To teacher, with love

Teachers find a special place in our culture. We treat them with respect and their blessings are essential to us. This is why we observe Guru Purnima, a festival dedicated to spiritual and academic teachers.

As part of Guru Purnima celebrations, students of Muktangan Music School will gather at Bharat Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday to pay respects to the famous gurus/teachers in music through a concert. ‘Mhaaro Pranam’, the concert, will be led by popular Hindustani musician Abhradita Banerjee, who began her journey under the guidance of Pandit Madan Chauhan. 

Abhradita became popular when she won the Lata Mangeshkar award at the age of 15. A Bengali, who was raised in Raipur, Abhradita is currently settled in Thiruvananthapuram and is a familiar face among music aficionados. An A grade artiste of All India Radio, she is known for her experiments in music and has recently formed a band — Shristi, with a few of her students. Through this initiative, she aims to promote traditional Indian music in a way that caters to the new age. She is also a familiar face among the mini-screen buffs as the judge of popular reality shows — Gandharvasangeetham and Patturamal.  

It was her father who discovered her interest in music. Abhradita began her music lessons at a very young age and went on to puruse it academically. She completed her masters in music, securing the gold medal and won Akashavani’s national award for light music. She has been a five-time winner of the All-India National Music Fest and has performed at the National Chain Concert of All India Radio, Swathi Festival, Swararpana of Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi, etc.

The concert at Bharat Bhavan is also a tribute to the legendary Hindustani singer Kishori Amonkar for her contributions to music scenario. The event will begin at 6 p.m.