Sounak Chattopadhyay and Arpita Chatterjee | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A new age platform for arts and culture, Chowringhee gives a boost to the cultural landscape of Hyderabad. The group’s inaugural show, Raag-O-Rang, features Hindustani singer Sounak Chattopadhyay and theater practitioner Arpita Chatterjee playing the character of Gauhar Jaan in a multilingual solo musical.
love from two cities
Arpita Chatterjee Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
According to Santanu Paul, founder of TalentSprint, an edtech firm based in the city, and chairman of the platform, a group of music and theater enthusiasts with a deep appreciation for Hyderabad and strong ties with Kolkata have come together to create Chowringhee. Acknowledging the contribution of Lamakan, Manthan (a platform for speakers), and Banyan Tree (although they are not headquartered here, they bring notable concerts) in promoting arts and culture, he says, “We see The country is becoming increasingly more polarized.” Many issues, be it language, state, or religion. We felt, why not create a platform that takes an ‘open doors and open windows’ approach?’ The idea was also supported by CEOs of various companies in the city in 2024, who collaborated to set up a platform aimed at uplifting the cultural landscape of Hyderabad.
historical milestone
Saunak Chattopadhyay Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The word ‘Chowringhee’ literally means ‘four coloured/four colored or multicolored’ and is also a cross-section or intersection of two main roads where things collide. “Chowringhee is also a historical site in Calcutta during the British Raj and modern Bengal. With all these ideas, we hope that this vibrant cultural hub connects our roots in Calcutta with Hyderabad,” shares Santanu.
With ‘Bengal and Beyond’ as its base, the aim is to bring multilingual artists from across India to showcase their art. The inaugural session will feature Hindustani singer Saunak, who blends classical music with Bollywood, ghazals and Rabindranath Tagore. Their repertoire for the evening included a special tribute to legendary singer Mohammed Rafi on the occasion of his birth centenary. The second performer of the evening, Arpita Chatterjee, a theater practitioner, will play the character of Gauhar Jaan in the multilingual solo musical ‘My Name is Jaan’. The platform aims to organize two to four performances a year.
Raag-O-Rang will be organized on 24th January at Shilpa Kala Vedika located in Hitech City.,
published – January 22, 2025 03:48 PM IST
