514 Pt Debu Chaudhuri with his son Pt Prateek Chaudhuri (L) Both died of Covid-19 within a week of each other recently. Photo courtesy: Avinash Pasricha
Shailaja Khanna
AMID a raging pandemic, the world of Hindustani classical music does not remain unaffected and is losing many established names. Recently two stalwarts, Banaras gharana vocalist Pt Rajan Mishra (70) and Senia gharana sitarist Pt Debu Chaudhuri (85), and more recently and tragically, Pt Debu Chaudhuri’s son, sitarist Prateek Choudhury, died due to Covid-19.
Pt Rajan Mishra (L) with his brother Pt Sajan Mishra
Born in Bangladesh, Pt Debu Chaudhuri moved to Delhi in the 1960s. He virtually established the music department at Delhi University. In the 1960s, teaching music en masse was looked down upon by elitist musicians, but Debu da was bold enough to choose this path.