Pt. Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay's Twilight Ragas unveiled at Bengal

Pandit Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay performs at the event.

Bengal Foundation honoured Sangeetacharya Pandit Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, the legendary classical music Guru of Bishnupur Gharana, through unveiling his album “Twilight Ragas”. The album features two prominent twilight ragas-- “Puria Kalyan” and “Jaijaiwanti”. 

Eminent music exponent Dr. Karunamoy Goswami and Pandit Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, along with noted singers Subir Nandi, Sadya Afreen Mallick, and Luva Nahid Choudhury unveiled the album at Bengal Café, Dhanmondi on March 14. 

Luva Nahid Choudhury, DG, Bengal Foundation, delivered welcome address while Karunamoy Goswami spoke highly on the Pandit. In his speech, Pandit Bandyopadhyay praised the yearly initiatives of Bengal Foundation in holding the biggest classical music conference, and shared anecdotes from his illustrious musical career.

He later performed a khayal based on Raga Jog. Iftekhar Alam Prodhan accompanied him on vilambit ektaal and teentaal while Fakir Shahidul Islam Sumon was on harmonium. Earlier, Sohini Chakrabarty, a disciple of Pandit Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, rendered a romantic Raga Behag at the event.

Born (1927 ) in a family of rich musical tradition dating back to one hundred and fifty years, Pandit Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay is among the best exponents of Khayal in India. Son and disciple of Sangeetacharya Satya Kinkar Bandyopadhyay, Pandit Bandyopadhyay is the scion of the Bishnupur Gharana. 

Since the nineteen fifties, Pandit Bandyopadhyay has remained an established and highly esteemed artiste. He is a 'Top' grade artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan. He has been performing at all the major music festivals and gatherings of the country and has travelled to America and Europe to perform and give lectures on Indian Classical Music. 

A disciplined yet creative elaboration of the Ragas, aesthetic and melodic voice technique, extreme clarity and unmatched precision of taankari, and underlying sense of rhythm and generally a matured synthesis of cerebration and emotive content in his music have given the form of Khayal a new dimension.

Pandit Bandyopadhyay was one of the founding fathers and Heads of the Department of Vocal Music of Rabindra Bharati University. He retired in 1992 as Professor of Music after more than thirty years of teaching. In the year 2000 he acted as a Visiting Professor of Music in Viswa Bharati University.