Artists from Howrah gathered at Sarat Sadan Hall II on April 3 to pay homage to renowned tappa singer Gopal Chattopadhyay, who died on March 17.
The memorial was organised by Mission Bodhodoy International, a school in central Howrah. ost of the invitees were close to Chattopadhyay and they recalled their association with him. “We wanted to include those who were close to Gopalbabu. They have memories of the singer that they cherish and they shared with the public.” said Moloy Roy, the principal of Mission Bodhodoy International.
Chandidas Mal was a childhood friend who learnt tappa along with Chattopadhyay from Kalipada Pathak, their guru. . “I still remember that Saraswati puja when my guru was training the students of Bantra MSPC School. They were being taught a song that they would sing while taking the idol for immersion the next day. Gopal was sitting on the last bench, but his voice caught the guru’s attention and from that time he started training and we became friends.” said Mal.
The other guests at the memorial included Swaraj Bhattacharya, Ranjan Mukhopadhyay, Chattopadhyay’s son, Bani Kumar and others. Each of the artistes concluded their tribute with a puratani, tappa or devotional songs.
There was an exhibition of photographs of Gopal Chattopadhyay’s life.
The Telegraph
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