Kaushik Dutta (IN)

Kaushik is a versatile musician and plays a number of Indian string and percussion instruments. He has composed music for Bollywood films, short films, theatre and dance-theatre projects. He has toured extensively and performed at over 300 shows abroad. Besides conducting workshops for differently-abled children and special needs schools, he has participated in collaborative projects, seminars and panel discussions including the jazz master class series organised by the National Arts Centre, Ottawa in collaboration with Manhattan School of Music. He was a visiting tutor at the London Roundhouse and Singapore Music Academy. He is the founder of Song of Soul, an NGO which works towards eradicating poverty in tribal and folk music communities by providing strong economic opportunities for long term sustenance. Kaushik is also the Artistic Director of ‘Kolkata International Music Festival’. In the past four years the festival has supported more than 1200 folk musicians of India. Kaushik believes that ‘art survives when the artist does’.

Song of Soul's objective:
• Relieve poverty in folk and tribal music communities.
• Providing strong economic opportunities for indigenous art practitioners.
• Embody the preservation and revival of traditional arts, music, language and culture.
• Encourage self worth and respect for their culture by showing that it is appreciated in the wider world hence create an interest amongst the younger generation to look at this art form as a profitable and promising venture.
• To research for the development of tribal and folk music and subsequent programme to be taken for the better living of the tribal and folk artistes.
• To create job opportunities for the older artistes unable to perform on physical grounds.
• Embody the preservation and revival of traditional arts, music, language and culture.
• Promote indigenous arts and cultural vibrancy and excellence.