Tabla maestro Pandit Shankar Ghosh passes away

Eminent tabla player Pandit Shankar Ghosh passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal following a prolonged illness. He was 80.
He was amongst the most well-known tabla players in the country and followed the Farukhabad gharana of Hindustani classical music.

About Pandit Shankar Ghosh

• He had started learning training taleem in 1953 under the guidance of legendary Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh.
• Ustad Feroz Khan, Pandit Sudarshan Adhikari and Pandit Anath Nath Bose were his other teachers.
• He had taught tabla to a large number of students not only in India but also in Europe. He was the mentor of Bickram Ghosh.
• He had performed with vocalists such as Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Girija Devi, Pandit Vinayakrao Patwardhan and Akhtari Bai.
• He had earned rave reviews for his ‘jugalbandi’ performances with celebrated classical musicians like Ustad Vilayat Khan, sitarists Pandit Ravi Shankar and violinist Pandit VG Jog.
• At international level, he had collaborated with artists like Pete Lockett, Greg Ellis and John Bergamo.
• Awards: He was awarded the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000. He also has received ITC Sangeet Research Academy award and Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan award.

Month: Current Affairs - January, 2016