Rajrupa's solo sarod recital

Rajrupa (right) was ably accompanied by Swarup Hossain on tabla at the sarod recital.

Rajrupa Chowdhury, born in Kolkata, started her 'taalim' in sarod at the tender age of five under the aegis of Siddhartha Roy Chowdhury. She secured the first class first position in her Masters in Instrumental Music from the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, in 2006. The virtuoso sarod player now lives in Dhaka.
Recently Rajrupa had a solo sarod recital at the residence of Abul Khair, chairman of Bengal Foundation. She was ably accompanied by Swarup Hossain on tabla. A gold medal recipient from the MS University of Baroda, Swarup received 'taalim' from the late Pandit Sudhir Kumar Saksena under a Bengal Foundation scholarship.
The recital opened with an 'alaap,' 'jod' and 'jhala' in "Raaga Desh". This was followed by "Vilambit Gat" and "Madhyalaya Gat" in "Malkosh." A brief rendition in "Bhimpalasi" ended the performance. Rajrupa's devotion was apparent in her complete immersion in the presentation. The melodic development of the various ragas was handled with great care. The progressive journey to different 'laya' and complex patterns was immaculate. A great deal of restraint was apparent in the use of specific ornamentation. Rajrupa's improvisations bespoke her extensive 'taalim' and tireless 'rewaz.’