Rezwana Choudhury Bannya: A Lifelong Devotee of Rabindra Sangeet and a Cultural Bridge Between India and Bangladesh
By Afroz Khan, New Age Islam
14 November 2025
Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, born in Bangladesh, is a Padma Shri-awarded Rabindra Sangeet exponent trained at Shantiniketan. She founded Shurer Dhara in 1992 to teach Tagore’s songs, bridging India-Bangladesh ties through music and culture.
Main Points:
1. Padma Shri recipient honoured by India for Rabindra Sangeet excellence.
2. Shantiniketan-trained disciple of Kanika Bandyopadhyay and other luminaries.
3. Founded Shurer Dhara in 1992 to promote Tagore’s philosophy through music.
4. Cultural bridge strengthening India-Bangladesh ties via Rabindra Sangeet.
5. Global performer and educator teaching underprivileged children worldwide.
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"I have given everything to Rabindra Sangeet, and it has given everything to me. I never wanted to sing anything else".
Ms. Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya
Bengal's Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, gave birth to a renowned style of music. He composed approximately 2,300 songs, known as Rabindra Sangeet. It blends elements of Indian classical music and traditional folk music, focusing on themes such as nature, love, devotion, and patriotism.
Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya, a practitioner of this Rabindra Sangeet, received India's prestigious civilian honour, the Padma Shri, from across the border (Bangladesh) for her musical pursuits.
Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya was born on January 13, 1957, in Rangpur, Bangladesh. Her father's name is Mazharuddin Khan and her mother's name is Ismat Ara Khan.
Rezwana's early singing lessons began with her uncle, Abdul Ali. In 2021, she completed her research on Rabindra Sangeet at Dhaka University, for which she received a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Rezwana Chowdhury received musical training from several renowned gurus at Shantiniketan, which led to her interest in Rabindra Sangeet. She has performed worldwide and is known for her soulful interpretations of Tagore's melodies.
Rezwana Chowdhury joined Visva-Bharati as a student in 1975 and received guidance from Rabindra Sangeet luminaries such as Shailajaranjan Majumdar, Shantidev Ghosh, Kanika Bandyopadhyay, and Nilima Sen. After completing her Master's in Fine Arts, she returned to Dhaka in 1981.
Founding of Shurer Dhara
Shurer Dhara was founded by Rezwana Choudhury Bannya in 1992. Rezwana was deeply inspired by her guru, the renowned Rabindra Sangeet singer Kanika Bandyopadhyay.
Kanika always encouraged her to sing in her own style and teach her students in the same style. She told Bannya that others' styles would not suit her.
Inspired by this, Rezwana started 'Shurer Dhara' with the aim of teaching Rabindranath Tagore's songs to students in her unique style, based on the traditions of Shantiniketan.
The school began on a small scale with a few students in the living room of a house in the Lalmatia area of Dhaka. Over time, it has grown into a full-fledged music education institution.
The aim of Shurer Dhara is to spread Tagore's ideals and philosophy through music and other cultural activities. Its goal is to create an environment where students can grow as culturally rich individuals, without any superstition or narrow-mindedness, as Tagore himself envisioned at Visva-Bharati.
Today, 'Shurer Dhara' is one of the leading music schools in Bangladesh and also has international branches. It also provides music education to children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Rezwana said of her musical pursuits, "My life is blessed, I do not have any regrets.”
A Link Between India and Bangladesh Rezwana Chowdhury serves as a bridge to improve India-Bangladesh relations.
Rezwana's dedication to Rabindra Sangeet has strongly connected her to India.
In January 2025, Rezwana was invited as the chief guest at the inauguration of the Jyoti Basu Centre for Social Studies and Research in New Town, aimed at reducing the bitterness between the two countries during the political turmoil in Bangladesh.
CPM State Secretary Mohammad Salim said of Rezwana Chowdhury, "She is a student of Kanika Bandyopadhyay and is a bridge between the two Bengals through Rabindra Sangeet and Shantiniketan."
She has received numerous honours and awards throughout her illustrious career. In 2002, she was honoured with the Ananda Sangeet Puraskar for being the best female Rabindra Sangeet artist. This was followed by the Gaane Gaane Gunijon Shongbardhona in 2011. In 2013, she received the Sangeet Samman Puraskar from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Her contributions were further recognised with the Independence Day Award in 2016 and the Banga Bhushan by the Government of West Bengal in 2017. The same year, she was also honoured with the Firoza Begum Memorial Gold Medal and the Sangeet Maha Samman by the Government of West Bengal. In 2019, she received a Doctorate of Arts (honoris causa) from the Asian University for Women. Later, in 2022, she was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by Oikko.com.bd Channel I. Most recently, in 2024, she was honoured with the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian awards, in recognition of her remarkable contribution to music.
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Afroz Khan is a teacher by profession who writes on women, politics, communal harmony, and Islam. She holds a master’s degree in Education.
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