had accompanied great legends like Shri Gopeshwar Bandopadhyay, and others.

Pandit Biswajit Deb subsequently received advanced training in table playing from legendary Gurus, namely, Pandit Shridhar Dutta, who was disciple of Ustad Masit Khan, Pandit Dr. Prabir Bhattacharya, who was a senior disciple of Ustad Keramatullah Khan, and Pandit Damarupani Bhattacharya. He also learned srikhol from his uncle, who was a disciple of famous srikhol player Pandit Nari Kamar.

EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY AND THE NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

Alongside his rigorous taalim in Tabla, Pandit Biswajit Deb graduated with distinction in Bachelor of Science, from Calcutta University. Subsequently, he qualified with first rank in Sangeet Praveen honour from rom Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. This was also the time, when he commenced his journey of professional tabla playing at reputed baithaks and music circles of the then north Kolkata, and he also got a job with the Department of Forest, government of West Bengal. However, his father did not allow for it, so that young Biswajit could pursue tabla as a profession.

ACCOMPANYING BHARAT RATNA & PADMA AWARDEE LEGENDS OF INDIA

Interestingly, as his Guru, Pandit Dr. Prabir Bhattacharya, was a professor at Rabindra Bharati university, young Biswajit would often visit him and learn from him, in the university campus. During this time, Pandit Chinmay Lahiri was impressed with his tabla playing, and asked to accompany him at his concerts. Subsequently, young Biswajit was consistently invited to accompany the legendary artists of the times, as highlighted below:

  • Served as an external examiner of Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad
  • Recorded for Bybsa Barta show theme music with Pandit Dinanath Mishra
  • Professionally performed for the last four decades, at various conferences in India, accompanying eminent artists, namely:
    • Ustad Bismillah Khan
    • Pandit Manilal Nag
    • Pandit Chinmay Lahiri
    • Vidushi Girija Devi
    • Pandit Arun Bhaduri
    • Pandit Dinanath Mishra
    • Pandit V.G. Jog
    • Vidushi Sisir Kana Dhar Choudhury
    • Pandit Chitresh Das
    • Pandit Bhajan Sopori
    • Pandit Prasun Banerjee
    • Pandit Partha Sarathi Sengupta
    • Vidushi Sunanda Patnaik
    • Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan
    • Ustad Sharafat Hussain Khan
    • Vidushi Suchitra Mitra
    • Pandit Jatin Bhattacharya
    • Pandit Rakhal Mishra
    • Prakash Sangeet
    • Pandit Shyam Ganguly
    • Pandit Soumitra Lahiri
    • Pandit Bholanath Mishra
    • Pandit Sashadhar Dutta
    • Pandit Manoranjan Banerjee
    • Pandit Chandidas Mal
    • Pandit Mahesh Prasad Mishra
    • Pandit Sohanlal Sharma
    • Pandit Vidya Sahai
    • Pandit Kashinath Mishra
    • Pandit Tulsi Hazra
    • Pandit Tapas Aditya
    • Pandit Subhasish Bose
    • Pandit Kanhaiyalal Mishra
    • Pandit Ramlal Mishra
    • Pandit Susil Bose
    • Pandit Sudhir Das Sharma
    • Pandit Srepati Chatterjee
    • Pandit Krishna Mahanti
  • Performed at Universal Peace Center, during 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
  • Played pakhawaj with eminent Dhrupad artists like Pandit Debabrata Singha Thakur, Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar, Pandit Falguni Mitra, Itu Banerjee, and many others
  • Accompanying artist at Taanchakra music conference, Kolkata during 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
  • Performed at Bhawanipore Sangeet Sammelan, Sangeet Tirtha, Calcutta during 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
  • Performed at Damarupani Sangeet Sammelan Calcutta, during 1983, 1990, 1986, 1991, 1992
  • Performed at Sangeet Madhuri Bharatiya Sanskritik Samsad Calcutta 1994, Raag Tarangini Music Conference, during 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
  • NTPC, Uttar Pradesh, 1995
  • Bishnupur festival
  • Dabir Khan Sangeet Samsad, 1996
  • Young Talent Conference
  • Ustad Bahadur Khan Sangeet Sammelan, Birla Bhavan, 2000
  • Surpancham Music Circle, Girish Manch, Calcutta 2001
  • ITC Sangeet Research Academy
  • Attended the seminars and workshops of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Aban Mistry, Pandit Mahapurush Mishra, at Rabindra Bharati University 1984
  • Masset Khan Sangeet Sammelan, 2014
  • Narendrapur Ramkrishna Misson, Belur Math
  • Rajya Sangeet Academy, West Bengal
  • Purulia Rabindra Bhavan, 1991
  • Gitbharati Sangeet Mahavidyalay, during 1985, 1990, 1992, 1999, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2002
  • Dhrupad organization, Burdwan
  • Ravi Kichlu Foundation, 2000
  • Jayi Music Academy, 1987
  • Doordarshan ATN TV and Akash Bangla, in the 1990s
  • Accompanied in Taranga fusion directed by guru Late Dr. Prabir Bhattacharya and the album titled Uchanga Sangeet in 2014

BEACON OF LIGHT IN TEACHING COMMUNITY

From his performances at prominent stages and accompanying with legendary vocalists, instrumentalists and award-winning dancers, Pandit Biswajit Deb had gained deep insights about tabla accompaniment, and he had honed skills at every level, for a student of tabla. It is no wonder he was a sought-after educator at prestigious institutions, as highlighted below:

  • Currently serving as a Guest tabla player in rabindra bharati university, Department of vocal music, since 2022
  • Registered teacher of the Amber Trust and the teaching council of Ireland
  • Registered member of Sharada organization of Australia, 2022
  • Sarojini Sangeet Sadan, 1995 – 2006
  • Gitbharati Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, 1988 – 2005
  • Accompanist at Taanchakra music society, 1989 – 2003
  • Sangeet Tirtha Music College, 1998- 2001
  • Tabla player at Damarupani music college, 1983-1994
  • Technique school of music, 1991-1993
  • Accompanist of Late Pandit Chinmay Lahiri’s class, 1979
  • Assisted guruji in his lecture demonstration programs
  • Tabla accompanist of National Scholarship Exam, of the prestigious Doverlane music competition
  • Accompanist at Prayag Sangeet Samiti Masters exam

EDUCATOR PAR EXCELLENCE WITH A ZEAL TO GROW HIS LEGACY

Pandit Biswajit Deb has elevated the tabla as a musical instrument in its own right, both through solo performances as a main artist and through his accompaniment of others. Biswajit has been devoted to the classic tabla for four decades now without interruption and is considered one of the most melodic players alive.

His dozens of compositions have gone beyond the sphere of pure percussion to include north Indian instruments, south Indian instruments, jazz instrumental compositions for fusions. His music reaches beyond the scope of Classical music to include performances and relationship with musicians of diverse genre.

A phenomenal and outstanding tabla player, he is well known for mesmerising and captivating his audience with his dexterity. His meteoric rise in popularity in the field of traditional Indian Classical music has led him to regularly collaborate with different genres such as Jazz, Classical, hip hop, folk, blues music and the world of contemporary music and dance. This makes him an imaginative and sensitive musician, having an elegant and poignant style of his own. He has and continues to collaborate with various international artists from around the globe – United Kingdom, Europe, Middle East, Germany, USA.

He has used Pakhawaj, Dholak, Bangla Dhol and Srikhol, Mridangam, Bongo-congo, which are used mainly in music of religious offerings; he has also played traditional and tribal percussions like Madal, Dafli, Khanjira. In order to maintain the purity of any music, he has used drums for blending with these instruments based on his composition purely on the Indian taals. His orchestra taranga fusion directed by Dr. Prabir Bhattacharya was a demonstration of such completeness in blending of percussions with vocals.

Pandit Biswajit Deb has performed at numerous LIVE recordings including television channels Doordarshan Bangla, Akash Bangla, Tara TV, ATN Bangla, DD2, DD7 and others. In his pursuit of expanding his legacy by teaching sincere students of tabla, Pandit Biswajit Deb is actively collaborating with schools of music in Bangalore, India, while he remains a dedicated musician eager to contribute towards enriching the larger community of Indian classical music practitioners.

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