Pandit Ritwik Sanyal - vocals (India)
Pt. Ritvik Sanyal is the oldest and most mature contemporary exponent of the Dagar Vani tradition. He is a versatile master because he combines his vast musical repertoire with deep spiritual, philosophical and poetic knowledge.
Pandit Ritvik Sanyal imparts to his disciples the knowledge he has inherited from 21 generations, and is able to reveal the eternity of sound and its infinite beauty, awakening in his disciples' and listeners' hearts a deep reverence for the divinity that is manifested through sound.
Thanks to their extraordinary simplicity and dedication, the teachings of their masters resound in every note and silence, transforming them into music and poetry.
In the early 1970s, at the age of nine, Ritwik Sanyal and his family moved from Africa to Bombay. It was in Bombay, together with his mother, a singer and writer, that he met his teacher, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, from whom he learnt dhrupad in the authentic tradition.
At the age of 21, Ritvik Sanyal began his singing career and toured India and Europe with his teacher's brother, Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, whom he considers his second master, maintaining close contact with his teacher Zia Mohiuddin Dagar.
In 1979, he joined the faculty of singing at Banares Hindu University, where he taught and headed the Music Department for 37 consecutive years.
During his long career, Pandit Ritvik Sanyal has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Padma Shree Award, presented by the President of India, Draupadi Murmu in 2023, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, presented by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee in 2013.
Pandit Ritwik Sanyal has published numerous articles in scholarly journals and has composed many dhrupad compositions.
He has performed in the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Korea, Israel, Croatia, Brazil, Mauritius, Japan and Lithuania. For many years he has collaborated with AIR (All India Radio) and Doordarshan Radio Channels national music programme. He has participated in many prestigious dhrupad music festivals in India.