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| FIRST ANNUAL IAAC LITERARY FESTIVAL |
in collaboration with The South Asia Institute,
Columbia University and India Abroad
NOVEMBER 7-9, 2014
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| Somdutta Pal |
 Born in Calcutta and raised in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Somdatta started learning music from her father, Late Jati Shankar Chakraborty who inspired her to take up music. The varied moods conveyed by the stringing of the Guitar found a natural home in her father’s teachings of Rabindra Sangeet, which encompasses mankind’s various emotions.
In addition to music at home, Somdatta also started learning Bharatnatyam at the tender age of 4 from Mrinalini and Mallika Sarabhai at the Darpana Academy, Ahmedabad.
Somdatta’s childhood was replete with memories at Mallika Sarabhai’s Darpana academy where she was able to witness a number of Tagore projects amongst the numerous creations at the academy. She hopes that Mallika’s narration in this album can help the beautiful work of this great poet reverberate through the minds of an even broader audience.
Besides her first loves- the Guitar and Rabindra Sangeet, Somdatta also dabbles in Hindi and English music. Her father’s lessons often focused on expressing the emotions emanating from the numerous compositions of Rabindranath Tagore. Somdatta's voice blends this eclectic and emotive quality of Tagore’s music with the passion and energy of Western compositions.
Somdatta released “Uttarshuri" in 2004 from Sound Wing studios and "Reflections" in 2009 from Cozmik Harmony, both Rabindrasangeet albums. In addition to these albums, Somdatta has performed extensively in the United States, performing at the North American Bengali conference held at the Madison Square Garden, New York and Long Beach as well. She continues her discovery of Tagore’s music in the United States under the guidance of Smt. Jayeeta Ghosh while also pursuing Indian classical music under the guidance of Shri Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay.
Tagore's outlook to life brings a freshness that can lift many a sagging spirit. As Tagore once said "Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky." As you can see, it’s all about perspective.
Amongst Somdatta’s major influences were the renditions of the legendary Debabrata Biswas, one of the finest exponents of this genre of music. His memories and expressions came alive through Somdatta’s father, whose music lessons on Tagore focused on rendering songs with expression and emotion. Somdatta’s passion for singing Tagore is her gateway to keeping her father’s teachings alive.
Somdatta most recently performed at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Kolkata in 2013, taking the audience down what she termed as a rejuvenating journey through Tagore’s many creations.
This rejuvenation and self-discovery continues with Somdatta’s latest album “UTSARGA”, an attempt to blend an elegantly crafted musical arrangement by Prattyush Banerjee with her soulful rendition of selected compositions of this great Bard of Bengal. Somdatta also derives a lot of her strength and inspiration from Smt. Srabani Sen, whose guidance and blessings have helped her launch this beautiful album from Picasso Entertainment. |
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