Music all the way
Currently a teacher of classical music at Chhayanaut, Priyanka Gope's initiation to the Bangladeshi cultural arena happened with music and dance when she was in class five. Her classical taalim (training) formally began under Ustad Ananda Chakraborti of Tangail. She was a member of Udichi's Tangail unit. Before going to Rabindra Bharati University to study Classical Music, on a scholarship, Priyanka took further lessons from Dr. Asit Roy of Rajshahi University in 2002.
Apart from studying at Rabindra Bharati University (2003-2008), Priyanka took khayal lessons exclusively from ITC Sangeet Research Academy guru Pt. Arun Bhaduri. She also learnt thumri from Pt. Urmi Das Gupta and Pt. Purnima Chowdhury.
“I love to perform both khayal and thumri. Khayal recital engages the vocalist in a game of melody and notes, while thumri, with its lyrics, represents a rhythmic play. The synopsis of the lyrics is called bhao. One who has a mastery over bhao, can steal the show with thumri, though good command over khayal is a prerequisite to thumri performance,” Priyanka explains.
“Thumri articulates the vocalist's longing to be reunited with the beloved, often in the form of Krishna. It is rendered on a lighter note and improvisation is relaxed,” she adds.
The talented artiste received Uday Shankar Bhattacharya Smriti Puroshkar 2006 for attaining the highest score (first class first) in her B. Mus examination.
Priyanka also came first in khayal and thumri rendition at the All India Classical Competition (Dover Lane Conference) in 2008. At competitions arranged by West Bengal State Music Academy, she also won in Nazrul Sangeet (2004), and in khayal and thumri (2006).
“I enjoy singing evening ragas like 'Yaman,' 'Puria,' 'Madhuwanti,' 'Behag' and 'Malkauns.' All the ragas are time and season bound, and are also closely associated with nature. No one can describe the aesthetic essence of 'Bhairav' in the evening,” the artiste says.
Priyanka joined Chhayanaut in 2009 as a teacher.
“Though my background is in classical music, I try to render Nazrul and Rabindra Sangeet with utmost sincerity. The profound lyrics of Rabindra Sangeet make me think again and again, while the raga-based melodies of Nazrul Sangeet make me float on the ocean of classical music,” Priyanka says.
Priyanka participated in a classical music festival, held at Vishnupur (West Bengal), as a guest artiste. She also performed Nazrul Sangeet on Akashbani (Kolkata) as an invited artiste. She has performed on several Indian TV channels, namely Tara Bangla, ETV Bangla and DD Bangla.
Priyanka was featured in a mixed album produced by Laser Vision. The album, titled “Maa,” was released on Mother's Day in 2009. A solo album of classical music and a mixed Nazrul Sangeet album featuring the artiste are in the pipeline. She is an A Grade artiste of Betar (radio) and BTV.
“We still have a long way to go in popularising classical music. Affluent music connoisseurs have to come forward to this cause. Both print and electronic media can contribute in many ways. Real talents should be nurtured and highlighted,” she says.
“I'll continue practicing classical music till the end. I would like to popularise the genre through my renditions,” Priyanka hopes.
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