Narayan Chandra Adhikary

At the age of eight, Narayan Ch. Adhikary, arrived in India from Bangladesh bringing the dotara, a long-necked instrument with four strings, similar to a little lute, coming from popular tradition. Afterwards Narayan developed a singular playing technique adding other strings, till seven. So he transformed the dotara into a new instrument. His continuous search, his great techniquemastery, his concerts so live and hearty made of Narayan Chandra Addhikary the greatest master with this instrument in West Bengal. His music create mystic and passionate atmospheres through Baul traditional melodies executed with a peculiar technique, very close to Sarod sound, on instrument used in classical Indian music. His voice flies around his dance reaching hearts, harmonising ancestral stories about the world, the man, the laws regulating nature, about the joy of discovering God inside man’s heart. Wandering among the uncountable villages of West Bengal, Narayan is invited to sin his songs on the Radio Centre of Calcutta, on the National Televition of New Delhi, in the most important folk festivals at Pondicherry and Bombay, where he meets the great Indian musician Ravi Shankar. In the last years he has been bringing his art in Europe, trying to preserve and convey Baul of Bengal old tradition.