Anoushka Shankar and Arijit Singh at the Kolkata concert
Anoushka Shankar’s final stop of the Chapters tour in Kolkata unfolded as an evening of nostalgia and surprise. Nostalgia, as she reminded the audience that Netaji Indoor Stadium was where she had performed for the very first time nearly 30 years ago; surprise, in the form of two artistes who joined her on stage –tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh and Arijit Singh. Ghosh joined Anoushka for Fire Night, a composition from an album recorded and released in the mid-1960s, while Arijit, who made his first stage appearance after stepping away from playback singing, joined the duo for Maya Bhora Raati – a song originally composed by Pt Ravi Shankar in the 1960s.
It feels like such a special night for me to be back not just in Kolkata, but also here, at this venue, where I gave my first-ever performance in the city when I was 14 years old
Anoushka Shankar
Arijit at peace with stepping away from playback music: sourceAccording to those present backstage, Arijit was in high spirits. “He was mingling freely with everyone,” said one of the crew members. Sources also added that Arijit hardly stayed inside his makeup van (every performer for the night had been allocated one), and preferred to hang out with others from the fraternity instead.
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When someone asked about his decision to step back from playback singing, and its ramifications, Arijit told them he was “at peace” with the call he had taken.
“He said he had always wanted to devote time to classical music, since that is what he had been trained to do. Finally he has got the opportunity to do it,” an insider told us.
I had the fortune of visiting Anoushka some time back, and we have worked on a few collaborative tracks for the original soundtrack of the film I am making
Arijit Singh
Speaking about the Tum Hi Ho singer’s decision, Bickram Ghosh elaborated: “Arijit came up to me since we have known each other for a while, we chatted a bit. It is evident he intends to explore independent music, spread his wings. He has set an example for all musicians about how it is possible to go beyond restrictive formats of making music”Speaking about the Tum Hi Ho singer’s decision, Bickram Ghosh elaborated: “Arijit came up to me since we have known each other for a while, we chatted a bit.
It is evident he intends to explore independent music, spread his wings. He has set an example for all musicians about how it is possible to go beyond restrictive formats of making music”
