Ajoy Chakrabarty
Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty (born 25 December 1952) is an Indian classical vocalist, composer, lyricist and an exponent of the Patiala-Kasur gharana. He was awarded with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India in 2020 and the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India in 2011.
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Ajoy Chakrabarty | |
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| Born | Ajoy Chakrabarty 25 December 1952 |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Occupation | Vocalist |
| Spouse | Chandana Chakraborty |
| Children | Kaushiki Chakraborty, Ananjan Chakraborty |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2020) |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Shyamnagar, West Bengal, India |
| Genres | Hindustani classical music |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Website | https://ajoychakrabarty.com/ |
Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty (born 25 December 1952) is an Indian classical vocalist,[1] composer, lyricist and an exponent of the Patiala-Kasur gharana.[2] He was awarded with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India in 2020 and the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India in 2011.[3][4][5]
Early life
[edit]Ajoy Chakrabarty was born in Kolkata, West Bengal on 25 December 1952 to Ajit Kumar Chakraborty and Mahamaya Devi.[6][7][8]
He graduated his class in music, both in B.A and M.A. from the Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata and then ITC Sangeet Research Academy in 1977 as its first scholar.[6][7]
His father, Ajit Chakrabarty, was his first Guru. He then studied with Pannalal Samanta, Kanaidas Bairagi, Munawar Ali Khan and Jnan Prakash Ghosh.[9]
Besides that, he had learnt from Latafat Hussain Khan, Nibruttibua Sarnaik, Hirabai Barodekar and in Carnatic styles from M. Balamuralikrishna, that kept enriching his musical expression and repertoire.[10] Despite having such pure classical "taleem" in the Khyal genre, he also renders lighter forms such as Thumri, Tappa, Bhajan, Kirtan, Folk, Film/Non-Film and modern songs, in several different languages.
He has received several prestigious awards including the Padma Shri (2011), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Delhi, 1999–2000), Kumar Gandharva National Award (1993) and the Best Male Playback Singer Award (Bengali Film "Chhandaneer" 1990) ("For bringing the rare depth of emotion, adorned by his command on the classical idiom") and National Tansen Samman 2015 - by the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.[11] He has also received felicitations from both the former and present Chief Ministers of his own State, West Bengal. In 2012, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee conferred him the Maha Sangeet Samman and the Banga Bibhushan, two of the State's highest awards. In 2015 he has received Guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh Lifetime Achievement Award.
He also was awarded honorary citizenship in New Orleans, after performing with jazz musicians at Preservation Hall, the birthplace of jazz music.
He had received his honorary doctorate degree in the presence of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries from IIT Kanpur. He was honored for his exemplary contributions in his respective field.
Singing career
[edit]He has been invited to perform in Pakistan and China and by BBC for their Golden Jubilee Celebration of India's Independence.[12]
He has performed in some of the most prestigious venues around the world such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, New Orleans Jazz Preservation Hall in the US, the Royal Albert hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in the UK and Theatre de la Ville in France. In addition to that, Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty performed at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada in 2018 for the Raag-Mala Music Society of Toronto.[13]
Inspired by the ideals of his Guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Chakrabarty founded Shrutinandan, a school of music.[14]
Personal life
[edit]Ajoy Chakrabarty is married to Chandana Chakrabarty. His daughter, Kaushiki Chakraborty, is also a vocalist of Hindustani classical music. Their son, Ananjan Chakraborty, is a sound engineer.
Films
[edit]| Year | Song | Film | Co-singer | Composer | Lyricist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Bela Jay Shyamrai | Baidurjya Rahasya | None | Tapan Sinha | Tapan Sinha |
| Nain Mein Nandalal | Baidurjya Rahasya | None | Tapan Sinha | Tapan Sinha | |
| 1999 | Ore Jaat Jaat koris kano | Niyoti | None | Manoranjan Saha | Bablu Samaddar |
| 2000 | Isaiyil Thodanguthamma | Hey Ram | None | Ilayaraja | Ilayaraja |
| Har Koi Samjhe | Hey Ram | None | Ilayaraja | Ilayaraja | |
| 2001 | Aan Milo Sajna | Gadar: Ek Prem Katha | Parveen Sultana | Uttam Singh | Anand Bakshi |
| 2005 | Yeh Kaun Mujhe Yaad Aaya | Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story | None | Naushad Ali | Naqsh Lyallpuri |
| Vaishnava Jan To | Water | Kaushiki Desikan | A. R. Rahman,(originally composed by Narsinh Mehta) | Sukhwinder Singh | |
| 2011 | Bhorer Alo | Bhorer Alo | None | Jeet Gannguli | Priyo Chattopadhyay |
| 2013 | Rabso Neha Laage (Bilaval Bandish) | Shunyo Awnko | Kaushiki Desikan | Gautam Ghose | Gautam Ghose |
| 2020 | Garaj Garaj | Bandish Bandits | None | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Sameer Samant |
| 2023 | Dawsh Awbotaar Stotra | Dawshom Awbotaar | Anupam Roy | Joydeb |
Awards
[edit] | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (October 2021) |
- National Award – 1989
- Kumar Gandharva Award – 1993
- Sangeet Natak Akademi award – 2000
- Padmashree – 2011[15]
- Banga Bibhushan – 2012
- Alva's Virasat Award – 2012[16]
- Tansen Samman - 2015
- Pandit Omkarnath Thakur Shastriya Sangeet Award - 2014 - 2015
- Padma Bhushan 2020[17]
References
[edit]- ^ Sharma, Jyotirmaya (19 March 2005). "Ahoy Ajoy!". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 May 2005. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Learn Bengali Classical Music – Live from Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty". Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "Padma honours for Ajoy Chakraborty, Manilal Nag". The Times of India. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, George Fernandes given Padma Vibhushan posthumously. Here's full list of Padma award recipients". The Economic Times. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS" (PDF). padmaawards.gov.in. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ a b Ejaz, Sana (23 June 2025). "Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty". Darbar. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ^ a b "Pandit Ji - Biography". ajoychakrabarty.com. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ^ "Ajoy Chakraborty". AIMREC Record Label - The Home of Indian Classical and World Fusion Music. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ^ Sharma, Jyotirmaya (28 April 2006). "In honour of Bade Khansaheb". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Swaminathan, Chitra (25 November 2016). "Ajoy Chakrabarty talks about his association with Balamuralikrishna". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty". SouLSteer. 25 December 2015. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ "Ajoy Chakraborty Live on the BBC".
- ^ "Vocal Recital By Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty: Sept 8, 2018". Aga Khan Museum. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ^ P, Apurva (24 January 2025). "A musical legacy: Exploring the depths of ragas with Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty". IndulgExpress. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ "Alva's Virasat off to a flying start". The Hindu. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ "Padma Awards 2020 Announced". pib.gov.in.
External links
[edit]- Ajoy Chakrabarty Official Website Archived 20 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- Ajoy Chakraborty in Asavari
- Ajoy Chakraborty: Live on BBC
- Ajoy Chakrabarty Biography and discussion forum
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