A talented musical instrumentalist achieves his goal through untiring effort and commitment: Sukesh is a good example of this.
The 45-year-old tabla player said that in his younger days he was inspired by Khulna Betar (radio) artiste Hazari Lal Debnath and Probhat Banerjee. The fascination with music began when he completed his primary education in 1977. When he was in class six, he went to a ‘Rath Mela’ at Kotchandpur from where he bought a congo which he would spend hours playing. After completing his SSC in 1982, he happened to play the instrument at a small local event. His talent was recognised and he was rewarded with compliments from the impressed judges and audience.
While he got his primary training in music from his father Kalipada Biswas, later he was trained for four years by Jugal Majumdar, a veteran tabla player of Chasra village. Sadananda Biswas was his tabla teacher for two years, followed by Swapan Ghosh, from India. Khulna Betar director Sheikh Ali Ahmed; Joy Gopal Datta; Bashudeb Biswas and Nanda Dulal Roy taught him the nuances of the tabla. Finally he perfected his skills at Michael Academy Jessore.
Sukesh has imparted his skills on the tabla to many students. Of them Saumirta Biswas and Sukumar Biswas are noteworthy.
Besides, he has played the tabla alongside renowned singers like Monir Khan; Shahinur Rahman; Jagadish Adhikari and Amirul Islam. Currently a teacher at Kaliganj Shilpakala Academy, he trains five to six batches every day.
Meanwhile, the plaudits continue to come in. Jagadish Adhikari, a Khulna Betar artiste, said, “Sukesh is without a doubt a skilled tabla player. He is very sincere and works very hard to instruct his students.”
-With The Daily Star input
