Partha Sarathi Mukherjee

Partha Sarathi Mukherjee acclaimed as leading Tabla player of the younger generation, today. He began playing tabla at the age of four under the able guidance of his father Shri Ashok Kumar Mukherjee himself a disciple of India's foremost Tabla maestro Lt. Padmabhusan Pandit Samta Prasadji of Benaras Gharana, before Panditji took him under his wing. Partha Sarathi has been acknowledged as one of Panditji's leading disciples for his complementary accompaniment, elegant clarity and laya accuracy.

Some of his many achievements have been:-

Securing First position in:

· "Swar Sadhana Mandir"; Bombay 1979
· "Abhinav Kala Samaj"; Indore 1981
· "All India Radio Music Competition"; New Delhi 1985

Partha Sarathi is also a renowned soloist throughout India and abroad and has performed in festivals of:-

· "Mehfil"; Nagpur 1981&82
· Arambh" of "Ustad Allauddin Khan Sangeet Academy"; Bhopal 1986
· "Udiyaman" of "Anhad" Bharat Bhawan; Bhopal 1988
· "Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Samaroha" of "Gandharva Mahavidyalaya"; New Delhi 1988

He has also accompanied internationally recognised artistes like Pt. Budhaditya Mukherjee; Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta; Begum Parveen Sultana; Smt. Shruti Shadolikar; Shri Ulhas Bapat; Smt. Lakshmi Shankar; Smt. Prabha Atre; Shri Irshad Khan; Smt. Malini Rajurkar; Ustad Shahid Parvez; Smt. Savita Devi; Pt. Rajan & Sajan Mishra; Shri Ashok Pathak, Shri Brijnarayan, Shri Tarun Bhattacharya , Shri Dhruba Ghosh, Ustad Shujaat Husain Khan, Shri Raghunath Seth, Eduardo Niebla flamenco guitarist from Spain.

He has performed throughout India in major festivals such as:-

· All India Radio Sangeet Sammelan; Bombay 1988&91
· Gandharva Mahavidyalaya; Baroda 1989
· Indian Peoples Theatre; Chandigarh 1989
· Golden Jubilee of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya; New Delhi 1990
· Doverlane Music conference; Calcutta 1992
· Indian Music Group, St. Xavier College; Bombay 1991& 94
· Pt. Ram Marathe Smriti Samaroha; Thane 1996
· International Crop Science Seminar, New Delhi 1996
· Pt. V G Jog 75th anniversary festival; Calcutta 1996
· Swami Vivekananda anniversary festival; Calcutta 1997/98
· Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Music festival; Goa 1997
· West Bengal State Music Academy festival; Calcutta 1998
· Sutanati Music festival; Calcutta 1998
· Sawai Gandharva; Pune 1998

A Few Comments:-

· "Young Partha Sarathi Mukherjee on the tabla, came as a real discovery. He shone as an ideal accompanist. Especially the softness and restraint of his sangat {accompaniment} seemed quite incredible coming as it did from one who is disciple of Pt. Samta Prasad ji, the maestro of aggressive percussion play."
The Times of India; Bombay 13.10.88
· "Partha Sarathi Mukherjee's tabla accompaniment not only flourished the artist's mood, but gave a rare flavour with crystal clarity, by providing splendid 'NADHIN DHIN NA' {Theka} at expremely high speed.''
Desh; Calcutta 23.4.94
· " His playing is the life of the raga and when the other artist improvises his accompaniment creates the atmosphere as he is always present."
Estoril; Portugal 21.7.95
· "Mukherjee produced some intense and electrifying sounds. At times it was loud and other times it was soft, delicate and restrained. The transitions were incredible, also his finger movements were not only fast but were so deadly accurate."
Leicester Mercury; Leicester 19.1.96

Partha Sarathi has toured extensively in U.K. and abroad. Some of his more notable venues have been the:-

· International Music Festival; Venice {Italy} 1988
· Theatro Coloseo; Rome & Torino {Italy} 1988
· Adelaide International Music Festival; Adelaide {Australia} 1990
· Sydney Opera House; Sydney {Australia} 1990
· Bath International Festival of Music; Bath {U.K.} 1993/96
· House of Commons; London {U.K.} 1995
· Spital Fields International Music Festival; London {U.K.} 1995
· 21st International Music Festival; Estoril {Portugal} 1995
· Birmingham Conservatoire; Birmingham {U.K.} 1994-97
· South Bank Arts Centre; London {U.K.} 1993&95
· Kufa Gallery; London {U.K.} 1995
· The "Heritage of Indian Percussion" organised by "Taal-Rythms of India" Phoenix Arts Centre; Leicester {U.K.} 1996
· Leeds International Music Festival; Leeds {U.K.} 1996
· Guildhall School of Music & drama; London {U.K.} 1996
· Mananan Festival; Isle of Man {U.K.} 1996
· Les Courmetts Music Festival; Nice {France} 1996
· Sabras Radio; Leicester {U.K.} 1996

The Countries and places in U.K. and abroad where Partha Sarathi has performed

Italy Torino, Reggio-Emilia, Venice, Gorizia, Buia, Verona, Bologna, Milan, Rome
U.K. London, Bath, Leicester,
Birmingham, Glasgow, Ambleside, Bradford, Totnes, Stamford, Colchester, Leeds, Wolverhampton, Nuneaton, Portsmouth, Harpendon, Southampton, Oxford, Liverpool, Skelmersdale, Oldham, Stoke-on-Trent, Isle-of-Man, Shrewsbury, Nottingham, Coventry, Sheffield
Portugal Estoril, Loures
Germany Engen,Darmstad,Ingolstad,Munster,
Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne, Hamburg
Singapore Singapore
Australia Darwin, Cairns, Macay, Perth,
Armidale, Rockhampton, Brisbane,
Townsville,Canberra, Sydney,
Bendigo, Geelong, Melbourne,
Adelaide
Switzerland Winterthur, Avarona
France Rouen, Coraze,Lille,Calais
Norway Oslo
Ireland Dublin, Sligo
N. Ireland Belfast
Belgium Brussels, Brugges, Liege
Netherlands Rotterdam, Utrecht, Oosterbeek, Dordrecht, Arnhem
Spain Girona, Sitges, Calonge, Malaga
Sweden Lulea, Kristianstad
Finland Helsinki, Turku
Estonia Tallinn
South Africa Johannesburg, Cape Town
Canada Toronto, Montreal
USA New York, Washington

Partha Sarathi has also featured in many CD's and cassettes with renowned artists like Shri Budhaditya Mukherjee {Sitar} and Pt. Ashok Roy {Sarod}. He has been a regular artist for 'All India Radio And TV' since 1986.

Partha Sarathi is now resident in U.K. since 1994 and before coming to U.K. he was a lecturer in tabla at 'Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya; Khairagarh' in India.
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Partha Sarathi Mukherjee
10 Roberts Road
Leicester LE4 5HF [U.K.]
(UK)Tel: +44 {0}116- 2259388
Fax: +44 {0}116- 2259389
Mobile: +44-{0} 7879-458205
Mobile (Fax): +44{0}7879-459047
E-mail: tablaboy@yahoo.com
(India)Tel: + 91{0}788- 393048

Ustad Fida HussainKhan

Fida Hussain Khan was born in Punjab, India to a family of actors. He first had the privilege to learn from Ustad Jhanday Khan in Calcutta, which is where he learnt all of his acting and music.Through his training, he travelled extensively throughout India with an illustrious acting and singing career from the mere age of eight. After learning from Ustad Jhanday, Fida Hussain sought tutelage from Ustad Barkat Ali Khan from the Patiala Gharana in Punjab, now part of Pakistan. Following this, he learnt the ‘Layakari’ from the world famous Ustad Allarakha Khan. Fida Hussain came to the UK in 1960 and was subsequently one of the first Asians to take up music as a profession. It is this early start that has enabled him to teach extensively around the country. His reputation has grown over the years which has allowed him to accompany many famous visiting artists from India such as Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pandits Rajan and Sajan Misra, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and Ustad Fatiala Khan.

Pandit Ramesh Misra

Mastery over the Sarangi, one of the most difficult and unique string instruments, has made Ramesh Misra one of India’s most renowned and coverted artists. Son of the great sarangi maestro, Pandit Ramnath Misra, Ramesh started his initial intensive training at a very young age from his father and acquired further knowledge and trainin g from some of the finest musicians of the Benaras Gharana, Pandit Hanuman Prasad Misra and the late Pandit Gopal Misra. Presently, Ramesh is under the tutelage of the legendary maestro, Pandit Ravi Shankar. Ramesh’s high aesthetic sense and artistic sensibilities have gained him recognition both in India and abroad as an eminent soloist and adept accompanist to India’s finest artists. He is a recipient of one of India’s most prestigious award, the Sangeet Natak Award as well as Geetanjali, Uttam and Dishari awards from different musical organisations.

He has traveled internationally. In 1959, Ramesh was sent as a cultural delegate to Pakistan by the late Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru. He has also produced numerous solo recordings and his knowledge of Indian classical, folk and light mnusic have been an added asset in his collaborative work. His mesmerizing melodies on the sarangi can be heard in many music productions including Ravi Shankar’s ‘Live in Kremlin’ and the Grammy-nominated album ‘Legacy’ produced by the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He is also one of the recording artists in Aero Smith’s recent album.

Ramesh Misra is an accomplished artist, inspired teacher and creative collaborator whose accompaniment of Smt. Lakshmi Shankar at the Bhavan in London on 13th October 2001 will be greatly looked forward to.

Reena Bhardwaj

Born in the UK and a management graduate of the London School of Economics, Reena Bhardwaj has successfully managed to combine her academic pursuits
with a strong passion and commitment to Asian arts and culture in the UK. She has been involved in various Asian Arts activities from an early age, including the study of the classical dance form, Kathak, in which she achieved a Diploma under the guidance of Priya Pawar in 1989.

In recent years, Reena has focused on her natural talent in singing and has touched the hearts of many with her soulful and captivating voice. Although not formally trained, Reena feels privileged to have received brief guidance from renowned classical vocalists, Pts. Rajan and Sajan Mishra, and during her future trips to India, she plans to acquire her formal vocal training from the veteran classical vocalist, Ustad Ghularn Mustafa Khan Sahib.

She is most remembered for her stunning rendition of Kabir’s poetry, as well as her performances on Zee TV’s ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’. Most recently, she has recorded for A.R. Rahman in Tamil and Hindi and for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams.

Reena sang a moving tribute to Smt. Lakshmi Shankar on the occasion of Lakshmiji's 75th birthday celebrations at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London in October 2001.