Arijit Singh returned to the stage in Kolkata just days after quitting Bollywood playback singing, leaving fans in awe. From a soulful Ravi Shankar classic to a magical duet on Norah Jones’ track, it was a night to remember.
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Kolkata witnessed a musical surprise on Sunday as Arijit Singh, India’s most loved playback singer, performed live just days after announcing he was quitting Bollywood singing. Fans couldn’t believe their eyes (or ears) when Arijit walked on stage with sitar maestro Anoushka Shankar at Netaji Indoor Stadium.
Videos and pictures of the emotional performance quickly went viral on social media.
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Arijit, usually seen as calm and composed, admitted to feeling nervous as he stepped onto the stage. “I am very nervous. Thank you for having me,” he told the roaring crowd.
Anoushka Shankar welcomed him warmly. She then set the tone for a night full of magical music.
The singer first teamed up with Anoushka and percussionist Bickram Ghosh to perform ‘Maya Bhora Raati’. It is a Bengali classic originally sung by Lakshmi Shankar and composed by the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar. Arijit shared that he had visited Anoushka at her home recently, where they had spent time composing music together.
The evening also saw Arijit performing a soulful duet with Anoushka on ‘Traces of You’. This is a track she co-created with international star Norah Jones. The combination of Arijit’s smooth voice and Anoushka’s sitar created a mesmerising mix that had the audience glued to their seats.
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Just a few days before this show, Arijit announced on social media that he would no longer take new playback assignments. Sharing a heartfelt note on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, he wrote: “Hello, Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much love all these years as listeners. I’m happy to announce that I am not gonna be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey.”
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