Continuing with the series on personalities who have made enduring contributions to Indian Music, the Department of Posts issues a commemorative postage stamp of Kanika Bandopadhyay ( 1924- 2000), a great exponent of Rabindra Sangeet.

Rabindra Sangeet is a genre created by Rabindranath Tagore, one of the greatest creative genii that India has produced. Though primarily known for his poetic brilliance , Tagore was no less a composer. In Rabindra Sangeet, music goes on to interpret the lyrics, weaving an atmosphere of sheer magic. The variety in Tagore songs is astonishing. While a large number of them were based on Indian classical music, he also experimented with folk and western tunes. Rabindra Sangeet has neither any restriction, nor domain. It is free and it extends the feeling of beauty and joy to the infinite expanses of the universe.

Hailing from Bankura in West Bengal, Kanika was brought up and educated in the intellectually stimulating atmosphere of Shantiniketan, the ashram founded by Rabindranath Tagore. Gifted as she was with a melodious voice, her talents were nurtured and nourished at the Sangeet Bhavan in Viswa Bharati University. She was trained in both classical music and Rabindra Sangeet and was fortunate to be taught and guided by Gurudev Tagore himself. She participated in dance-dramas directed by Gurudev and toured different parts of the country  as part  of his troupe.

Kanika joined Sangeet Bhavan as a teacher and went on to become the Head of the Department and then Principal. Even after her retirement she remained a part of the University as Professor Emeritus. She was a regular artiste for All India Radio for many decades, apart from bringing out nearly 300 immensely popular records. Besides Rabindra Sangeet she also sang Bhajans, Nazrulgiti and Atulprasad songs. Her concerts were organized in Europe and America also, winning wide acclaim for the incomparable style with which she rendered Gurudev's lyrics.

Kanika Bandopadhyay authored three books on Rabindra Sangeet which have been popular with music lovers. She was also associated with the Elmhirst Institute of Community Studies, Shantiniketan, through which she took up social service and community development programmes. Many awards and distinctions were conferred on her, notable among them being the Padmashree (1986) and the Deshikottama title, the highest degree of the Viswa Bharati University (1997).

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India