- Pandit Debabrata (Debu) Choudhury – was an Indian sitarist and teacher. He was honored with Padma Bhushan and Padmashree awards.
- He was the author of six ragas, author of eight new ragas and many composers. From 1963 he appeared in several radio broadcasts, and was a disciple of Mushtaq Ali Khan. He is considered the leading sitarist of the post-war era. These are considered to be one of the major secrets of the Seniya style (or Gharana).
Debu Chaudhary Biography In English
Birth Details –
Place – Bangladesh
Date of Birth – 30 May 1935
Marital Status: Married
Nationality – Indian
Family –
Mother – Hiren Bala Devi
Father – Vishweshwar Chaudhary
Wife – Manjushree Chaudhary
Teachers – Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan, Panchu Gopal
Early Life-
- Pandit Debabrata was born in the year 1935 in Mymensingh (then India) in present-day Bangladesh.
- His father Vishweshwar Chaudhary was a businessman and his mother’s name was Hiren Bala Devi. His family lived in Ramgopalpur which is currently part of Bangladesh.
Education
- He received his education at Calcutta University. He joined the University of Delhi as a reader from 1971 to 1982 and was Dean and Head of the Department of Music from 1985 to 1988.
- He served as Visiting Professor at Maharishi International University, Iowa from 1991 to 1994. He received sitar training from late Panchu Gopal Dutt and Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan.
Career–
- He started playing sitar at the age of four. His first broadcast was on All India Radio in 1953 at the age of eighteen.
- He composed 8 new ragas. Visveshwari, Palas-Sarang, Anuranjani, Aashiqui Lalit, Swanandeshwari, Kalyani Bilawal, Shivmanjari and Prabhati Manjari
- He has written three books on Indian music named ‘Sitar and its Techniques’, ‘Music of India’ and ‘On Indian Music’. He has recorded 24 CDs for 24 hours a day in the United States.
Style-
- He is considered the leading proponent of repeatedly articulating the pedal tone with the tonic pitch of the second string.
- Pulling the string across the frets, which is allowed to finish before continuing with the basic alternating stroking.
- He is considered one of the greatest sitar players of that era along with Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee.
- He is also unique in using a 17 fret sitar whereas most musicians use a 19 fret sitar.
Award
- Padma Bhushan
- Padma Shree
Other Information –
- Date of death-1 May 2021
- Place – Delhi, India
Question Related to Debu Chaudhary Biography
What is the birth place and date of birth of Debu Chaudhary?
Debu Chaudhary was born on 30 May 1935 in Bangladesh.
What was the name of Debu Chaudhary’s father?
Debu Chaudhary’s father’s name was Vishweshwar Chaudhary.
What was the name of Debu Chaudhary’s mother?
Debu Chaudhary’s mother’s name was Hiren Bala Devi.
What was the name of Debu Chaudhary’s wife?
Debu Chaudhary’s wife’s name was Manjushree Chaudhary.
What was the name of Debu Chaudhary’s teacher?
Debu Chaudhary’s teacher’s name was Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan, Panchu Gopal.
When and where did Debu Chaudhary die?
Debu Chaudhary died on 1 May 2021 in Delhi, India.
