Indian classical music has far outreached its place of origin, and almost every part of the world has an inkling of what an Indian raga is or sounds like. But over the years, more and more artists from the country have helped to cultivate a taste for Indian classical music among the international audience.
Two such artists from Kolkata, Esha Bandyopadhyay, and Partha Bose will soon be seen performing at the Indian Week, a classical music festival in Köln (Cologne), Germany, beginning June 21.
The Indian Week is celebrated every year in June by Anubhav Academy, an institution which helps promote Indian classical art forms among the people of Germany. The event is supported by the cultural department of Köln.
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While Esha Bandyopadhyay, is a trained vocalist in North Indian classical music, Partha Bose is a sitar maestro who has trained under Pandit Manoj Shankar of the Maihar Gharana. Both of them have performed in Germany before but this is the first time that they will be participating in the Indian Week. Their performance on June 21 also coincides with International Yoga Day and will highlight the connection of Indian classical music with the yoga and meditation.
Esha, who is known for her renditions of Dadra, Thumri, Bhajan, and Khayals, will be performing a Khayal bandish on raga Desh. “Performing for Indian Week celebration in Cologne is an exciting opportunity. For me, it is a revelation that classical vocal music goes beyond the language- barrier and is recognised the world over,” she says. But this is not the first time that she will be performing in front of an international audience.
Gifted with a unique tonality, which blends Indian ethos with western sensibilities, Esha has earned recognition at various festivals in India and abroad, including the Rasa International Music Festival in Munich, 2000 where she solely represented the country.
Partha Bose, on the other hand, will present a vintage gat of raag Desh. Other artists, who will be performing at the festival include, Ustad Ustad Ghulam Hussain on Rubab, Debasish Bhattacharjee on tabla, Utso Gosh, Angelika Crohne, Christoph Chetanya.
"It’s an honour for me and I definitely look at it as a significant milestone in my musical journey, especially in Germany, which began in 1997,” says Partha, who started playing sitar at the age of six and has earned overwhelming appreciation by audiences and critics alike.
At Anubhav Academy, Vogelsanger. Köln (Cologne), Germany. June 21, 8 pm onwards