Description

‘Kankana Banerjee-The Journey of a Khayal Queen’ attempts to bring to the fore the life and contributions of one of India’s most acclaimed and foremost Classical vocalists Vidushi Kankana Banerjee. As a young girl of eleven, Kankana came under the tutelage of Ustad Amir Khan and learned from him for more than fifteen years. She was later trained by Pandit Pratap Narayan of the Mewati gharana. As a performing artist, she was particularly marked by experts for her cuckoo-like voice and soulful renditions that were built on the rudiments of the Indore style of singing and carried the ethos and marrow of her Ustad. Fame and recognition were sure to come, but not easily. Life had been unsparing at times. Her land of promises froze on several occasions, leaving her torn and devastated. But her unflagging determination kept her going. Despite all odds, she could establish herself as a singer of repute; a name to reckon with.
Her sundry contributions as a performing artist, a Guru, and a composer would indubitably be of interest to arbiters of music, aesthetes, students and her devotees around the globe. This book not only gives one the opportunity to know Kankana only as a songstress of rare brilliance but also allows us to peep into the artist’s unostentatious life yet worthy of attention, from close proximity.