Ashim Choudhary’s sitar captivated the city audience on the occasion 313th monthly baithak of Pracheen Kala Kendra.
The music lovers of city beautiful were treated to a amazing Sitar recital by Kolkata based prominent Sitar exponent Pt. Ashim Choudhary on the occasion of the 313th Monthly Baithak Programme organized by Pracheen Kala Kendra here today at M.L. Koser Indoor Auditorium , PKK complex, Chandigarh from 6:30 pm onwards . The city reverberated in an ebb and flow between the melodious strings and the applause of the audience
Pandit Ashim Choudhary is a renowned and established sitar player representing the traditions of the great Imdad Khani Gharana in Indian classical music. He was introduced to music by his father, Shri Shibu Choudhary, a renowned tabla player. At the age of five, he began learning the sitar under the guidance of the late Ustad Benjamin Gomes. He later became a disciple of Acharya Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee, a prominent figure in the Imdad Khani Gharana. Despite holding a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Mathematics and an MBA, he has successfully established himself as one of the country’s best sitar players. He is a ‘Top’ grade sitar player with All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan.
He is an established grade empanelled artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). He has received numerous awards for his exceptional talent, including the West Bengal State Music Award (First Place in 1989) and the prestigious “Sur Mani” title from Shringar Sansad, Mumbai. His sitar was featured in DD Agartala’s signature tune.
In today’s program, Ashim Choudhary began the recital with a traditional aalap in Raga Rageshri. He then moved on to present Jod Jhala, followed by a Vilambit Gat set to Teentaal. The audience was mesmerized by the magic of Ashim’s fingers as he played beautiful tunes on the sitar. After this, he presented a melodious gats in the Madhya laya and Drut laya set to teen taal. The program concluded with a thumri set to Raga Bhairavi. He was ably accompanied by the talented tabla exponent Pandit Debashish Adhikari on the tabla.
At the end of the program, the Kendra’s Registrar, Dr. Shobha Koser, Secretary, Mr. Sajal Koser, and Dr. Meera Madan honored the artists.
