One of the most distinguished Rabindrasangeet singers, Kanika Bandyopadhyay, known for her melodious voice, was born on this day 99 years ago. Her exquisite rendition of Tagore’s music and the mastery of the depth and subtleties of its emotion earned her a special position among Rabindrasangeet singers of all time.
She was educated in Santiniketan asrama, where she was trained in classical music and Tagore songs at Sangit Bhavana. She was taught by Tagore himself, who renamed her Kanika, the title of a volume of his poetry.
She was also taught by stalwarts such as Dinendranath Tagore, Indiradevi Chaudhurani, Sailajaranjan Majumdar and Santidev Ghosh. Kanika taught at Sangit Bhavana, became the head of the department of Rabindrasangeet and later, its principal.
She was made Professor Emeritus of Visva-Bharati.
From 1943, she was a regular artiste at All India Radio, Kolkata. She had over 300 gramophone discs to her credit. She was also known for singing bhajans, Nazrulgiti and Atulprasad’s songs.
Her name is often pronounced with that of Suchitra Mitra, another distinguished Rabindrasangeet singer.
Arguably Kanika and Suchitra, who worked closely and were friends, remain the most popular women Rabindrasangeet singers of all time.
Suchitra, known for her robust style, was born in the same year, a few days earlier. Their centennial celebrations begin at the same time.