GURU SUSMITA MISRA
Saberi's Grandmother and Kathak Guru
GURU SUSMITA MISRA is the daughter of Late Sri Pranab Roy, an eminent musician of Kolkata and the wife of Late Nrityacharya Pandit Ramgopal Misra of Jaipur Gharana. She was born in Jessore, Bangladesh, in the year, 1936. Earlier she received her training in dance in the school of Bani Bidyabithi from various eminent teachers like Sri Prahlad Das, Sri Rajen Bose, Sri Manishankar, Sri Brajabasi Singh, Sri R.S. Anandam, etc. Later, she underwent vigorous training in Kathak of Jaipur Sheilly under the tutelage of Late Pandit Jailal Ji. She got married to Pandit Jailal Ji’s son, Pandit Ramgopal Misra. She is blessed with three children, Smt Kajal Misra, presently, a celebrated Kathak exponent of Jaipur Sheilly, Smt Kumkum Mukherjee and Pandit Rajkumar Misra, an outstanding Tabla player and Tabla instructor of Bharatiya Vidyabhawan, London.
Guruma was not only a great performer of her time, but presently she is one of the most revered Kathak Gurus of India. Some of her great compositions are, ‘Divachanda’, ‘Kathak Mozaic’, ‘Tatkar’, ‘Kathak Parikrama’, ‘Veerpurush’, etc. She has been a Kathak Instructor in various Institutes like, Tansen Music College, Malay Geetabithi, Bani Sangeetalaya, Bani Bidyabithi, etc. She has devoted herself in preparing the future generation in the field of Kathak , so that this ancient Northern Art form can stay alive in our busy and commercial world.
Presently, she is a Kathak Instructor in Gourmallar and Jailal Academy of Music, an Academy, founded by her husband in the memory of Late Pandit Jailal Ji. She has also been an examiner of Rabindra Bharati University, Delhi Kathak Kendra, West Bengal Rajya Sangeet Academy.
She has created a unique style of both perfection and beauty in Kathak dance, a unique mixture of ‘Tandav’ and ‘Lasya’ which can be seen in her students like Smt Bandana Sen, Smt Kajal Misra (daughter), Smt Madhumita Roy, Sri Pradipto Niyogi, Sri Ashimbandhu Bhattacharya, Sri Ramaprasad Chatterjee, Trina Roy (grand-daughter), Saberi Misra (grand-daughter) etc. Under Guruma’s strict training, Jaipur Gharana remains strong and her creativity keeps it attractive with the changing times.
PT. RAJKUMAR MISRA
Saberi's Baba and Taal Guru
RAJKUMAR MISRA the 10th generation of his family’s Jaipur-Farrukabad Gharana. He started his training in Tabla from his father, Pt Ramgopal Misra. A devoted student and son, he was already making a mark in the concert-circuit in his early teens. After his father’s early demise, responsibility of his advanced training was taken on by Pt. Gyan Prakash Ghosh, the doyen of Tabla in Bengal.
By 2000 Rajkumar had featured in most premier Indian music and dance festivals and built a reputation of accompanying the most celebrated artists of his era. His intricate, powerful and simply mesmerising solo international displays led him to performances at Buckingham Palace for HM The Queen, 10 Downing Street and he has been in collaborations with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Britten Sinfonia Orchestra and with Dame Judy Dench at the Globe Theatre, London.
Rajkumar is the resident tabla guru at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London and has been given a prestigious fellowship from The Trinity College of London. Rajkumar Misra is also the director of his own music/dance institute named Sa Dha Arts.
His lifelong dedication to Tabla, philosophy of Music and his charitable nature has made him a very loved Guru and one of the foremost Tabla players in the world.
SMT. CHANDRIMA MISRA
Saberi's Maa and Sur Guru
CHANDRIMA MISRA is a highly accomplished Indian classical vocalist, hailing from the PATIALA GHARANA. The subtlety with which she develops Raagas and embellishes them with intricate ornamentation around Taalas, creates a truly unique aesthetic and an ambience which is charged with colour and feeling.
Born into a cultural family, Chandrima, was exposed to drama and Indian classical musicthrough the love of fine arts that her parents shared. From an early age, she commenced her talim in Indian classical music under Ustad Munawar Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana, son of late Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, one of the most illustrious and revered artists of the Indian classical music tradition. She continued and still continues her musical tutelage under Guru Vidushi Sanjukta Ghosh, a celebrated artist of the Patiala Gharana.
Chandrima graduated in music from Ravindra Bharti University in Calcutta. She has since toured and performed extensively around India, Europe and the UK and has been the resident Hindustani Vocal teacher at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London for over a decade earning her a fellowship at the Trinity College of Music. She was handed the honour of collaborating and performing on a project with acclaimed Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar in 2004, in front of a packed auditorium at the Dartington College ofArts. Her students have performed for the London 2012 Olympics and have sung for Prime Minister David Cameron (May 2015).