Sarod maestro Buddhadev Dasgupta passes away in Kolkata

MUMBAI/KOLKATA:

Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta

, veteran sarod player based in Calcutta passed away Sunday at the age of 84. He was ailing for a long time.

"On February 1, he would have turned 85, but alas, that was not to happen. He has left a rich legacy of music for all of us," said Pt Nayan Ghosh, the sitar and tabla maestro from Mumbai who has benefited from his guidance.

Amarendra Dhaneshwar, singer of the Gwalior gharana and a leading writer on music said Buddhadev Dasgupta was a regular visitor to this city. "He gave innumerable concerts here and also held lecture demonstrations on the art of sarod playing at Sangit Mahabharati and

NCPA

. He was venerated for his authority and vast knowledge of the art."

Dasgupta was an electrical engineer who indulged in his passion for music from an early age. He was a pupil of the veteran Radhika Mohan Moitra who was a practitioner from the Senia Shahajahanpur gharana.

"Dasgupta was a highly sophisticated intellectual who could verbalize the difficult language of the sarod. His mastery and knowledge of ragas was deep and therefore he commanded respect. One recalls long conversations with him on topics such as nature and special characteristics of rare ragas like Chhaya and Maluha Kedar. He was also associated with the ITC sponsored

Sangeet Research Academy

which produces competent musicians," Dhaneshwar said.

"Dasgupta used to contribute erudite articles on music for leading dailies from Calcutta and they were read with interest by connoisseurs. Vividh Bharati radio station often airs his programme in its 'Sangeet Sarita' slot where he explains the intricacy and beauty of the sarod to sitar maestro Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan."

"Dasgupta received the coveted Sangeet Natak Akademi honour. He taught and produced talented students like

Debashish Bhattacharya

, Pratyush Bannerjee,Suprateek Sengupta, Sugata Nag and Abir Hussain. He will be sorely missed by the world of music," Dhaneshwar said.

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