It was a Saturday evening with a difference. Budhaditya Bhattacharyya, a young Indian classical vocalist, enthralled a group of selected audience members on the terrace of Birla Academy of Art and Culture on 29 March.

The theme of the programme, ‘Constant Companion: The Art of Making Tanpuras’, brought a captivating blend of tradition and scholarship that charmed the audience, representing different age groups. Bhattacharyya is a doctoral scholar in ethnomusicology at the University of Durham and an alumnus of SOAS. As a senior disciple of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Bhattacharyya had already honed an exquisite command of khayal, dhrupad, dhamar, and thumri, further enriched by his ongoing study of rare ragas and talas under Ustad Mehfooz Khokhar in the UK. This fusion of rigorous academic pursuit and artistic mastery lent his performance both technical precision and intellectual gravitas.

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This was Bhattacharyya’s first solo programme in Kolkata. Earlier, he participated in solo programmes in London (2015) and Durham (2019-2024). He also performed with Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty in shows at Leeds (2019) and Birmingham (2019) as an accompanying artist. Keeping in mind the Basanta (spring) season, Bhattacharyya began his recital with a Sadra (traditional composition): “Jayati Nava Nagri”. This was followed by a Drut teental khayal (composed by ‘Hararang’): “Ritu Basant Sakhi.” Bhattacharyya enthralled the audience with a Tarana in teentaal composed by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. He then transitioned to raga Lalit Pancham, a khayal in teental composed by Guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh: “Kook Sunayi Koyeliya”. It is challenging to sing Lalit Pancham unless the performer has absolute control over their voice. He was accompanied by Samir Nandi on tabla, Kamalaksha Mukherjee on harmonium, and Sayak Das on tanpura. The perfect balance of the accompanying musicians had made the entire presentation sweeter. It has often been seen that the accompanying musicians often go overboard, affecting the mood of the recital. Here, it did not happen due to the top-class accompanying artists. Nandi, who was on tabla, is the grandson of famous tabla maestro Radhakanta Nandi. Manna Dey, Sandhya Mukherjee and Manabendra Mukherjee always took Nandi on tabla to make their performance more attractive to the audience.

The programme ended with a bhajan composed by Tulsidas: “Janaki Nath Sahay”. This bhajan was made famous by one of the best Hindustani classical vocalists, DV Paluskar. For nearly an hour, Bhattacharyya captivated the minds of the audience. They clapped to cheer for the artist, whose voice control and mastery of the ragas were remarkable. The performance indicated extensive voice training under the capable guidance of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. Bhattacharyya’s uniqueness lay in his ability to touch every note with ease and comfort. The first solo performance of Bhattacharyya in the city has clearly indicated that he has miles to go. He is a perfect blend of education and training, which has made the programme unforgettable for those who had the chance to attend it.