Shashwati Mandal (b. 1971) is a Hindustani classical music vocalist.[1] She is an exponent of the Gwalior gharana.
Shashwati Mandal | |
|---|---|
 Shashwati Mandal's performance at Vishnu Digambar Jayanti in Delhi, 2010. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Shashwati Mandal |
| Also known as | Shashwati Mandal |
| Born | 1971 Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Origin | Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Genres | Hindustani classical music, Khayal, Tappa, Bhajan |
| Occupation | Indian Classical Vocalist |
| Years active | 1979–present |
Early life and training
editShashwati was born in Gwalior in a family of musicians. Her maternal grandfather Pt. Balabhau Umdekar 'Kundalguru' was a darbar-gayak (court musician) at the royal court of Gwalior, and a singer of the Gwalior gharana.[2] Shashwati started her early classical training under the guidance of her mother, Smt. Kamal Mandal, at a very young age. From 1987-1992, she received a Department of Culture (Govt of India) scholarship to study under the veteran Gwalior gharana singer Pt. Balasaheb Poonchhwale.[3] Balasaheb instilled into her the finer nuances of Gwalior gayaki, and also trained her into the art of Tappa singing, the vibrant semi-classical genre. She continued her training with her gurus, Balasaheb Poonchhwale and Kamal Mandal until their deaths in 2005[4] and 2006, respectively.
She also studied briefly under Purnima Chaudhuri for Thumri, Gundecha Brothers for Dhrupad, and Sarbat Hussain for Ghazal[1] singing. In 2009-2010, she received Sanskriti Foundation's Mani Mann Fellowship[3] to study under Madhup Mudgal of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi. In addition, she is heavily influenced by the gayaki of Kumar Gandharva, and the repertoire of Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana.
Shashwati has integrated these eclectic musical leanings into her gayaki (musical style). She has received praise for her full-throated resonant voice, and clarity of taans and murkis.[1][5] She is widely regarded as one of the foremost exponents of Tappa singing.[6][7][8][9]
She currently resides in New Delhi.
Career
editAs a child prodigy Shashwati started giving public performance at the young age of seven.[1] She has performed extensively in India and abroad. Some of her major performances include Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav in Pune, Maharashtra in 2006 and 2022,[10][11] Darbar Festival in United Kingdom in 2008,[12] Saptak Annual Festival of Music in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in 2010,[13] Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Samaroh in New Delhi in 2010 and 2018,[14][15] Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan in Jalandhar, Punjab in 2012 and 2019,[5][16] ITC Sangeet Sammelan in Kolkata, West Bengal in 2014,[17] Hridayesh Art Festival in Mumbai, Maharashtra in 2019,[18] and Tansen Samaroh in Gwalior (several years, most recently in 2021).[19] She is a 'top' grade artist at All India Radio and is an empanelled artist at Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
Shashwati also served as a staff artist in All India Radio, Bhopal and an Assistant Professor of Music in Mumbai University, Mumbai.
Discography
edit- Shashwati Mandal, Alurkar Music House (2006) - Raag Dev Gandhar, Todi, Kalingada Tappa, Bhairavi Tappa
- Sasha: A Tappa Journey, Sense World Music (2007). Nominated to top ten of Songlines Music Awards 2009.[20]
- Pratah Swar, Pancham Nishad (2014) - Raag Lalit, Bhatiyar
- Studio Series I, RagaNXT (2016) - Raag Malgunji, Sohni Bhatiyar, Yaman, Brindabani Sarang Tappa
References
edit- ^ a b c d C. S. Sarvamangala (5 October 2012). "The Eternal Note". The Hindu.
- ^ "Biography: Shashwati Mandal Paul". Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Past Fellows - Mani Mann". Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ "Springtime Sonata". The Times of India. 18 April 2005.
- ^ a b "137th Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan 2012, Day 2". 4 January 2013.
- ^ Shuchita Rao (7 September 2013). "A successful exponent of tappa". Sruti.
- ^ Nayan Ghosh (22 March 2015). A Conversation with Pt. Nayan Ghosh on Hindustani Classical Music.
- ^ "संगीत जगत की तीन हस्तियों की याद में गूंजे राग मल्हार". Amar Ujala, Varanasi. 5 September 2016.
- ^ Shashwati Mandal (26 October 2014). ZEE24TAAS : 26th October 2014 Diwali Special - Shashwati Mandal.
- ^ "Sawai Gandharva: excellence, simplicity, genuineness". 17 December 2006.
- ^ Amit Karmarkar (15 December 2022). "Stunning performances on Day 1 mark return of Sawai music festival". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "Festival Profile Darbar Festival" (PDF). 2009.
- ^ "Saptak Annual Festival 2010 – Viraasat". 30 December 2009.
- ^ "Gandharva Mahavidyalaya presents Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Sangeet Samaroha 2010". 2010.
- ^ S Sahay Ranjeet (2018). "Festival: Eminent artists will come together in Delhi". India Today Hindi. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "144th Stage Decorated with a Theme Incorporating the Dance Form for the First Time". Dainik Bhaskar. 27 December 2019.
- ^ Manjari Sinha (25 December 2014). "Fresh as ever". The Hindu.
- ^ "29th Hridayesh Festival 2019". 11 January 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ Shailaja Khanna (1 March 2022). "North India's oldest classical music festivals". Sruti. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "About the Artists". Retrieved 28 September 2017.