Banani Ghosh
Encyclopedia
Banani Ghosh, is a Bengali
(India
n) musician,
primary known as an exponent of Rabindra Sangeet
, but also specializing
in the music of Atulprasad Sen
, Rajanikanta Sen
and others.
She was born in Mymensingh
in present-day Bangladesh
, her father
Prafulla Krishna Ghose was also a musician and poet, and editor of a
children's magazine. Banani was trained in Hindustani classical music
and at Shantiniketan with the noted Rabindra Sangeet exponent Kanika Banerjee. Her voice was so similar to her gurus that to some she is known
as nakal mohar (the second "mohar", after the Kanika's popular moniker).
With a formal degree in music from Rabindra Bharati University
, she also
trained with Dilip Kumar Roy of Pondicherry. Bursting into the
Rabindrasangeet scene in the 1970s, she quickly rose to become an eminent Rabindra Sangeet artist on All India Radio
and Doordarshan
.
Subsequently, she has lived in Switzerland
and in the United States
, where
she runs Antara, a Rabindrasangeet organization which has trained
thousands of pupils across the USA over the years. She has also organized the
Tagore festival Rabindra Mela, which attempts to familiarize the works of
Tagore to an international audience. She has also staged a number of dance
dramas, Shapmochan (1962), and Bhanushingher Padavali (Rochester, 1983)
being particularly notable.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
(India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n) musician,
primary known as an exponent of Rabindra Sangeet
Rabindra Sangeet
Rabindra Sangeet , also known as Tagore Songs in English, is a form of music composed by Rabindranath Tagore who added a new dimension to the musical concept of India in general and Bengal in specific....
, but also specializing
in the music of Atulprasad Sen
Atulprasad Sen
Atulprasad Sen was an Bengali composer, lyricist and singer. He is principally remembered as a musician and composer. His songs centred around three broad subjects- patriotism, devotion and love...
, Rajanikanta Sen
Rajanikanta Sen
Rajanikanta Sen was a Bengali poet and composer, known for his devotional compositions, as well as his patriotic songs...
and others.
She was born in Mymensingh
Mymensingh
Mymensingh , pronounced moy-mon-shing-haw, is a city of Bangladesh situated on the river Brahmaputra. It is the headquarters of the administrative unit Mymensingh District. Mymensingh is the anglicized pronunciation of the original name Momenshahi, referring to a ruler called Momen Shah. The cadet...
in present-day Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, her father
Prafulla Krishna Ghose was also a musician and poet, and editor of a
children's magazine. Banani was trained in Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
and at Shantiniketan with the noted Rabindra Sangeet exponent Kanika Banerjee. Her voice was so similar to her gurus that to some she is known
as nakal mohar (the second "mohar", after the Kanika's popular moniker).
With a formal degree in music from Rabindra Bharati University
Rabindra Bharati University
Rabindra Bharati University is a university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore...
, she also
trained with Dilip Kumar Roy of Pondicherry. Bursting into the
Rabindrasangeet scene in the 1970s, she quickly rose to become an eminent Rabindra Sangeet artist on All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
and Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
.
Subsequently, she has lived in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where
she runs Antara, a Rabindrasangeet organization which has trained
thousands of pupils across the USA over the years. She has also organized the
Tagore festival Rabindra Mela, which attempts to familiarize the works of
Tagore to an international audience. She has also staged a number of dance
dramas, Shapmochan (1962), and Bhanushingher Padavali (Rochester, 1983)
being particularly notable.