ওয়াশিংটন বাংলা রেডিও Washington Bangla Radio

The husband and wife pair of Aditya and Ashidhara Das are well known singers from the San Francisco Bay area in northern California. Aditya is currently a Pharmaceutical Consultant (Ph.D. Chemical Engineering and MBA (Strategy)) in the San Francisco Bay Area and Ashidhara is a Ph.D. in Anthropology and teaches at Ashford University (in an online Program designed for Undergraduates). Their sons Anirban (11) and Ayan (8) both learn Hindustani Classical Vocal from Shubhangi Sakhalkar in the Bay Area.

Among numerous acclaimed performances as talented vocalists, Aditya and Ashidhara are particularly proud of performing with the great Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka during a performance of Saare Jahan Se Accha (music composed in Raga Pilu by Guruji and sung by them during the madhyalaya gat) to celebrate India's 50th Independence Anniversary at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. Their fondest memory is certainly the call they received from Guruji 4 days before the performance, inviting them to sing on stage with him.

May 6, 2010 (Washington Bangla Radio) Acclaimed young Rabindrasangeet singer Sounak Chattopadhyay's latest music album  "Nutan o Shanaton Rabindranath" will be formally released in a ceremony in Calcutta on Saturday May 8, 2010 under the label of Times Music.

The Rabindrasangeet album is  a combined collection of Tagore songs in traditional style and with Classical Bandishes.

The CD album launch ceremony will be attended by Mr.Gautam Mohan Chakravarty, Hon’ble Commissioner of Police – Kolkata; Dr. Bharati Ray – Vice President ICCR; Shree Shuvaprasanna – Eminent Artist and Srikanto Acharya  - Top Rated Singer.

The venue of the ceremony is Music World, 18G Park Street, Kolkata. The ceremony will commence on May 8, 2010 at 1:30 PM Indian time.

Listen to audio clips from Sounak Chattopadhyay's new music album CD release "Nutan O Sanatan Rabindranath" online.

Feb 19, 2010 (Washington Bangla Radio) Acclaimed Rabindra Sangeet singer Roquaiya Hasina Neely was awarded the Citycell Channel i Best Music Award in Rabindra
Sangeet for 2009. Channel i broadcast the Award Ceremony live from
Hotel Sheraton Winter garden, Dhaka on January 12, 2010 at 7:30.

In the adjacent picture Roquaiya Hasina is seen receiving the award certificate and trophy from revered Tagore singers Ajit Roy and Mita Haque.

Washington Bangla Radio is pleased to have featured Neely including an exclusive audio interview available online here. In addition, her two excellent Rabindra Sangeet albums Baje Jhornar Gaan and Ki Sur Jagao can be downloaded in MP3 format here.

Gitanjali by Bratati Bandopadhyay and Prattyush Bandopadhyay is an album with recitation from Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali (buy Tagore's Gitanjali Book Online) recited by Bratati Banerjee with background music designed by Pratyush Banerjee on the Sarod. Pratyush Banerjee is a talented disciple of Pt Buddhadev Dasgupta.

The album is released by Saregama (erstwhile HMV) to mark 100 years from the publication of Gitanjali. Saregama has recently started doing a good job of making their releases available for MP3 download. Listen to free samples and download MP3 recitation by Bratati Banerjee online »

Also check out Prattysh Banerjee's Indian Classical Instrumental Sarod performances of Raga Gujri Todi and Jaijaiwanti MP3 downloads »

Watch Prattyush Banerjee performing Live in Toronto in 2008:

March 14, 2010 (Washington Bangla Radio) Dhroopad (www.dhroopad.org) cultural association of Washington DC metro area organized a great concert featuring the Rabindra Sangeet (songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore) icon Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya (Download Rabindra Sangeet MP3 by Bonnya). The concert had the unique theme of "Confluence of Ragas On Rabindra Sangeet".

Washington Bangla Radio Live Webcast

WBRi broadcast the concert live on the internet direct from the concert venue. Listen to the audio recording from the audio live telecast online. Watch some video clips from the concert as well.

Banya and the musicians delivered a spectacular performance. "Banya" in Bengali means "deluge". As the MC put it appropriately, the evening was marked with a deluge of music. Soumya Chakraborty on the Sarod and Banya introduced a variety of Ragas, and demonstrated the genius of Rabindranath Tagore in experimenting and adapting Indian classical compositions into his songs in his uniquely brilliant way.

The live concert was held on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 8 PM at the Four Points Sheraton Manassas, 10800 Vandor Lane, Manassas, VA 20109. Bonnya wss accompanied by acclaimed musicians from the Washington DC Metro Area:

Tabla - Debu Nayak  (www.tablaguy.com)
Sarod– Soumya Chakraborty
Sitar – Sambrata Rakshit
Mandira – Krishna Shadu
Keyboard – Hiron Choudhury
Acoustic Guitar -  Zareef Hamid