BANANI GHOSH

 

Ludwig Van Beethoven said, "Das musik ist eine offenbarung als alle weisheit und philosophy" - music is a higher manifestation of divinity than that of all wisdom and philosophy. Rabindrasangeet is not a past time but a priesthood to Banani. Her music career began at the tender age of six. To explore the fascinating world of vocal music and master the art of rendition, she took rigorous training from eminent scholars of Rabindrasangeet, Classical, traditional songs and Bhajans in Calcutta and Santiniketan, India. Banani is a Rabindra Bharati University and Geetabitan graduate. Her sangeet guru, Padmasree Smt. Kanika Banerjee recalls her first meeting with Banani. "Banani was in her teens when I first heard her and instantly was impressed by her dedication and natural gift for renditioning of gurudev Rabindranath's songs".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banani's pursuit for excellence gives her recognition amongst the foremost Rabindrasangeet performers. The devout Tagorean and eminent journalist Late Santosh Kumar Ghosh had said of Banani. "The voice is hers; the voice is just as well the master's Hearing her, you hear him, the immortal Bard." Continuing on to say "To the arts, many are called but few are chosen".

 

Since 1961, Banani has been globetrotting on invitations to re-acquaint Tagore to the people at large through Rabindrasangeet. She religiously makes annual visits to India to participate in the Rabindra-Jayanti festivities. During this visits, she performs for the All India Radio, Doordarshan Kendra and for HMV - The Gramophone company of India Ltd.

 

Banani has received numerous honors and awards for her relentless efforts to promote and propagate Tagore's culture and traditional Bengali songs. And in this effort, Banani founded Antara - a Tagore music institution across the United States and Canada.

 

Banani hails from a culturally renowned family of Baligaun in Mymensingh district of unified India. She was born in Bajitpur, Mymensingh , now in Bangladesh. Her father, Late Prafulla Krishna Ghose valued Rabindranath Tagore ardently. He had close contact with Gurudev and could render Rabindrasangeet uniquely. He composed poems, wrote stories, biographies of Indian illuminaries/illuminates and published "Chom-Chom" - an elite monthly magazine for children from East Bengal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                   1. Romesh Bandopadhyay (Classical)

                   2. Sukhendu Goswami & Nani Gopal Chattopadhyya - Classical

                   3. Manju Gupta - Atulprosad

                   4. Dilip Roy of Pondicherry - Atulprosad, D.L. Roy & Bhajan

                   5. Padma-bibhusan Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Padmasri Gyan Ghosh and Sri. Kshiti Mohan Sen Shastri - Bhajan

                   6. Saileja Ranjan Mazumder, Romesh Bandopadhyay, Anadi Kumar Dastidar, Kanika Banerjee & Maya Sen -   Rabindrasangeet.

 

 

 

Mrs. Banani Ghosh with the Ambassador of India Sri. Siddhartha Shankar Ray at the opening ceremony for Rabindra Mela 1993 :
 

See a proclamation from the State of New Jersey Assembly regarding Rabindra Mela:

 

See a proclamation from the City of Scotch Plains regarding Rabindra Mela:

 

 

 

In 1989, Banani organized the first ever, Rabindra Mela - a two day festivity in New Jersey to disseminate the thoughts and literary works of Rabindranath Tagore to the North American audience and to the first generation Bengalees growing up in the United States. Banani was elected President of the Rabindra Mela committee. The festivity presented dramas, operas, songs, workshops, exhibitions, seminars - all with the key focus of presenting his genius to an estimated audience of 3000. Participants came from Bangladesh, Canada, India, England and U.S.A. Mayor of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Joan Papen honored Banani by presenting her with an honorary citation for her commitment and for her relentless community service activities through Antara and Rabindra Mela. A journal entitled "Rabibarnali" with articles from eminent scholars was published for the Rabindra Mela festivity.

 

The unprecedented success of this event led to the repeat performance of Rabindra Mela in 1993. This time, the festivity was inagurated by the President of the Rabindra Mela committee, Mrs. Banani Ghosh with the guest of honor, the Ambassador of India, Sri. Siddhartha Shankar Ray.

 

 

 

In April 1963, the Late Mr. M.C. Chagla, the Indian High Commissioner in London had requested Banani to help raise funds for the National Defence Fund set-up by the then Prime Minister Late Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru, for the Indo-China war of October 1962. At this Excellency's request, Banani, who was residing in Switzerland at that time had directed Tagore's dance drama "Shapmochan" for this cause. Her success was highly commended in India and in London.

 

In 1983, while in Rochester, NY, with participants from the Indian and the Bengali community, Banani had directed the stage performance of Tagore's dance drama "Bhannusingher Padavali" to raise funds for a Community Center in Rochester, NY.

 

In 1987, at the request of the Bengali Community of Toronto, Canada, Banani with the help of Antara - Toronto chapter, staged a musical evening to help raise fund to build the Toronto Kali-bari. This is the only Kali-bari in Toronto today.

 

In 1991, at the request of the Bangladesh Society of Washington DC, Banani performed at the prestigious NIH auditorium in Washington DC to raise funds for the flood victims of Bangladesh.