The Aaoge jab tum singer in the house meant a soulful Saturday evening for Calcutta Club members. His songlist for the programme presented by Calcutta Club and partnered by The Telegraph included classical sets followed by the popular Yaad piya ke aaye. “Calcutta Club’s listeners always appreciate my work. I have performed here a lot of times. I like the ambience,” said the music maestro, who picked Kaushiki Chakrabarty as the most “promising singer” from today’s generation and music composers Shantanu Moitra, Sandesh Shandilya and Sachin-Jigar as his favourites. What’s keeping him from cutting an album? “Too many programmes,” he smiled. 

Calcutta Club president Suvojit Guha enjoyed the concert with wife Rajashree. “We ran out of tickets. Nearly 3,000 people came to watch the show today,” he smiled.

Art impresario Ina Puri dropped by

This was Sneha Lahiri’s (centre) “first time” at a classical music concert. “It was so refreshing and soothing to the ears,” said the Class XI student of GD Birla Centre for Education. She came with mother Lisa (right) and aunt Mousumi Raman. “Ustad Rashid Khan is a living legend,” said Mousumi, who is based in Toronto.

(L-R) Vocalist Soumyojit Das and pianist Sourendro Mullick of You & I with social entrepreneur and folk arts curator Nandita Palchoudhuri. “Ustad Rashid Khan was a childhood crush for both of us. We feel, if god had a voice, it would be Ustad Rashid Khan’s!” said the duo. Nandita, an old friend of Ustad Rashid Khan, said she tries to attend most of his concerts whenever she is in town. 

Text: Ratnalekha Mazumdar
Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray