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Ajoy Chakrabarty

Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty is considered to be one of the finest vocalists currently performing in India today. He is a veritable trendsetter, demonstrating an amazing mastery over diverse forms of classical, light-classical and even modern vocal music.

Born in 1953 in Calcutta, he showed extraordinary promise in vocal music and at the tender age of three, began taking lessons from his father Shri. Ajit Chakrabarty. He then learnt from Shri. Pannalal Samanta and Shri. Kanai Das Bairagi and later became a student of famous musicologist Padma Bhushan Pandit Jnan Prokash Ghosh. In 1969, his training took a decisive turn as he became a disciple of Ustad Munawar Ali Khan, son of the legendary maestro of the Patialiala-Kasur gharana (school), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. His imagination and sensitivity to lyrics, coupled with his uncanny sense of rhythm, has made him the authentic exponent and leading representative of the famous Patiala gaikee (style of singing).

Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty graduated First Class First in Music from Rabindra Bharati University in Calcutta. He has won numerous awards and honors including the National Scholarship Award from the Indian government and the best playback singer award from the President of India for his trail-blazing work in a Bengali film Chanda Neer. In 1993 he was awarded the Kumar Gandharva Award from the Madhya Pradesh government, the very first time the award was instituted. Since 1977, he has been associated with the Sangeet Research Academy in Calcutta as one of the senior faculty in vocal music. Fie has made a name for himself not only as a much sought after performing artist but as a research scholar, author, composer, lyricist, music director and teacher as well.

His greatest asset perhaps is his exceptional voice - powerful yet rich and mellifluous. The New York Times wrote about his voice, "Mr. Chakrabarty's most impressive quality is often astonishing array of attacks and colors he summons up with his voice - making it whisper, wail, stutter, vibrate, trill, rapidly shift pace and bend a beat or tone in just the right way."