Ashit Bishwas: Lifelong devotion to esraj

Ashit Bishwas is a gifted musician and one of the few adept esraj players in Bangladesh. Today he is a familiar face at various cultural programmes. Recently, he performed solo at a programme organised by the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh. He has also worked as a background musician for several documentary films. Last year he provided the background score for a BBC documentary featuring the Royal Bengal tigers of the Sundarbans. The documentary is to be aired shortly. And apart from his various artistic pursuits, he also trains students in the esraj.
Ashit was an early entrant to the world of music. He began learning Nazrul songs from his father Radha Raman Bishwas. At the time he had no inkling that he would become a reputed esraj player.
He first heard the esraj on an old cassette, while still a young boy. He was then living with his family in Sylhet. The music stirred his imagination and he knew then that the esraj would be a lifetime companion. His new found enthusiasm took him to Agartala where he was trained by Ustad Manoranjan Babu.
Later he moved with his family to Chittagong. He began playing the esraj at various cultural programmes. In 1985, when he was still doing his higher secondary, he managed a job in Bangladesh Betar, Chittagong. In September 2007, he was transferred to Dhaka Agargaon Radio Station, where he works to date.
Ashit has attracted a huge fan following in the course of his career.
On the scope for young artistes in Bangladesh, Ashit says, "There are numerous talented musicians in Bangladesh who are underexposed. Besides, fresh, new faces are always being discovered. I would like the High Commission of Bangladesh to launch these talents in the international arena. I firmly believe that our musicians can earn much fame if they are given the opportunity to showcase their talents on an international forum.”