Ashoketaru Bandyopadhyay chose music to be his ultimate path to salvation or nirvana. A sage dedicated to Tagore and his songs, he remains a legend in his genre for being a pioneer in a number of ventures, including popularising the humorous songs of Rabindranath. However, he stands out for his unique rendition of Brahmasangeet. Born in a Santiniketan-based Brahma family, Ashoketaru imbibed these spiritual qualities from his parents, aunts and later from Acharya Nanibhusan Dasgupta. His skill in Dhrupad and an easy access to all the disciplines of music made him a phenomenon in popularising Brahmosangeet by various composers, including Rammohun, Debendranath, Bijoykrishna Goswami, Trailakyonath Sanyal and other composers who flourished during the Bengal Renaissance. The Veda and Upanishad mantras (chants) gained a mesmerising dimension in Ashoketaru’s deep sonorous voice and flawless pronunciation as he was trained by Kshitimohan Sen Shastri from a very early age. However, there was an inherent characteristic aura of spiritualism in the charismatic personality of the artiste that reflected in all his renderings. It is this aspect of his music that will come alive in his recorded voice, interspersed with narration by Debasis Basu, today, on the occasion of Ashoketaru’s 73rd birth anniversary. The programme, Hey Mahaprabalobali, will be preceded by a session of prayer by the students of Taru-Shruti.

When: Today at 6.30 pm

Where: Brahmo Sammilan Samaj Hall, Bhawanipore