Sanjukta Biswas- Hindustani vocal
Sabina Mumtaz Islam - Hindustani vocal
Dibyarka Chatterjee - tabla
Srikar Ayyalasomayajula - harmonium

Sitting: In the main room on the floor with back jack support, chairs in the second and third room.
Dress Code: Casual, comfortable, decent. Please take off your shoes before entering the studios.
Food and beverage: Only water is allowed inside the studios. Please bring your own supply.
CHHANDAYAN'S PROGRAMS ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE.

Sanjukta Biswas
Sanjukta Biswas was helped and encouraged by her father Shri Bharat Chandra Biswas to learn music from an early age. Her earliest lessons in music were from Shri Amalendu Pal and Shri Kalyan Guha Thakurata. She won the first prize in All Bengal Music Competition at the age of ten. She is a first-class graduate with honors in music from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. After Graduation, she entered the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in 1994, initially as a general student and later promoted to a scholar under her Guruma Vidushi Subhra Guha of Agra Gharana. Sanjukta at present lives with her Guruma and learns from her in the Guru-Shishya Parampara.

In 2001 she obtained the first prize in All India Radio Competition. She also received the ITC SRA Award of a Promising Artist at the Music Forum, Mumbai. In 2002 she was awarded the National Scholarship for Young Artistes by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. In 2005 Sanjukta became the recipient of the prestigious Janana Pravha Scholarship for being a promising and budding young musician of West Bengal State. In 2007 Sanjukta won the Swar Vilas, Vadodra award. In 2010 she was given the Suramani award in the Kal-Ke-Kalakar Sammelan of Sur Singar Samsad of Bombay. In 2011, Sanjukta received the Madhobi Chatterjee Fellowship Award from Sanskriti Pratishthan, Delhi for excellence in Indian Classical Music. In 2011, Sanjukta won the Girija Devi Puruskar 'Ankurit' in the Purab Ang Gayaki Utsav in Delhi.

Sanjukta is an A grade artist of All India Radio and Television and regularly broadcasts from the Kolkata Station and performs for various Television Channels. Her gaikee provides an impeccable blend of learning with perfect Raagdari on the one side and aesthetics with perfect tuneful voice and aakar on the other. Sanjukta also excels as a Thumri, Dadra, Kajri singer in the perfect Poorab Ang of Benaras. Sanjukta has now blossomed into a mature performing artist and is being invited by not only various major platforms in West Bengal but by other cities of India like Delhi, Bombay, Vadodra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Guwahati, etc. She has also been invited by various organizers of the United States of America and has performed with great success at New York, Chicago, Buffalo, Albany and various cites of New Jersey.

Sabina Mumtaz Islam
Sabina Mumtaz Islam was born in a cultured family in Guwahati. Her musical journey was set off by her father Late Janab Nurul Islam. In the year 1988, she became Sangeet Visharad from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth. Sabina’s classical sojourn further flourished when she joined ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in 1997, where she was trained by Janab Jainul Abedin and Late Pandit Sunil Bose, a senior exponent of the Agra Gharana. She later came under the tutelage of Vidushi Subhra Guha. As a scholar of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, she has undergone rigorous training from her guru in the guru-shishya tradition for the past 25 years. She also adheres to the astute guidelines she received from her Guru Padmashree Pandit Vijay Kumar Kichlu, one of the great musicologists/exponents of Agra Gharana.

Sabina is an “A” grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan in both Khayal and Semi-classical music. She has been selected a member artist in SPIC MACAY. She also performs in various television channels regularly. She has played back Chaiti in the Bengali debut film Har Byomkesh. Sabina is an empaneled artist of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt. of India in both Khayal and Light Classical Music.

Sabina has performed in many places within the country and abroad, including the USA, Canada and Bangladesh. She won the 1st prize in All Assam Music competition. In the year 1991 she was awarded 1st prize for representing the state of Assam in the light music and classical categories in All India Inter College Youth Festival Dhanbad (Indian School of Mines). Apart from ITC Sangeet Research Academy scholarship award she has earned numerous awards and fellowships from 2004 to 2022. Among them the most exceptionals are -
1. ‘Young Artist Award’ under EZCC and the Jnana Pravaha fellowship for being an astoundingly promising musician. She achieved Gold Medal from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India delivered to her by the then
Governor of WB Shri Viren J. Shah.
2. Girija Devi Award for Exquisitely Melodious Ahuti in Purab Ang Gayki.
3. Fellowship award conferred by Sanskriti - Madhabi Chatterjee Fellowship, Delhi for excellence in Indian Classical Music (vocal) under the aegis of Sanskriti Pratisthan.

She has performed at the Sangeet Natak Academy, 103rd Shastriya Sangeet Sammelan at Amritsar. Sabina has performed in Dover lane Conference in the year 2023. In 2024 Sabina had other major jugalbandis with Smt Sanjukta Biswas in Dakhhini annual festival and so on. Sabina was blessed to perform National Anthem in front of His Excellency President of India Dr. Shri APJ Abdul Kalam in the occasion of 54th All India AGM International Seminar on “Indian Aviation – Challenges & Perspectives” under Aeronautical Society of India in January 2003, Kolkata. Sabina enthralled the audiences by her mellifluous and soulful voice and highly appreciated as having a Golden Voice by then President Dr. Shri APJ Abdul Kalam himself. Between 2006- 2022 she has been performing in the major platforms of Indo Occidental Symbiosis at Kala Mandir, at Uttam Manch for Sangeet Piyasi organization, G.D Birla Sabhagar for Sangeet Ashram, Janana Pravaha, concerts organized by India International Center (IIC) Delhi, “Agra Gharana Samaroh” in Bharat Bhavan Bhopal (2015), Auroville Pondicherry, Shrutinandan Kolkata, Arpan Malhar Festival organized by ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Thumri Festival in Choudhury House, VSK baithak at WWF Delhi, NCPA Mumbai, “VASUNDHARA” Festival of Dance and Music by Women on the 9th Punyatithi of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi at DHARWAR, ITC Sangeet Sammelans, HCL Concert (online), UTSAAH Series #spreading happiness conducted by Smt. Durga Jasraj, SARB AKAL, Calgary to name a few.

Sabina performed in the Shanti Series of concerts organized by Arati Music Foundation as tribute to Late Pt. Subhankar Bannerjee. She also performed in the silver jubilee celebration of Shrutinandan under the banner of Thumri Festival; Ras bhav rang thumri ke sang, Sangeet Ashram concert etc. From 2006 to 2009 she had been a regular visitor to USA and Canada. Sabina performed in the Navaratri World Music Festival in Wesleyan University, Connecticut. She also performed in the prestigious platforms like The Arch, Chhandayan in New York City and in cities like Chicago, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, etc. She is a former faculty of at AAICM, NYC. She was also a faculty of Sangeet Ashram. From the year 2010, Sabina has been going to Bangladesh for offering music Sessions, workshops as well as for performances. She had been performing there under the aegis of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Bengal Foundation and Fulki. Eminent personalities like late Padmavibhushan Pandit Kishan Maharaj, late Padmabhushan Pandit Rajan Sajan Mishra, late Padmavibhushan Vidushi Girija Devi, Padmashri Gundecha Brothers highly appreciated her for her wonderful soulful renditions and her gaikee.

Sabina’s wide repertoire and versatility includes Thumri, Dadra, Chaiti, Kajri, Tappa as well as Ghazal, Bhajan, Sufi, regional Assamese, Bengali songs etc. She is proficient in the ‘Poorav ang’ gayaki of Banaras. Her dulcet matured voice
attuned with perfect ‘aakar’ provides an impeccable blend of perfect raagdari, laykaari, unrestrained taans, bol taans (speciality in Agra gaikee) on one hand and aesthetics on the other.