Profile

Indrani Mukherjee, an internationally famed Hindustani Classical Vocalist, is a Khayal and Thumri exponent of India. Her area of interest covers Khayal in Kirana - Rampur style and Thumri in Purab Ang. Since the age of 14, when Indrani turned her passion for Classical music into her profession, she has been a talent to reckon with - leaving each of her audiences in absolute awe of her singing, presentation, and style. The critics were not far behind - Indrani’s mellifluous and charismatic voice has swayed the critics in her favour, and made her the face of quite a few internationally acclaimed interviews, and newspaper reports! She is also an Indian Council for Cultural Relations empanelled artist and holds the position of an ‘Outstanding Artist’ at the Festival of India Ministry of Culture (Government of India). Indrani is a Spic Macay-enlisted artist, as well as an ‘A Grade’ artist for Khyal and Thumri on the All India Radio.

Giving Shape to her Talent:

Indrani’s journey of honing her talent began at her home with initially her mother, then her aunt, and then her maternal grandfather Shri Sanjib Banerjee, training her since she was just a child of 3 years. Later in 1996, Indrani became a scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy under the mentorship of Pandit Arun Bhaduri. She is also known to have taken taalim from celebrated artists like the Late Vidushi Purnima Choudhury Ji, and the Late Pandit Ramashray Jha Ji. Since 2012, Indrani has been a dedicated learner of her craft from the prodigal Vidhushi Manju Sundaram Ji.

Indrani Mukherjee - The Performer and the Teacher:

Presently, Indrani Mukherjee’s name and fame have reached several households globally, for two primary reasons - her stellar performances in several well-known national and international concerts, and her perfection as a teacher and guide in the field of Hindustani Classical Music.

National Concerts:

It is a matter of no surprise that each time Indrani Mukherjee steps onto the stage, ready to deliver a power-packed performance, every single audience is left mesmerised. Thus, her recurrence on the stage has not ceased since her first performance. She has performed in several national music concerts and conferences, like the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav in Pune, at Saptak in Ahmedabad, Baba Harivallabh Sangeet Mahasabha in Jalandhar, Swar Zhankar in Pune, at the Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh, the Thumri festival by Sahitya Kala Parishad in New Delhi, Dr Basant Rao Deshpande Sangeet Smiriti Samaroh- SCZCC Nagpur, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival in Bhubaneshwar, the Concert For Harmony in Shimla, the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, the West Bengal State Music Academy Annual Music Festival in Kolkata, the IHC Lok Sangeet Sammelan at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, Sangeet Bihaan at Sangeet Natak Academy in Patna, the All India Vyas Mahotsav in Varanasi, at the Rajguru Smruti Sangeet Samaraho in Karnataka, at the 75^th Birthday Celebration Concert of Pandit Shankar Ghosh in Kolkata, the Swami Haridas Sangeet Sammelan in Mumbai, and many others. After her performance at the Ravi Shankar Centre (Delhi), in 2016, on the occasion of Pandit Ravi Shankar’s 96^th birth anniversary, The Hindu reported, “Indrani Mukherjee from Kolkata left an indelible impression of her artistic sensibilities during her vocal recital that opened with the challenging raga Puriya…Opting for a raga like Puriya and sarangi for Sangat instead of the harmonium, marked a high standard from the very beginning.”

International Concerts:

Her presence in numerous significant international music festivals is also not negligible. She has been an eminent artist in the likes of the “Reflektor Anoushka Shankar” Festival at Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg in Germany, Darbar Festival in London, the Learn Quest Music Conference in Boston, the Oriental Festival in France, (Lille - 3000) Festival in Lille, France, Pandit Jasraj School of Music in Vancouver, Canada, the Raga Mala in Calgary and Edmonton, Canada, Eastman School of Music at the Rochester University in the USA, the Sarb Akal Indian Classical Music Festival in Calgary, Canada. She also performed at the Respect Festival in Prague, the Bose Blue Note Jazz Fest in Paris, the Cully Jazz Festival and the Paleo Festival in Swiss, the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada, and the London Jazz Festival. Indrani has also performed at the Indian Fine Arts Academy in San Diego, the Basant Bahar in San Francisco, the House of India in San Diego, the India Community Center in Rochester, the Kabir Cultural Centre in Ottawa and Montreal, the Indian Performing Arts of Charlotte in the USA, the MIT in Boston, the University of Buffalo in New York, the Ali Akbar College of Music in Switzerland, the Citadel of Damascus and Aleppo in Syria, Damascus Opera for the Oriental Landscape Festival, at the Music hall in Lebanon, the Musse Guimet (national Museum for Oriental Art and Culture) in Paris, and many more.

The Praiseworthy Guide:

The past decade has seen another laudable side of Indrani Mukherjee - she has dedicated herself to spreading her knowledge and wisdom among those who are eager to learn through the medium of both online and offline learning. She has taught several students hailing from all parts of the world, and her techniques of teaching and the power to capture the attention of her students with the first strike has been detrimental to her success as a teacher.

In 2021, she joined hands with the prestigious Darbar Academy - the educational wing of the Darbar Festival in the UK, to reach out to an even wider range of students, transcending all geographical borders. She has been teaching hundreds of students each week, both online and offline -  starting from curious toddlers to senior students who are trying to reconnect with their passion. Indrani presently manages the vocal department at the Darbar Academy and curates courses that benefit students all over the world. She is also part of an innovative music course that brings together young children and their parents and encourages them to learn music together! The most significant part of the course is, the little kids along with their parents get to learn from Indrani, and in turn, help each other grow through the process.

As expected, Indrani Mukherjee has received immense praise from her students all over the globe. It will be generally acknowledged by anyone who has been lucky enough to gain her guidance, that her patience and compassionate nature can put them to ease and make their journey of exploration much easier and smooth. Her student - Camille Rizard from France says, "I'm taking singing lessons with Indrani for 5 years. She taught me many ragas and compositions in a very progressive way. I learned Indian singing through a rigorous technique and a lot of pleasure. The practice of Indian singing helps me to improve my singing practice in general. I always feel confident with Indrani, who is very professional in the way she teaches. I feel so grateful to cross her path and discover this huge universe with her.”

Camille is not the only student who has benefitted from Indrani Mukherjee’s influence. Sukdev, a student from Singapore was delighted to have got the opportunity of learning from Indrani. She says, “Our teacher is a world-class singer and she had opened up so many doors to improvement and planted a seed to nurture and grow with the correct practice.” Every session with Indrani can teach you valuable lessons - as Ankita Tiwari from Hyderabad says, “I am Blessed to have Indrani Didi as Guru for months now and I have aced the Hindustani classical music with online classes having a proper setup. I realised that it is because of her, that I am moving towards perfection in each and every aspect of singing. She always says there is no shortcut for growth in a musician’s life and every other factor is an excuse. With the same zeal, she has been teaching. I wish to grow and nurture my inner musician with Indrani Didi."

Indrani’s efforts know no bounds when it comes to uplifting her students. She spends hours to make sure her students receive authentic feedback directly from her and can put them to use. As Bhikhu from the UK says, “I have learned so much. My confidence is heightened. The regular feedback is gold standard.”

Indrani has also conducted various workshops all over the world. She has held workshops in the Ali Akbar College of Music in Switzerland, the Governor’s School in Winston Salem and Raleigh in North Caroline, the Pandit Jasraj School of Music in Vancouver where she conducted a Thumri Workshop, at the Sarb Akal Indian Classical Music Society in Calgary, Canada, and quite a few other notable places.

It is generally said that a teacher is deemed successful when they have made an impact in their students’ lives. Needless to say, Indrani Mukherjee has shaped the lives of many of her students!

 

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Wikipedia - Indrani Mukherjee / Singer