Music teaches people to be human: Pandit Dishari Chakraborty

Entertainment Reporter:-

Pandit Dishari Chakraborty was the main instructor of the training workshop on classical instrumental music held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy from November 25 to December 1. After the 7 days workshop, he gave a 3 part orchestra performance with the students on 2nd December. Director General of Shilpakala Academy Mr. Liaquat Ali Lucky, Director of Music and Dance Department Mr. Kazi Aftab Uddin Hablu, and Music Director Chandan Dutta were present. The audience was impressed by the performance of the students.
When asked about the current situation of classical instrumental music in Bangladesh, Pandit Dishari Chakraborty said that the climate of Bangladesh is favorable for the creation of music. Here nature itself constantly creates music. I saw great potential in many of my students. All that is needed is proper education and guidance. But one thing I am very sad about is that the instrument that I play, there is no instrumentalist to play this instrument in Bangladesh. It is very distressing to see an instrument disappear from a country. I want someone to come with an interest and I want to teach him.
In ancient times the disciples used to get an education from the home of the Guru. Even in the present modern era, it is rare that education can be achieved by maintaining that trend. Pandit Dishari Chakraborty has done that incredible work. He is a santoor player, music director, and trainer. He has been training in various instrumental music for about 28 years. At the same time, he gives training in sound design, music composing in film, audio recording and editing.
Pandit Dishari Chakraborty is a classical instrumentalist of Maihar Dhrupad gerana. Although he was born in Kolkata, his mother’s family was from Comilla in undivided Bangladesh and his father’s family lived in Narayanganj 200 years ago. Based on that, he considers himself as a person of Bangladesh. He also said that Bangladesh is the home of classical music. All the famous scholars of Bengal were born here. If Baba Alauddin Khan had not been born in Bangladesh, I would not have become what I am today. As my gurudakshina I want to spread my classical instrument education in Bangladesh. So that the name of Baba Alauddin Khan will never be erased from Bangladesh.

Pandit Dishari Chakraborty took his first lessons in music from classical musician Ma Vidushi Ananya Chakraborty. Kashmiri Shatantri Veena Santoor chose her favorite musical instrument at the age of four. At the age of only 6 years, the classical training of Maihar Gharana in instrumental music started from Ustad Dhanesh Khan at the house of Baba Allauddin Khan. He didn’t just stop with the training on Santoor. Learned on various instruments and subjects. Under Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, he studied Rababi and Binkari style of Maihar Gharana. Trained on Santoor and Sarod and Binkari style under Ustad Ashish Khan. He studied sitar and raga music with Vidushi Amina Perira. Studied percussion and pakhwaj and raga music under Pandit Shankar Ghosh. Dr. E. S. Pereira studied the use of instruments in the classical music of the subcontinent and his studies on classical music. Learned tabla and lyokari from Guru Sri Gautam Guha. Dr. Vinay took vocal training in classical music from Bharataram. Vidushi learned from Zubeda Khan about the daily training method of Baba Allauddin Khan and the use of various instruments of Maihar band (orchestra).
At the age of 9, he played Santoor in his first public program and enthralled the audience. He has received many awards in his career. He received The President Scholarship (1992-2001), Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (West Bengal State Music Academy Award-1999), CCRT Award of Scholarship (Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India-2001), Certificate by Padma Bhushan Anyapurna Devi (The Title of Sur Bharti-2004), Awarded Certificate By (The Title of Sangeet Nandan-2021). He has received 14 awards so far as a music director and sound engineer. He has received 8 awards as a music composer. He has done background music in more than 100 theaters so far. More than 30 of them have been awarded.
He thinks music is not just a few sa-r-ga-ma taal lois and raga-ragini. Music is a sense, a consciousness that gives people a “sense of aesthetics”. Besides, music teaches the tolerance of people to people which is very rare in today’s society. The more the music church grows in the society, the more pure spirit and humane society will be developed. In order to practice pure music, the practice of classical music should be increased. Because classical music is called the mother of music. So music is not pure without classical music.