✍️By Special Correspondent
Recounting his association with late percussionist Shubhankar Banerjee, his long time associate and senior, Santoor Maestro Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya said, “ I simply could not bear this loss, it is too personal, Shubhankar was just not a fellow musician who travelled with me far and across but also a dear younger brother from a different mother. We spent hours together performing, practising, travelling and simply enjoying different lands together. Ever smiling and one of the greatest table players from India, Shubhankar Banerjee will always remain one of the greatest losses for Indian classical music, gone to early and like many a victim of modern world’s greatest tragedies, COVID 19.”
Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya collaborated on stage with the late percussionist on numerous occasions across the world over the last two decades.
No I did not express my grief yesterday nor could i bear to make it to his last rites, I was actually scared and unable to face this death.
Let us talk about his music, t here is a big difference between musician and artist, any one who plays music is musician but only who can create art ,only who can create the new from his/her creative genius is an artiste and Pandit Shubhankar Banerjee was one individual artiste who stood out among millions and was a star on his own
The music world across the planet will miss an intelligent performer who was a rarity in his generation.
Indian classical music comes from within, a manifestation of purity of soul to produce pure music and purging and directly affecting the listeners soul and Shubhankar was one such perfect artiste.
So long my brother, comrade and friend , we shall once again meet and perform and as is your style burn the stage, till then I shall miss you every minute of my life and I shall keep praying for your soul,” concluded Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya.