Pune is my musical home: Kaushiki Chakrabarty

Classical singer Kaushiki Chakrabarty and flute maestro Ronu Majumdar, who performed at the recently concluded Pune Festival, talk about their fondness for the city, and their plans to share their love for classical music with Punekars

As the home of the Sawai Gandharva Festival, and a bastion of classical music, Pune is cherished by several musicians, and it’s no different for classical singer Kaushiki Chakrabarty and flautist Ronu Majumdar. After their recent performance at the Pune Festival, the renowned artistes spoke to mid-day about their equation with the Pune audience.

Vocalist Kaushiki Chakrabarty (lbelow) recently performed in the city during the Pune Festival. Pics/ Shashank Sane

“Pune is my musical home; musically I feel a sense of belonging here,” said Chakrabarty. Majumdar concurred, and spoke of the evolution of the music culture in the city. “I have a good musical relation with Pune audience. I’ve also found a change in the audience culture — earlier they were interested in pure classical music, but now their taste has become more global,” he said.

Majumdar added, “While world music and fusion are accepted by the audience now, real classical music should not be lost.”

Chakrabarty recalled a word music concert she had recently attended, and said, “The experience was very different there. Such concerts and audiences are very receptive to all kinds of music, and are accepting of new cultures. We had musicians from Iran, Russia, etc. performing there, which was an enriching experience.”

Flute maestro Ronu Majumdar

Chakrabarty also seemed enthused about the youth in Pune, and their increasing appreciation for classical music. “I have noticed that the number of youngsters attending my concerts is increasing. I want youngsters to connect to real classical music. Even if I’m able to influence five youngsters through my music, I feel I have done my work fully.”

In fact, both the musicians hope to come back to the city soon, with their individual projects, to help build appreciation for classical music. Majumdar spoke of Kolkata and its very successful flute festival, “I will try to come up with a flute festival in the city, as there are a lot of good listeners here.”

Chakrabarty, on the other hand, intends to bring her personal journey in music across to Punekars, with a workshop in the near future. She hoped that sharing her own experiences would inspire and guide others who want to become musicians.

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