Sarod Artist and Composer Arnab Bhattacharya on Bridging Generational Gaps with Fusion

Kolkata’s Arnab Bhattacharya is a computer science and engineering graduate on the one hand. But he’s also been a sarod artist and composer for the last 23 years, trained under Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta. Over the years, he’s traversed everything from classical concerts worldwide to creating fusion tracks, often placing the sarod in entirely new sonic settings.

Bhattacharya performed in Croatia earlier with tabla artist Rohen Bose for an Indian Independence Day special concert, while also connecting with the Consul of India in Chiang Mai, Thailand. As an artist representing India in an official capacity, Bhattacharya beams with pride when he shows us his diplomatic ‘white’ Indian passport, one that’s given for this category. “As an artist, it’s always an honor to represent India, our culture our heritage in other parts of the world,” Bhattacharya says. The artist says the door is wide open for all musicians who want to promote Indian classical music in different parts of the world. “The government and cultural departments are taking huge initiatives […] not only with performances, but with workshops, collaborations and training,” he adds.

With the help of Indian consul officials in Chiang Mai, Bhattacharya was even commissioned to rearrange “Vande Mataram” with local Thai musicians. He was deeply inspired by the place, which he says he fell deeply in love with. “We also made a video [for the song] with all tourist places of Chiang Mai so that tourists from different parts of the world can get attracted,” Bhattacharya says. The song featured vocals by Parth Patel, Swan Bay and Shyam Arora, plus rhythm elements by Nilimesh Chakraborty and Vinimay.

The ”Vande Mataram” rendition is just one part of Bhattacharya’s repertoire – he covers “Bella Ciao” (as heard on action/thriller series Money Heist) and created a song for the rains called “Megh,” as well as a jazz-fusion song called “Shadows of the Dark.” Up next, he has a project called “Shanti” which brings together 50 musicians from different parts of the world, plus another project called “Remember” starting in November. In the midst of all this, Bhattacharya plans to make the most of his white passport. “Fortunately my calendar is occupied till May 2023. I will be traveling to Europe, Mauritius, Thailand, Singapore and many other places for my solo concerts and some collaborative works,” he adds.