Latest news with #JoydeepMukherjee
Times of Oman
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times of Oman
Where the Oud meets the Sarod: A musical bridge across civilisations
MUSCAT: The haunting resonance of the Oud, one of the oldest stringed instruments in the Arab world, continues to echo across generations. But few may know that its musical lineage spans continents — from Arabia to Afghanistan, and from there to the heart of India, evolving into the Sarod, now a cornerstone of Indian classical music. At the crossroads of this journey stands Joydeep Mukherjee, an eminent Indian musician and cultural historian based out of eastern Indian city of Kolkata, who has dedicated his life to reviving these forgotten connections — not only through performance, but also through painstaking restoration and research. 'The lute has long held its place on the world stage,' said Mukherjee in a chat with Times of Oman. 'But it is the Arabian Oud and Afghan Rabab that shaped the journey of the fretless lute family. These instruments didn't just travel — they transformed, enriched by the musical soil of every region they touched.' The story of this transformation began in 6th and 7th century Arabia, where the Oud and Rabab gained prominence. From the Middle East, they journeyed eastward, entering Afghanistan, where the Rabab emerged as a distinct and popular folk instrument. By the 13th century, Afghan soldiers and horse traders brought the Rabab to India — an instrument once played while marching into battle, now seeking new life in a land of melody. Over time, North Indian musicians began experimenting with the Afghan Rabab, attempting to adapt it to Indian ragas. Perhaps the most pivotal transformation came in the 16th century, when Miya Tansen, legendary court musician of Emperor Akbar, reimagined the Rabab to better serve Indian classical music. This larger, deeper version came to be known as the 'Dhrupad Rabab', later evolving into the 'Tanseni' or 'Seni Rabab.' The next century saw Jaffer Khan, a descendant of Tansen, replace the Rabab's wooden components with steel and wood, creating a new instrument — the Sursingar. Parallel innovations followed in the central Indian city of Gwalior, where Hyder Khan and Ghulam Ali Khan Bangash introduced metallic strings and steel fretboards, naming the refined instrument Sarod — meaning 'sweet sound' in Persian. It was Ghulam Ali's son Nanne Khan, and later his descendants — most notably Hafiz Ali Khan and the globally renowned Amjad Ali Khan — who brought the Sarod to international acclaim. Their interpretations made the Sarod not only a household name in Indian music but also a symbol of Indo-Middle Eastern musical kinship. Yet, parallel innovations were quietly flourishing elsewhere. In Shahjahanpur, Murad Ali deepened the Sarod's tone by adopting metallic strings. His lineage — Abdullah Khan and Mohammed Ameer Khan — made further refinements, even developing the Sur-Rabab, a hybrid of Sursingar and Tanseni Rabab, in the 1880s in British Bengal. But perhaps no one explored the full potential of these instruments like Radhika Mohan Maitra during the mid-20th century. A visionary of the Shahjahanpur Gharana, he created multiple unique hybrids: the Mohanveena (Sarod + Sursingar), the Dilbahar (Sarod + Surbahar), and Nabadeepa (Sursingar + Sarangi). Parallel to these developments, Ustad Wazir Khan, a descendant of Tansen's daughter and court musician of Rampur, trained the iconic Baba Allaudin Khan. The latter revolutionised the Sarod's design — enlarging the sound box, lengthening the body, and increasing the number of sympathetic strings. These changes formed the blueprint for what would become the Senia Maihar Gharana's Sarod — played by Ali Akbar Khan, Bahadur Khan, and Sharan Rani, among others. The evolutionary arc continued with Buddhadeb Dasgupta, principal disciple of Radhika Mohan Maitra. In the 1960s and '70s, he introduced a child-friendly 36-inch Sarod model, further democratising access to this once-royal instrument. Today, when many classical musicians chase stage time and limelight, Joydeep Mukherjee has chosen a more introspective path — tracing the past, reviving forgotten sounds, and giving life to instruments that were fading into silence. A grand disciple of Radhika Mohan Maitra, Mukherjee has, over the past 15 years, revived and restored fretless lutes like the Tanseni Rabab, Sursingar, Sur-Rabab, and Mohanveena. In 2025, he completed the restoration of every significant Sarod variant from the Shahjahanpur Gharana, spanning more than two centuries of innovation — from Murad Ali to Buddhadeb Dasgupta. 'Music is universal. It should not be restricted by geography,' Mukherjee said. 'The Middle East has shaped India's musical traditions for over a thousand years. There was cultural intermingling for millennia. My work is a tribute to that shared history.' Mukherjee hopes that his revival of these instruments sends a message across borders. 'To those in the Arab world who cherish the Oud and Rabab, know that these instruments live on — not just in memory, but in sound, performance, and evolution.' In a time when tradition and innovation often stand at odds, Mukherjee is proving they can co-exist. Music is not just sound — it is memory, migration, and meaning. Through his hands, the lute family sings again, telling stories that span deserts, courts, and centuries.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Secrets in the smoke: Every face hides a clue in The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika
In 'The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika,' director Joydeep Mukherjee crafts a suspenseful narrative set in Benaras, where Eken Babu's vacation turns into a quest to unravel layers of deceit. As Eken, Bapi, and Pramatha navigate shifting motives and hidden secrets among a cast of intriguing characters like Belal Mallik, Damini, and Subimal, the audience is kept guessing. In The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika , director Joydeep Mukherjee weaves a gripping tale where every character is a potential suspect. Set against the mystical backdrop of Benaras, the story is a maze of shifting motives, secrets, and suspense. The narrative deftly leverages its ensemble, with each figure harbouring secrets, motives, and shadows that heighten the sense of the story unfolds, the spotlight moves fluidly between characters. A suspect one moment may seem innocent the next, as new alibis emerge and actions cast fresh doubts. Just as one mystery appears to unravel, another takes its place—ensuring the plot remains tense, layered, and thoroughly unpredictable. The characters are intricately and thoughtfully crafted—none purely virtuous, none entirely villainous. Their histories, desires, and insecurities are tightly woven into the fabric of the plot, each interaction adding depth to the mounting tension. A seemingly harmless figure may suddenly arouse suspicion, while a presumed antagonist slowly unveils unexpected complexity. This constant play of appearances and revelations keeps the audience in a state of uncertainty, ensuring the narrative remains gripping. Here's a little sneak peek into the characters: Eken Babu (Anirban Chakrabarti) returns — quirky, sharp, and unafraid to laugh in the face of danger. What starts as a vacation soon plunges into darkness as he uncovers layers of deceit. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Get Intel Laptops With Exclusive Student Perks Intel Laptops | Search Ads Learn More Undo Bapi (Suhotra Mukhopadhyay) and Pramatha (Somak Ghosh) are back as Eken's steadfast allies, though the mystery tests even their loyalty and wits. New faces raise new questions: Belal Mallik ( Saswata Chatterjee ) – many disguises, one enigma. Damini (Ishaa Saha) – a young wife hiding more than sorrow. Subimal (Gaurav Chakrabarty) – the scholar who might know too much. Sukhdev (Biswanath Basu) – a charming shop owner with shady layers. Bireswar (Debesh Chattopadhyay) – ailing, forgetful… but is he also hiding something? Samiran (Rishav Basu) – the assistant with a secret life in art. Radhika (Swikriti Majumder) – quiet, polite, but oddly inconsistent. In Benaras, nothing is as it seems — and no one is beyond suspicion.
Time of India
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Saswata Chatterjee slips into different shadows in The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika
In The Eken – Benaras e Bibhishika , directed by Joydeep Mukherjee Saswata Chatterjee doesn't just act — he transforms. Slipping through the sacred chaos of Benaras, he becomes many: a weary old man, a sharp-eyed cop, a towering Punjabi, a saffron-clad monk, a bleach-blonde Goan, and more. Each avatar is a clue, a question. Disguises? Multiple roles? Or one man hiding in plain sight? The thriller sees Saswata weaving through shadows while Eken Babu (Anirban Chakrabarti) dives into a chilling conspiracy. Coded messages, hidden pendants, and eerie paintings lead to the haunting climax at Masaan Holi — where the city's ghosts dance with the living. Rooted in the spirit of classics like Joy Baba Felunath , the film blends suspense, wit, and culture. With a screenplay by Padmanabha Dasgupta based on Sujan Dasgupta's story, Benaras e Bibhishika makes Benaras more than a setting — it's a mystery of its own. And through it all, Saswata Chatterjee remains the biggest mystery. Is he the thread tying it all together — or the illusion that keeps us guessing?
