A documentary that chronicles the journey of a singer

To celebrate 60 years of classical singer Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty’s musical journey, director Gautam Halder has directed a documentary that chronicles the life of the artiste. The documentary, Ajoy — Ascetic
Journey Of A Yogi, was screened at Nandan I on Sunday evening. The screening was attended by several personalities from the music and film fraternity.

The music of the documentary has been scored by Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty’s son, Ananjan. The hour-long docu focuses on the childhood days of the singer, where he talks about his knack for classical music and how he formed his music institution. It also has several clippings of Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty performing with artistes like Guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Pt

Vijay Kichlu

, Pt Birju Maharaj and others. “I feel honoured to have got an opportunity to make a film on Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty. Panditji is not just an expert in the Indian classical musical arena, he is also considered a legend in the world music sphere. I had been collecting these footages for over two decades and finally turned it into a documentary,” said the director.

Commenting on the documentary, Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty said, “I got nostalgic after watching it. It was like living those days once again. I am humbled by the love and respect I have received from other musicians and fans. I am deeply touched by the effort put into the project by the entire team of Gautam Halder. Whatever I have learnt and whatever I have imparted are like treasures of my life.”

We also spotted filmmaker Goutam Ghose at the event, who talked about his association with the classical singer. “I have known Ajoy for several years now. He is one of the legends in the classical music scenario. I still remember taking a shot for one of my old films, where Ajoy was teaching music to his daughter when she was very young. I am very happy that Gautam Halder has made an effort to make this beautiful docu. I hope everyone enjoys it.”

The documentary has some beautiful moments and reminisces by Pt Ravi Shankar,
APJ Abdul Kalam, Ustad

Ali Akbar Khan

, Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma and others, with whom Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty shared a wonderful rapport over the years.