Smita Bellur

Smita Bellur

Smita Bellur Hindustani Classical and Sufi singer
Background information
Genres Hindustani classical music and Sufi music
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Vocalist
Years active 25
Website www.smitabellur.com

Smita Bellur is a Hindustani classical[1] vocalist and Sufi singer.

Smita Bellur is a versatile Indian classical vocalist who specializes in the field of Hindustani Classical Khyal and traditional Sufi music (Qawwali). She is also adept at other genres such as Ghazal/Thumri/Chaiti and other semi-classical varieties, does collaborative work with fusion rock/pop bands, playback singing for movies, retro-hits from Indian Film music. Having sung (live in concert) at more than 300 venues ranging from Classical/Sufi music festivals to Corporate events, Fund raiser/Charity shows, harmony gatherings, she also performs at weddings and private HNI family functions/Chamber music.[2] She belongs to Jaipur -Kirana gharana.[3]

Life and career

Smita Bellur hails from North Karnataka. She is the third child of Late Shri. K.L Subba Rao and Late Smt. K.S. Susheela Rao.[4]

Smita has 3 album releases to her credit: Kaisi Madhur Shyaam – itunes/Amazon, Vachan Kirana – Lahari Audio, and Shareefara Pada – GIPA/Kalkur Audio. She is working on new musical productions and recordings of specialized Sufi music/Ragas.

She has won 3 awards for her contribution to the field of music - Rotary Vocational Excellence Award 2010, ‘Sangeeta Shri 2007’ and ‘Dr. Puttaraj Gawai Krupa Bhushana Prashasti’.

She regularly broadcasts as a graded artiste (B High) from India’s national broadasting network- All India Radio/Doordarshan, and from media/TV Networks and radio channels such as ETV Urdu/Kannada, Zee, Doordarshan, TV9 and Suvarna/Asianet and All India Radio/Doordarshan, FM channels such as 92.7BIG FM in addition to Twaang, Youtube, Facebook, Sound Cloud on the Internet.

She is committed to regularly working with her music to support causes like: fundraiser for Shankara Cancer Foundation, fundraiser for Rotary’s End Polio mission (through an audio CD release), songs for MNREGA propagation etc.,

She has a keen interest in propagating Hindustani Classical and Sufi music through her NGO Nadanubhava Foundation® (free-to-listen live concerts of upcoming artistes); more than 80 programmes have been successfully done.

She also actively teaches in an online mode or face-to-face in the guru shishya parampara style, and has taught for more than 1200 hours. Smita has earlier been a senior faculty at the Shankar Mahadevan Academy. In addition, she also works on a fellowship research project by Govt. department – Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy.

She holds a master's degree MS (QM) from BITS Pilani and Bachelor of Engineering (Bangalore University) and has earlier worked in software multi-national companies like FirstApex, Oracle and the German software giant SAP, before giving it up to focus full-time on her passion-turned-profession.[5]

Khyal and Sufi/Qawwali Gayaki training in Guru Shishya Parampara

She has trained for more than 20 years from gurus - late Shri. P.R. Bhaagwat, ‘Sangeet Ratna’ late Pt. Arjunsa Nakod, briefly from late Pt. Rajabhau Sontakke (disciple of Pt. Omkarnath Thakur) and Shri. Bhalachandra Nakod. She is currently taking her taaleem from ‘Gaan Saraswati’ Vid. Dr. Alka Dev Maarulkar for Hindustani Khayal, and Ustads Naasir – Nazeer Ahmed Warsi (Warsi Brothers) of Hyderabad (grandsons of Padmashri Late Ustad Aziz Ahmed Warsi) for Sufiana music /Qawwali rendition. She is trained in Sufism by Dr. Ejazuddin Ashrafi and Murshad Hazrat Akhtar Ali Shah of Saigaon Latur.

[6]

Press comments

“She plays music for the soul" – The New Indian Express, Oct 2012[7]

Recitals and concerts

Smita is a regular B High artiste of All India Radio, Dharwad. She gave her first performance at the age of fourteen, at Rastrothana Parishat and since then has given several recitals at important forums/music festivals, including:

Some of her performances include: • INTACH and India Habitat Centre - New Delhi, • Govt. of Bihar Rajgir Utsav - Patna • Raj Bhavan - Bangalore • Hyderabad Heritage Festival - Chowmohalla Palace - Hyderabad • Inauguration of the T2 terminal – Mumbai International Airport • Infosys Foundation • Kingfisher Oktober Fest • Pt. Shankar Rao Gaikwad Punyatithi • SAP CIO conference in Gurgaon, Delhi and Bangalore • Saptak – Ahmedabad • Hamara Hindustan’s Eid – e- Milap Harmony programme • Swar Sadhana Samiti – Mumbai • Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Centenary Year) • Ustad Imammuddin Dagar Music festival, Pt. Manmohan memorial festival - Jaipur • 67th Shri Thyagaraja Annual Festival of music - Tirupati, • Pt. Sawai Gandharv Punyatithi – Kundgol, • Parthasarathy Sangeet Sabha – Chennai • Govt. of Karnataka, Dept. of Kannada and Culture Festivals like ‘Chalukyotsav’, ‘Karavalli Utsav’,‘Lakkundi Utsav’and Navraspur Utsav, Bijapur • Private baithaks for HNIs like Ms. Kiran Majumdar, Mr. Khalil Ahmed and Nawab Shah Alam • Corporate events: Sony Ericsson, Nippon, SAP etc

Awards

Audio CD releases

Broadcasts on TV and Radio

Skills

Propagation and promotion of Indian classical music

Nadanubhava® – aimed at providing a platform for talented artistes and high quality classical concerts to music lovers, Smita has successfully hosted more than 63 well-received programmes in about 5 years under this banner which was earlier called Nadasree Sangit Sabha. People for Raaga – a forum of thinking minds working for propagation of classical music among people of all age groups and walks of life. Anhad Naad Sufi Sangeet – is a forum for Sufi philosophy and music.

Expression through writing

Smita freelances as a journalist writing on classical artforms, especially music. More than 50 of her articles have been published.

Music for a cause

Smita Bellur has joined many causes with her music contribution:

Jashn-e-Soofi

Compositions of the great Sufi poets of India like 13th-century poet Amir Khusrau, Bulla Shah, Kabir, Khwaja Bandanawaz Gesudaraz, Baba Farid etc. were presented by Smita Bellur along with explanations by the Spiritual Guru and Prof. Dr. Ejazuddin Ashrafi (Retd Prof. Hindi at Government Arts and Science College, Bangalore, Former MLC Government of Karnataka), an authority on Jainism, Sufism and Veerashaiva Philosophies. Presented at several fora like corporate events (SAP Labs India, SAP Analyst Day etc.), Indian Institute of World Culture; televised and broadcast by news channel TV9.

Daasa-Soofi-Sharanara Anubhaava Lahari

Exploring the common threads of Dasa, Soofi and Shivasharana philosophies with multi-lingual music that celebrates 'unity in diversity'. Compositions from Haridasas of Karnataka like Purandaradasa, Venkata Vittala Dasa, Shivasharana saints like Basavanna and Akkamahadevi, along with Soofi saints like Bullah Shah and Amir Khusrau were presented in Avadhi, Kannada, Hindi, Punjabi and Pharsi. The music is accompanied by an explanatory lecture by Dr. Yejazuddin Ashrafi. Presented in Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs etc.,

Smita’s team – Music of the soul offers a variety of programmes including

References

  1. ↑ article, Newspaper (24 May 2012). "The Hindu article on Smita Bellur". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  2. ↑ "Entertainment Bangalore / Music : Honesty in art and spirit". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 7 October 2005. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  3. ↑ 28 April 2011 By Smita Bellur (28 April 2011). "'Sufism moves me'". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  4. ↑ Sufi singer, Smita Bellur's website. "Smita Bellur website". internet.
  5. ↑ "Music festival to be held in February | Editorial-News Releases". Radioandmusic.com. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  6. ↑ ' Budding talent ', Newspaper article on Smita Bellur. Deccan Herald http://archive.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/nov02/at5.asp. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ The New Indian Express http://newindianexpress.com/cities/bangalore/article1320563.ece?service=print. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ Deccan Herald http://www.deccanherald.com/content/253769/F. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/6/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.