Shankar Ghosh
Encyclopedia
Pandit Shankar Ghosh is a noted India
n tabla
player from the Farukhabad gharana
of Hindustani classical music
. He is also an occasional Hindustani classical singer where he follows the Patiala gharana
.
He was awarded the 1999-2000 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
in Tabla, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists, by Sangeet Natak Akademi
, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.
maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
and won rave reviews, and over the years he toured with Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan
, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee
, Sharan Rani, Pandit V. G. Jog
. In India he has performed with vocalists such as Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Pandit Onkar Nath Thakur, Pandit Vinayak Rao Pattabardhan, Girija Devi
and Smt. Akhtari Bai. During his stay abroad he also collaborated with artists like Greg Ellis
, Pete Lockett
and John Bergamo
.
He has received awards like ITC Sangeet Research Academy
award and the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan award. Teaching tabla over three decades, presently he teaches in institutions at Kolkata
, Paris
and Bonn
.
, Sanjukta Ghosh
, and is the father of the tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh
, whom he has also trained in tabla, and who went on to perform with musical legends like Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
player from the Farukhabad gharana
Farukhabad gharānā
Farukhabad gharana is one of six prominent playing styles or gharanas of North Indian tabla drums, in Hindustani classical music, and derives its name from Farukhabad in Uttar Pradesh state.-History:...
of Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
. He is also an occasional Hindustani classical singer where he follows the Patiala gharana
Patiala Gharana
The Patiala gharana is one of the most prominent gharanas of vocal Hindustani classical music. It was initially sponsored by the Maharaja of Patiala, Punjab, which was famous for ghazal, thumri, and khyal.-History:...
.
He was awarded the 1999-2000 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
in Tabla, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists, by Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.
Early life and training
He started learning training taleem in 1953 under Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh of Calcutta (now Kolkata), who pioneered the concept of tabla ensembles, employing various tables playing the same peieces; a tradition later taken forward by Shankar himself. His other gurus were Pt. Gyan Prakash Ghosh,Ustad Feroz Khan, Pandit Anath Nath Bose and Pandit Sudarshan Adhikari.Career
He started touring the US in 1960s with sarodSarod
The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in the classical music of Hindustan...
maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan , often referred to as Khansahib or by the title Ustad , was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod...
and won rave reviews, and over the years he toured with Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan
Vilayat Khan
Ustad Vilayat Khan was one of India's well known sitar maestros, born in Gauripur in Mymensingh, Bengal...
, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee
Nikhil Banerjee
Nikhil Ranjan Banerjee was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar Gharana who played the stringed instrument sitar.-Early life and background:...
, Sharan Rani, Pandit V. G. Jog
V. G. Jog
Vishnu Govind Jog, better known as V. G. Jog , was an Indian violinist. He was the foremost exponent of the violin in the Hindustani music tradition in the 20th century, and is credited for introducing this instrument into Hindustani music.Jog was a disciple of Baba Allauddin Khan...
. In India he has performed with vocalists such as Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Pandit Onkar Nath Thakur, Pandit Vinayak Rao Pattabardhan, Girija Devi
Girija Devi
Girija Devi is an Indian classical singer of the Banaras gharana. She performs classical and light classical music and has helped elevate the profile of thumri.-Early life:Girija Devi was born in Varanasi, India in 1929...
and Smt. Akhtari Bai. During his stay abroad he also collaborated with artists like Greg Ellis
Greg Ellis (musician)
Greg Ellis is a California-born drummer and percussionist, who is currently a member of World/Psytrance/Tribal band Juno Reactor and the ambient group Biomusique....
, Pete Lockett
Pete Lockett
Peter Robert Lockett is an English percussionist and recording artist. Lockett is known as a versatile and prolific percussionist, collaborating with many artists. He is well-versed in percussion traditions from music cultures around the world, including, Arabic, Japanese, Indian and...
and John Bergamo
John Bergamo
John Bergamo is an American percussionist and composer. Since 1970 he has been the coordinator of the percussion department at the California Institute of the Arts....
.
He has received awards like ITC Sangeet Research Academy
ITC Sangeet Research Academy
ITC Sangeet Research Academy is a Hindustani classical music academy run by the corporate house, ITC Ltd.. It is located in Kolkata, India. Noted musicians associated with the academy include Ulhas Kashalkar...
award and the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan award. Teaching tabla over three decades, presently he teaches in institutions at Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
.
Personal life
He is married to Hindustani classical vocalist of Patiala gharanaPatiala Gharana
The Patiala gharana is one of the most prominent gharanas of vocal Hindustani classical music. It was initially sponsored by the Maharaja of Patiala, Punjab, which was famous for ghazal, thumri, and khyal.-History:...
, Sanjukta Ghosh
Sanjukta Ghosh
Sanjukta Ghosh is an Indian vocalist in Hindustani classical music, and at present regarded as one of the stalwart of the Patiala Gharana. Initially she was under the guidance of Pt. Prasun Banerjee and later, for almost two decades, from Ustad Munawar Ali Khan, the younger son, disciple, and heir...
, and is the father of the tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh
Bickram Ghosh
Bickram Ghosh is an Indian tabla player performing in Hindustani classical music as well as Fusion music....
, whom he has also trained in tabla, and who went on to perform with musical legends like Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar.