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| Rezwana Choudhury Bannya |
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Rezwana Choudhury Bannya has established herself as a celebrated artist of the Rabindrasangeet genre. Her popularity has reached new heights both in Bangladesh as well as in India. Bannya of yesteryears has developed into a mature artist of today. Her appeal to the listening audience rests on her laurels as an exponent of Tagore's music. The compassion in her voice truly touches the heart of the listener. Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Bannya had developed a keen interest in music from a very early age. Music and literary works of Rabindranath Tagore was a favorite within their household. As a result, her parents had nicknamed her Labannya, the central character in Shesher Kabita from the famed novel by Tagore. Labannya later became known as Bannya. Bannya's early training in music was under the tutelage of Sanjida Khatun and Atiqul Islam, two renowned artists of the Rabindrasangeet genre at Chhayanat, one of the pioneering music schools of the then East Pakistan. In 1975, Bannya won a scholarship to attend Tagore's institution in Santiniketan (India) to study music - an event that changed the entire course of her life. While at Santiniketan, Bannya was fortunate to have received tutelage from such legendary figures as Shailaja Ranjan Majumder, Santidev Ghosh, Kanika Banerjee, Nilima Sen, Ashish Bandopadhyay, amongst others. Soon thereafter, Kanika Banerjee, fondly known as Mohar-di took this young apprentice under her personal care. In 1981, Bannya completed her Master's degree in Fine Arts and returned to Bangladesh. Bannya has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades - the prestigious, Bangladesh Film Journalists Association Award, Anandadhara Gold Medal, L.I.F.E. to name a few. She was also chosen to perform in MOHOR - a film on the life and works of Kanika Banerjee directed by the award winning film director Goutam Ghosh. Rezwana Choudhury Bannya has developed her own inimitable style within the disciplines of her guru-shishya parampara. She is destined to join the ranks, amongst the new generation, of Rabindrasangeet artists to carry the immortal music of the Nobel laureate Poet, Rabindranath Tagore into the new millennium. |
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