Pundit Suvankar Bandopadhyay – the Living Legend. Though he does not like salutation as Pandit or living legend but the world recognizes him as Pundit and Living Legend  so we salute him. We are proud to get him in a very informal hour long discussion with us at a Sunny Sunday Morning. We covey our sincere gratitude to him.

Watch the complete hour-long exclusive WBRi video about Pt. Banerjee.

Melodic Musings

by Pandit Jyoti Goho

The famous North Indian Hindustani Classical Vocalist and Instrumental Harmonium exponent Pundit Jyoti Goho writes about his transformation from a singer to an accompanist.

More than 3 decades ago I used to learn vocal music from Pandit A. Kanan. He was a very popular teacher and his Bakul Bagan home in south Kolkata, which was a regular haunt of many a famous musician. One day, when Guruji (teacher) had gone out for a break, I started playing the harmonium. He heard it from outside and must have recognized some potential, as he encouraged me to play the harmonium with him and since then I have had the good fortune of accompanying many a musician of eminence ...

Mar 13, 2010 (Washington Bangla Radio) The New Jersey based theater group Epic Actors' Workshop will perform the Bangla Natok (Bengali play) Pagla Ghora (The Crazy Horse) directed by acclaimed Indian cinema and theater icon Amol Palekar on April 4, 2010 at 7:30 PM at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Auditorium, Rockville Civic Center, 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville, Maryland.

The Pagla Ghoda performance is one of six stage plays that will be performed in a two-day Theater Festival organized by Natya Bharati (www.natyabharati.org)  as a part of their Grand 25th Anniversary Celebration event, marking 25 years of excellence in Theater. The theme of the event is "bringing the community together through theater".

Get complete event details and buy tickets.

^{Anurekha Ghosh Kolkata Premiere Event Poster - click to zoom in}

Anurekha Ghosh is an accomplished Indian Classical Kathak Dancer, Choreographer and Artistic Director of Anurekha Ghosh & Company, UK.

Born to a new generation of dancers and choreographers, BBC award winning Anurekha Ghosh is an inevitable name in the world of Indian (Kathak) dance. She has shown her excellence in Choreography.  Anurekha is based in United Kingdom.  Her technique and style is a combination of “tradition and modernity”. 

In October 2009 Anurekha was invited by Her Majesty The Queen at the Buckingham Palace, London and The British Prime Minister – Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street, to celebrate the extraordinary talent and contribution of British Asian Artists in the world.

The danseuse and her troop will present Kolkata with their Premiere Performance on 17th March 2010 at 6:30 PM at Purbashree Auditorium, Bharatiyam Cultural Multiplex, IB 201, Salt Lake City (Near AMRI Hospital / No 13 Water Tank), Kolkata – 700106.

Watch Anurekha in performance via a free video from You Tube.

Shahrukh Khan and Kajol were recently in New York city, riding around in a cab. MTV Iggy got to spend a lot of fun time with the lead pair of the romance-drama Bollywood movie "My Name Is Khan". There have been five previous movies - all spectacular blockbusters - with SRK and Kajol as the lead hero and heroine.

The recorded video features the cab driver Erhan chatting with SRK and Kajol about everything from Islam, faith, 9/11 and. MTV Iggy would like you to watch Kajol's face when the cabbie asks them about sex! Watch the video online.

Get the MP3 download of Hindi film songs from My Name Is Khan Soundtrack OST here >

Submit your profile and songs to us to get featured and interviewed by Washington Bangla Radio. Click on the Contact link to contact us.

Sumana Chakrabarty is a popular Bengali Film, Modern (Adhunik) and Folk Songs singer from Kolkata & Mumbai (Bombay), India. Sumana took singing lessons from her Gurus Pundit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Smt. Sreela Banerjee (daughter of Pandit Tarapada Chakrabarty) and Sree.Anal Chatterjee. A graduate from Lady Brabourne College, University of Calcutta, Sumana has received scholarships and won many awards, including West Bengal State Music Academy Scholarship 1996, Lady Braboune best singer award 2000, Inter-College award AGONE’2000, and All India Radio eastern zonal award for devotional songs.

Listen online to bengali film songs by Sumana. Watch music videos.

The credited cast and crew of the Bengali movie Pa Ma Ga Re Sa are mainly from Mumbai, bringing to the film an essence of true professionalism, but at the same time they wish to send one message to the audience: the film is truly Bengali in flavour as almost all members of the cast and crew are Bengali by ethnicity. So the music director Rajesh and the lead female playback singer Pritha are both Mumbai based Bengalis.

Watch the WBRi exclusive video interviews of Rajesh and Pritha, music director and playback singer of Pa Ma Ga Re Sa (2009) Bengali movie online.

WashingtonBanglaRadio.com Exclusive Reshmi Ghosh interview. Reshmi Ghosh is a popular Kolkata Bengali Movie (Tollywood), Hindi (Bollywood) and Television actress, and was crowned Miss India in 2002. Reshmi has the played the lead role of Paromita in the latest Bengali Cinema PaMaGaReSa.

MOU SANYAL TALUKDAR

A versatile rising talent, Mou Sanyal (Talukdar) is a singer with a difference. Born in kolkata, Mou has been brought up in a family rich in culture. Her father Sri Narayan Sanyal is known for his contribution to Bengali Literature.

Learn all about Mou, listen to her beautiful sweet voice and world-class singing.

A Big Dream Coming True:
The good works of the Shri Aurobindo Institution of Kalyani, West Bengal.

by Barnali Saha

I have always felt that there is a wall between us and the world. It is as if some mighty drapery is shutting down our complete view of the other side. In our warmly lit, fire place rolling sumptuous world we live in one glass house of comfort while the landscape on the other side faces drastic tectonic shifts everyday. In the other world existence is a struggle in itself and paucity is the only procession that its inmates have. On my last visit to India, I had a microscopic view of the pain and the sullen current of despair that flows in the other world, And what I found strange is that most people talk about this other world at length, they write, they are vociferous but when it comes to changing the condition that persists, only a handful of men come to the forefront.  I was lucky to have come across a galaxy of such wonderful men and women struggling hard to make the other world a better place to dwell.

Washington Bangla Radio presents the complete new album  Chatradharer Gaan by Kabir Suman. Listen free to the full album online in MP3 format using the player below.

This album is presented by Washington Bangla Radio by permission and with blessings from Kabir Suman himself.

Tracklist

1. Chhotrodhorer Gaan.mp3
2. Amar Premer Gaan.mp3
3. Bonduk Nile Hate.mp3
4. Age Bhot Din.mp3
5. Dundubhi.mp3
6. Gaaye Bidroho.mp3
7. Jongol Tumi Kaar.mp3

Kabir Suman has created  news with his new album titled "Chatradharer Gaan" release. The album is a tribute to Chhatradhar Mahato.

Naresh Thakur is a renowned and well known Baul living in Bangladesh. He has been singing for over twenty years. He has a son and a daughter, and travels across the length and breadth of Bangladesh in true Baul fashion. He has performed internationally on invitation, including in London and the USA. This time (Jan 10, 2010) he was visiting India - the famous Shaktigar Baul Fakir Utsav Festival. Naresh Thakur's primary influence is Baul Shah Abdul Karim (শাহ আবদুল করিম, 1916 - 2009) - one of the most famous legends of Bangladeshi folk music.

Naresh Thakur Baul sings a Dehatatwa song. He also sings a song by Shah Abdul Karim Baul.

Watch the interview video recorded and contributed by by Tapan Sanyal.

Washington Bangla Radio will present complete coverage of the 2010 Dover Lane Music Conference. For now, here is the full program schedule.

As one among the most famous Hindustani Classical events of the world, Dover Lane will organize its annual Conference this year from 22nd to 25th January, 2010.

Shankar Bhattacharya, born in Burnpur at the IISCO managed Burnpur Hospital, is the youngest of four children. His three elder sisters are married. Shankar's father has retired from IISCO. His mother, the sweetest person of his family, unfortunately passed away in 2006. Shankar currently lives with his father in Vaishno Tower in Burnpur.

Shankar founded the Bengali Rock Band named GaanDHaar. The band's compositions are cross-genre, including soft-rock, folk-rock and fusion music. GaanDHaar are: Saikat, Souvik, Ranjan, Avijit & Shankar. Shankar writes songs and composes music for GaanDhaar - his guiter helps him do so.He expresses his feelings ofsorrow, happiness and encouragement with his songs.

Listen to Shankar's music, and watch music videos of his songs.

Raghav Chatterji: Watch Exclusive Washington Bangla Radio interview video online, read all about Raghab and his music and songs, preview free and download bengali music songs MP3 Bangla Albums by Raghab Chatterjee.