10-yr-old ?musician?

Antara is barely 10. And, a little different from kids her age. While her classmates are watching the cartoon network in the evenings, she?s sitting with her ?Guruji? learning vocal classical music and practising the sitar.

Antara is barely 10. And, a little different from kids her age. While her classmates are watching the cartoon network in the evenings, she’s sitting with her ‘Guruji’ learning vocal classical music and practising the sitar.

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This prodigy has received musical sensibilities as a legacy. The granddaughter of Kamal David, a sitarist and Gayatri David, a vocalist who founded the Sangeet Bhawan in Gomti Nagar, Antara Bhattacharya started singing ragas when she was two-and-a half-years old. According to the UP Gazette, 1999, she is one of the world’s youngest vocal classical artistes!

Antara has also, recently bagged the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship-2006 and will receive financial assistance from the Centre for Cultural Resource & Training, Government of India, to train in the playing of the sitar till she is 19.

She has also cleared the All-India Radio audition in the children’s category for sitar and vocal music.

Studying in Standard V at the Gomti Nagar branch of the City Montessori School, Antara’s favorite subject at school, besides Music, is English Literature.

She is a rare combination of a singer and instrumentalist. She can easily pick up any raga be it Bhairavi, Bhupali, Bihag or Bilawal. Her fingers string out the raga in no time on the sitar as well. Her favourite raga is Yaman. It’s a treat to watch her and hear her sing. For a child, she has an amazing ease that leaves musicians spellbound.

Not only this, she is equally comfortable playing the tabla, harmonium and casio though, her main instrument remains the sitar that is incidentally, considered the toughest instrument to play.

This musical kid has a tuned ear and an intelligent mind as well. She’s also into Dropheads and chess on the computer when not singing away. Or, dancing for that matter. She’s up with the latest and these days can dance for hours on the hit ‘Mitwa…’ from ‘Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’. She’s just learnt the steps from her mother, Nivedita, a dancer herself.

Surely, this bundle of talent has a long way to go.