Dr. Sarbananda Chaudhuri (born 5 June 1968) is an Indian academic, author, notable music scholar, and musician from Kolkata, West Bengal. He serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Bengali at Netaji Nagar Day College, affiliated with the University of Calcutta.
As a researcher and performer, Chaudhuri specializes in Bengali song literature, cultural history, Hindustani classical music, and Bhakti literature. He has authored, compiled, and edited numerous scholarly books on musicology and classical traditions published by prominent cultural and literary bodies, including the Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi, Sahitya Akademi, and Dey's Publishing.
He is widely recognized for his extensive critical editing and annotation of Sangeet Kalpataru, a historic 19th-century musical compilation originally co-compiled by Narendranath Datta (later known as Swami Vivekananda) and Vaishnav Charan Basak. Chaudhuri’s landmark annotated edition, published by the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, was formally released by the legendary sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. His broader work heavily focuses on the preservation of regional musical heritage and classical Indian music systems.
1. Early Life and Education
Sarbananda Chaudhuri was born on 5 June 1968 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Raised in a culturally rich environment, he began his foundational training (talim) in music under the guidance of his father, the veteran musician late Dilip Kumar Chaudhuri, learning different styles of Bengali songs and Hindustani classical music.
Chaudhuri's musical education expanded significantly through advanced mentorship from two towering figures of Indian classical music: the legendary vocalist and musicologist Pandit Jnanprakash Ghosh, and the eminent sarod virtuoso Shyam Gangopadhyay. He was formally accepted into their musical lineages through the traditional Ganda-Bandhan ceremony, a sacred ritual where both masters tied the ceremonial thread (ganda) to him officially instating him as their dedicated disciple. Alongside his vocal and musicological training, Chaudhuri received comprehensive primary instruction in percussion instruments, string instruments, and traditional dance forms, establishing a highly versatile foundation in the performing arts.
He completed his early schooling at Jodhpur Park Boys' School in Kolkata. Moving into higher education, he pursued his passion for musicology and regional letters by earning a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Bengali from Vijaygarh Jyotish Ray College. He went on to complete his Master of Arts at the University of Calcutta and was subsequently awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) for his advanced, specialized research in Bengali song literature.
During his extensive research career, Chaudhuri received close academic mentorship and guidance from several of India's foremost literary giants and scholars, including Professor R. K. Dasgupta, Professor Shankari Prasad Basu, the acclaimed poet Shankha Ghosh, and Professor Swapan Majumdar.
2. Academic Career and Lectures
Chaudhuri serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Bengali at Netaji Nagar Day College, Kolkata, which is affiliated with the University of Calcutta. Beyond his primary tenure, his academic expertise spans several premier cultural and educational institutions across India. He has served as a visiting professor at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira (Belur Math) and at the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (Vivekananda University).
Early in his research career, Chaudhuri worked as a research scholar at the Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi. He later expanded his academic reach to the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture (Golpark), where he acts as both a research scholar and an official research guide for doctoral and independent studies.
Invited Lectures and Keynotes
Chaudhuri has been widely invited as a guest lecturer and session chairperson at prestigious institutions, including Visva-Bharati University, Rabindra Bharati University, Jadavpur University, the University of Calcutta, Bethune College, the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC), the Sahitya Akademi, and the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. Notable addresses include:
- The Professor R. K. Dasgupta Memorial Lecture at the University of Calcutta.
- The Nabinchandra Sen Memorial Lecture at Jadavpur University.
- The Mrinalini Emerson Memorial Lecture at Bethune College.
- The Professor Bijit Kumar Dutta Memorial Lecture at Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi.
- The Rabindra Saptaho (Rabindranath Tagore Week) Ceremony at Visva-Bharati University, where he was invited as a guest of the Vice-Chancellor and distinguished as the youngest-ever speaker of the event.
On an international level, Chaudhuri was nominated by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to deliver an international lecture on ‘Funeral Music in Asia’ in Seoul, South Korea(2001). He also served as a Workshop Director for the Sahitya Akademi.
3. Selected Publications
Books Authored
- Gaaner Boiye Rabindranather Gaan (গানের বইয়ে রবীন্দ্রনাথের গান)
- Godhulir Potongera (গোধূলির পতঙ্গেরা)
- Rabindranath o Kobigaan (রবীন্দ্রনাথ ও কবিগান)
- Vivekananda Niveditar Ramprasad (বিবেকানন্দ নিবেদিতার রামপ্রসাদ)
- Nijo Niketane (নিজ নিকেতনে)
- Sangeeter Naihshabdya:Sriramkrishna o srima (সংগীতের নৈঃশব্দ্য;শ্রীরামকৃষ্ণ ও শ্রীমা)
- Ekotro Mililo Jodi:Alauddin o Rabindranath(একত্র মিলিল যদি;আলাউদ্দিন ও রবীন্দ্রনাথ)
Books Compiled and Edited
- Bangalir Gaan (বাঙালির গান) – Largest anthology of Bengali songs, co-edited alongside the legendary scholar Professor Asit Kumar Bandyopadhyay.
- Ramprasadi (রামপ্রসাদী) – A highly regarded compilation that has since been translated into multiple languages.
- Sangitbigyan-Prabeshika (Vol. 1): Ravindraprasanga (সংগীতবিজ্ঞান প্রবেশিকা, ১ খণ্ড: রবীন্দ্রপ্রসঙ্গ)
- Bamoner Chandrasparshabhilash (বামনের চন্দ্রস্পর্শাভিলাষ) - written by Sarod maestro Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta
- Rabindrasangeet: Sailajaranjaner Katha (রবীন্দ্রসংগীত: শৈলজারঞ্জনের কথা)
Journal Articles and Essays
Chaudhuri has contributed extensively to peer-reviewed academic journals and major regional dailies. His essays have been published by Rabindra Bharati University, Guru Nanak Dev University, Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi and specialized cultural journals such as Udbodhan and Dhrubopod. He also writes columns for leading Bengali daily newspapers, including Sangbad Pratidin, Ei Samay, and the digital platforms of Aajkaal.
4. Multimedia, Archival Audio, and Collaborations
Chaudhuri has done extensive preservation work on historical musical notations and classical heritage, collaborating with elite Indian classical masters like the Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj, sarod virtuoso Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar and pakhawaj maestro Prof. Chanchal Bhattacharya. He was also the music director and compiler of the animated collection of Annadashankar’s rhymes produced by Animatrix Multimedia.
Archival Audio Albums (HMV / Saregama)
He curated, compiled, and edited prominent archival music collections for the Gramophone Company of India (HMV), including:
- Unish Shataker Bangla Gaan (19th-Century Bengali Songs)
- Girish Sangeet (The theatrical songs of Girish Chandra Ghosh)
Research on Swami Vivekananda's Musicality
Chaudhuri directed the specialized archival audio album Bols and Rhythms from Vivekananda, which meticulously recreated and recorded the complex drum patterns (bols) that Swami Vivekananda famously played on the pakhawaj and tabla.
He also produced and directed a specialized documentary video album focusing on the documented history of Swami Vivekananda’s traditional dancing styles. The film was screened at major spiritual and cultural centers, including Belur Math and the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, and was later formally launched nationally by the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India (12 january, 2022)
Media and Consultancies
Chaudhuri frequently serves as an international subject-matter expert, contributing musicological data to domestic and foreign research scholars. He has been featured in extensive interviews across print publications and broadcast networks, including the educational radio platform Gyan Vani FM (in partnership with Netaji Subhas Open University)
Awards
Nirmalchandra Ghosh Smriti Award (2012)
Aharnish Samman (2017)
Rabirashmi Samman (2019)
Personal Life
Chaudhuri was born to veteran musician Dilip Kumar Chaudhuri and Sarojbasini Chaudhuri. His sibling is Dipankar Chaudhuri, Chief Engineer of DVC and sarod player. He is married to Amrita Chaudhuri and has two children Hemasri Chaudhuri and Purab Chaudhuri