Dear Music Lovers of New York,
We are cordially inviting you to attend the upcoming South Asian Music Festival organized by MandraSaptak Baithaks and Royal Bengal Teahouse, New York. Please come to grace our occasion as always, to celebrate the deep heritage of Indian Classical Music.
Warm regards,
Sanchari Bhattacharyya (MSB)
https://www.instagram.com/mandrasaptakbaithaks?igsh=MTZuanl2Z25xeDF1YQ==
Ifti Chowdhury (RBT)
https://www.instagram.com/royalbengalteahouse?igsh=MWZkNWRvdHZ0Zjd5NA==

PROGRAM:
3.30 pm: Audience seating
3.40 pm: Host introduction
3.45 pm: Opening Program
Tabla Lehra by Arghya Paul, followed by Bhajan by Aishwari Paul.
4..10 pm: Raaga based Bengali songs by
Ifti Chowdhury
4.25 pm: Hindustani Vocals Music
Sanchari Bhattacharyya
5.05 pm: Instrumental Music
Sarode recital by Satyaki Dutta. He will be accompanied on the tabla by Mallar Goswami
6.35 pm: A note of acknowledgement by hosts

Artists:
ARGHYA DEV PAUL:
Argha Dev Paul is a young tabla player whose passion for percussion started at the age of 3. Under the guidance of his Guru, Uchhal Banerjee, Argha started his formal tabla training at the age of 7. As part of Dhwani Academy, he has performed at various programs such as at St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University. Alongside Dhwani Academy’s programs, Argha has accompanied other musical artists on tabla such as the renowned sarod player, Puspen Dey. As Argha plays tabla, he ensures that his passion for it will continue on.

AISHWARI PAUL:
Aishwari Paul is a young singer who has been receiving training since the age of 4. From the age of 7, under the guidance of her Guru, Malabika Chatterjee, she started her formal training of Hindustani Classical. Alongside this she trains in other mediums of music such as Bengali Folk/Modern music as well as music in Hindi. As part of Sangeet Sadhana, she has performed at various programs with classical and devotional music. She has also performed at religious centers such as the Vedanta Society Centers of New York and Providence as well as Sri Chinmoy Center.
Along with singing, she also accompanies on harmonium with nagma during tabla lehra performances. She has accompanied her brother during Dhwani Academy programs and at Sri Chinmoy Center. As Aishwari sings and plays harmonium, she portrays her passion and dedication to music.

SATYAKI DUTTA:
Satyaki Dutta is a Sarod artist representing the Sarod Gharanas (schools) of Shahjahanpur. Sarod is a North Indian Classical Instrument originating from the lute family with its immediate predecessor in the Rabab from Afghanistan. It is a fretless melodic instrument with eight main strings and fifteen additional sympathetic strings. He had the privilege to learn from the legendary Sarod maestro of Senia-Shahjahanpur Gharana Padmabhushan Pandit Buddhadev DasGupta and also took his initial lessons from Sri Panab Naha. Subsequently, he continued his musical pursuit under Sitar virtuoso Pandit Sugato Nag and Ustad Irfan Muhammad Khan, the Khalifa of Lucknow-Shahjahanpur Gharana. Satyaki holds a PhD degree in Mathematics and resides in Westchester County in New York. He is a member of Westchester Musicians’ Guild and a rostered artist at NYC based Concerts in Motion, that brings personalized live music and engagement to older adults, veterans, Holocaust Survivors, individuals with disabilities, individuals with mental illness, individuals experiencing housing and food insecurity, and hospitalized patients of all ages. Satyaki is a recipient of the ArtsAlive 2021, 2024 Artists’ Grant awarded by ArtsWestchester and 2023 New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Support for Artists Grant, with which he presented 'The Raga Experience' project to create awareness of Raga Music among both Indian and global audiences.

Recent Concerts/Contributions:
Shanti Mandir, Walden NY – July 6th, 2019 with Tarit Majumdar on Tabla.
Raga Chhandayan, Kolkata, India – July 20th, 2019 with Shubhro Sankhya Sarkar on Tabla.
AWAKE Annual Meet, Dobbs Ferry, NY – Dec 15th, 2019 with Ethan Fox on Tabla.
Rochester Fringe Festival, Sept 15-26, 2020.
Contributed to the “Annual Crime Victims’ Rights Art Show”, April 18-24, 2021 and April 24-30, 2022 - Conducted by WestCOP VAS.
Norwalk NICE festival – July 10th, 2021, July 9th, 2022 with Ritvik Yaparpalvi and Nitim Mohan on Tabla.
Rochester Fringe Festival, Sept 14-25, 2021 with Dibyarka Chatterjee on Tabla.
Westchester Musicians’ Guild, Oct 24, 2021 with Vikas Yendluri on Tabla.
“Parampara” – India Center of Westchester, Oct 30, 2021 with Dibyarka Chatterjee on Tabla.
AWAKE Annual Fundraiser, June 18, 2022 with Mir Naqibul Islam on Tabla.
Joint Multimedia project with Sculptor Adam Niklewicz and supported by Studio Theater in Exile - displayed at Hudson Valley MOCA in July 2022.
Chhandayan Baithak, August 6th, 2022 with Amod Dandawate on Tabla.
Pelham Arts Center, Oct 23rd, 2022 with Vikas Yendluri on Tabla.
India Center of Westchester, Dec 10th, 2022 with Ritvik Yaparpalvi on Tabla.
“Vasant-Bahar”, Evening Concert in Indian Classical Music by Arts From India, April 30th, 2023 with Shivalik Ghoshal on Tabla.
“The Raga Experience”, May 7th, 2023 with Vikas Yendluri on Tabla.
“Sarod Sandhya”, Café Adda Ghar, Kolkata, July 20, 2023 with Biswajit Nandi on Tabla.
“The Great India Festival” Ottawa, Canada, Aug 13th, 2023 with Ravi Singh on Tabla.
Hammond Museum, North Salem, NY, Aug 26th, 2023 with Mir Naqibul Islam on Tabla.
AWAKE Annual Fundraiser, Sept 10, 2023 with Dibyarka Chatterjee on Tabla.
17th Annual Saraswati Classical Arts Festival, India Center, NYC, Nov 11, 2023 with Manav Khurana on Tabla.
Chittaranjan Bhavan, Delhi, India, Mar 10th, 2024 with Ashish Sen Gupta on Tabla.
Malhar Center for Performing Arts, Dubai, UAE, Mar 16th, 2024 with Pradeep Chatterjee on Tabla.
Shanti Mandir, Walden NY – May 26th, 2024 with Sandip Ghosh on Tabla.
Kanchrapara Sangeet Ashram, Kolkata, India – July 14th, 2024 with Amit Chatterjee on Tabla.
Bharatiya Kala Kendra Holiday Concert, Rockland, NY - Dec 21st, 2024 with Ritvik Yaparpalvi on Tabla.
Dharohar, Chittaranjan Bhavan, Delhi, India - Jan 5th, 2025 with Sourabh Goho on Tabla
Chowdhury House Music Conference, Kolkata, India – Jan 10th, 2025 with Subhrangshu Chakraborty on Tabla.
Triveni, Buffalo, NY – April 12th, 2025 with Mir Naqibul Islam on Tabla.

MALLAR GOSWAMI:

IFTI CHOWDHURY:
Ifti Chowdhury, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and event organizer in Queens, New York City, founded Royal Bengal Teahouse. This artists' collective promotes Bengali and Bangladeshi culture and connects young immigrant communities to protect democracy, civil rights, and human rights through art, music, and peaceful protests.

He was the lead singer and co-producer for Bangla Avenue, a multi-genre band based in Washington, D.C. In 2013, he produced the album "Kingbondonti," which blends American and Indian music genres and is available on major streaming services.

His Indian Classical singing training began with Krishna Kanto Acharya in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and continues with Anjan Majumder in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. In addition to Bengali semi-classical songs, he performs Bengali Folk songs, and songs in Spanish, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu.

SANCHARI BHATTACHARYYA:
Sanchari Bhattacharyya is a vocalist of North Indian Classical Music namely Khyal and semi-classical genres, studying under Guru Sri Anjan Majumdar over a decade.

Graduated from Presidency College, University of Calcutta. She moved to the USA in 2003 to earn a PhD and is currently a senior research scientist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Sanchari's musical journey began in childhood with the late Smt. Chhondita Dutta, followed by training from other Gurus. She has also studied Rabindrasangeet with Guru Sri Suranjan Roy and continues to perform in this genre.

Her remote tutelage under Guru Sri Anjan Majumdar has deeply influenced her musical understanding, particularly of Khyal, thumri, and music in general.

Sanchari has performed in the USA at venues like Shadaj in Massachusetts and the Karnatic and Hindustani Music Circle of New Hampshire (2022). She also performed at her Guru's Silver Jubilee Celebration in Kolkata (2023) and various platforms in New York. In 2023, she lectured at Dartmouth College's Department of Music.

Beyond performing, Sanchari is dedicated to promoting Indian Classical Music and supporting emerging artists. In 2013, she informally founded MandraSaptak Baithaks, USA (MSB), which hosts intimate musical gatherings and has since presented numerous talented artists in New York City.

Fall Baithak 2025

COLLABORATORS

Fall Baithak 2025

COLLABORATORS