If you think that one person cannot like Rock and Rabindrasangeet at the same time, then you are in for a little surprise my friends!. Well, Chandrani Banerjee, the first ever lady to front a Bengali rock band – Krosswindz is an ardent Rabindrasangeet fan. Chandrani who started off her career with Krosswindz has today garnered international acclaim world-wide with her beautiful voice and excellent lyrics.
We selected her to be a part of this list of amazing bengali ladies on international woman’s day since she made a difference when she first started singing for a rock band and also for influencing many girls to take rock seriously in her home town Kolkata and also last but not at all least for being a fabulous singer! We Bongs are proud of her! Let’s hear what she had to say to BWD
1. When did you started taking singing seriously in your life?
I started taking music seriously right from the day I started learning Rabindrasangeet and Nazrulgeeti which was around the age of 7 if my memory serves me right. Until then I was happy entertaining my sisters with whatever songs I could sing that I picked up from listening to the radio especially the radio show- “lunchtime variety” by Akash Vani radio station.
2. How did Krosswindz happen?
Krosswindz needed a female vocalist around the year 2000 for a specialized theme based event, that is when I was chosen to be a part of the band.
3. What is it like to be the first bengali female rock singer?
When i recorded Ghore Pherar Gaan for Gautam Chatterjee little did I know what my destiny was… but one thing led to another and soon I found myself rocking out to huge audiences all over the music scene.In a nutshell it helped me grow as a musician…like in the words of Robert Frost- “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference”.
4. Have you ever faced problem being a female rock singer? Were there any sexist comments ever?
5. How you describe yourself as a woman?
6. What is Womanhood to you?
Chandrani’s band KROSSWINDZ is widely known as a champion for environmental causes and have actively participated and promoted movements for the conservation of the environment and have launched the famous CD KROSSWINDZ ONE WORLD. The song One World is written by Chandrani and has gone on to be heard all over the world.Roger Holdsworth of PBS Australia FM Radio has repeatedly played the song ONE WORLD on his famous radio show-Global Village in Melbourne.The album was an outpouring of feelings expressed by her and and her band, expressing concerns about the huge deforestation and other issues linked to it.The album went to number one on the Music World charts and even displaced international stars like Ricky Martin from the number one slot.
Bong Women Diaries 