Kolkata :

Sangeet Natak Akademi’s decision to confer the prestigious Akademi Ratna Sadasyata award on Pt Vijay Kichlu has come as a perfect birthday gift for the legend, who will turn 85 this year. Away on a buddy-trip with his gang of eight friends in Mashobra, Kichlu was both surprised and elated with the news.

“This was the most unexpected news for me. I was the member of the last council of Sangeet Natak Akademi. As a member, one can’t receive any awards. The new chairman was announced only recently. This news came as a great surprise to me. I am humbled,” Kichlu told TOI. Musicologist S R Janakiraman, film-maker MS Sathyu and musician Tulsidas Borkar are the other recipients of the prestigious fellowships for 2014.

The last time a musician from Kolkata received the Akademi Ratna Sadasyata was in 2010. It was given to Girija Devi-ji. The fellowship constitutes a cash award of Rs 3 lakh beside an angavastram and a tamrapatra.

Of late, Kichlu has been keeping himself busy with a Prasar Bharati assignment. For this, he has to prepare 52 episodes of content that will offer a holistic view of Indian classical music. Work for this began early this year. “We have just about finished work on nine to 10 episodes,” he said.

Kichlu is being assisted by a team of researchers from Kolkata and Delhi. “Apart from Meena Banerjee and Arpita Chatterjee from Kolkata, our team also has Prashant Mallick from Delhi,” he said. As part of this project, Kichlu has himself interviewed Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt Rajan and Pt Sajan Mishra and Ashwini Bhide, among others.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / June 16th, 2015