Occupation(s) Musician Name Smita Bellur Website www.smitabellur.com | Years active 25 Instruments Vocalist Role Singer | |
 | ||
Similar Amir Khusrow, Ateeq Hussain Khan, Warsi Brothers, Purandara Dasa, Shujaat Khan | ||
Sufi song of the soul kab tak mere maula smita bellur raga bhairavi
Smita Bellur is a Hindustani classical vocalist and Sufi singer.
Contents
- Sufi song of the soul kab tak mere maula smita bellur raga bhairavi
- Raga bhimpalas hindustani classical vocal by smita bellur
- Life and career
- Khyal and SufiQawwali Gayaki training in Guru Shishya Parampara
- Press comments
- Recitals and concerts
- Awards
- Audio CD releases
- Broadcasts on TV and Radio
- Skills
- Propagation and promotion of Indian classical music
- Expression through writing
- Music for a cause
- Jashn e Soofi
- Daasa Soofi Sharanara Anubhaava Lahari
- Smitas team Music of the soul offers a variety of programmes including
- References
Smita Bellur is a versatile Indian classical vocalist who specializes in the field of Hindustani Classical Khyal and traditional Sufi music (Qawwali). She is also adept at other genres such as Ghazal/Thumri/Chaiti and other semi-classical varieties, does collaborative work with fusion rock/pop bands, playback singing for movies, retro-hits from Indian Film music. Having sung (live in concert) at more than 300 venues ranging from Classical/Sufi music festivals to Corporate events, Fund raiser/Charity shows, harmony gatherings, she also performs at weddings and private HNI family functions/Chamber music. She belongs to Jaipur -Kirana gharana.
Raga bhimpalas hindustani classical vocal by smita bellur
Life and career
Smita Bellur hails from North Karnataka. She is the third child of Late Shri. K.L Subba Rao and Late Smt. K.S. Susheela Rao.
Smita has 3 album releases to her credit: Kaisi Madhur Shyaam – itunes/Amazon, Vachan Kirana – Lahari Audio, and Shareefara Pada – GIPA/Kalkur Audio. She is working on new musical productions and recordings of specialized Sufi music/Ragas.
She has won 3 awards for her contribution to the field of music - Rotary Vocational Excellence Award 2010, ‘Sangeeta Shri 2007’ and ‘Dr. Puttaraj Gawai Krupa Bhushana Prashasti’.
She regularly broadcasts as a graded artiste (B High) from India’s national broadcasting network- All India Radio/Doordarshan, and from media/TV Networks and radio channels such as ETV Urdu/Kannada, Zee, Doordarshan, TV9 and Suvarna/Asianet and All India Radio/Doordarshan, FM channels such as 92.7BIG FM in addition to Twaang, Youtube, Facebook, Sound Cloud on the Internet.
She is committed to regularly working with her music to support causes like: fundraiser for Shankara Cancer Foundation, fundraiser for Rotary’s End Polio mission (through an audio CD release), songs for MNREGA propagation etc.,
She has a keen interest in propagating Hindustani Classical and Sufi music through her NGO Nadanubhava Foundation® (free-to-listen live concerts of upcoming artistes); more than 80 programmes have been successfully done.
She also actively teaches in an online mode or face-to-face in the guru shishya parampara style, and has taught for more than 1200 hours. Smita has earlier been a senior faculty at the Shankar Mahadevan Academy. In addition, she also works on a fellowship research project by Govt. department – Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy.
She holds a master's degree MS (QM) from BITS Pilani and Bachelor of Engineering (Bangalore University) and has earlier worked in software multi-national companies like FirstApex, Oracle and the German software giant SAP, before giving it up to focus full-time on her passion-turned-profession.
Khyal and Sufi/Qawwali Gayaki training in Guru Shishya Parampara
She has trained for more than 20 years from gurus - late Shri. P.R. Bhaagwat, ‘Sangeet Ratna’ late Pt. Arjunsa Nakod, briefly from late Pt. Rajabhau Sontakke (disciple of Pt. Omkarnath Thakur) and Shri. Bhalachandra Nakod. She is currently taking her taaleem from ‘Gaan Saraswati’ Vid. Dr. Alka Dev Maarulkar for Hindustani Khayal, and Ustads Naasir – Nazeer Ahmed Warsi (Warsi Brothers) of Hyderabad (grandsons of Padmashri Late Ustad Aziz Ahmed Warsi) for Sufiana music /Qawwali rendition. She is trained in Sufism by Dr. Ejazuddin Ashrafi and Murshad Hazrat Akhtar Ali Shah of Saigaon Latur.
Press comments
“She plays music for the soul" – The New Indian Express, Oct 2012
Recitals and concerts
Smita is a regular B High artiste of All India Radio, Dharwad. She gave her first performance at the age of fourteen, at Rastrothana Parishat and since then has given several recitals at important forums/music festivals, including:
Some of her performances are: • INTACH and India Habitat Centre - New Delhi, • Govt. of Bihar Rajgir Utsav - Patna • Raj Bhavan - Bangalore • Hyderabad Heritage Festival - Chowmohalla Palace - Hyderabad • Inauguration of the T2 terminal – Mumbai International Airport • Infosys Foundation • Kingfisher Oktober Fest • Pt. Shankar Rao Gaikwad Punyatithi • SAP CIO conference in Gurgaon, Delhi and Bangalore • Saptak – Ahmedabad • Hamara Hindustan’s Eid – e- Milap Harmony programme • Swar Sadhana Samiti – Mumbai • Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Centenary Year) • Ustad Imammuddin Dagar Music festival, Pt. Manmohan memorial festival - Jaipur • 67th Shri Thyagaraja Annual Festival of music - Tirupati, • Pt. Sawai Gandharv Punyatithi – Kundgol, • Parthasarathy Sangeet Sabha – Chennai • Govt. of Karnataka, Dept. of Kannada and Culture Festivals like ‘Chalukyotsav’, ‘Karavalli Utsav’,‘Lakkundi Utsav’and Navraspur Utsav, Bijapur • Private baithaks for HNIs like Ms. Kiran Majumdar, Mr. Khalil Ahmed and Nawab Shah Alam • Corporate events: Sony Ericsson, Nippon, SAP etc
Awards
Audio CD releases
Broadcasts on TV and Radio
Skills
Propagation and promotion of Indian classical music
Nadanubhava® – aimed at providing a platform for talented artistes and high quality classical concerts to music lovers, Smita has successfully hosted more than 63 well-received programmes in about 5 years under this banner which was earlier called Nadasree Sangit Sabha. People for Raaga – a forum of thinking minds working for propagation of classical music among people of all age groups and walks of life. Anhad Naad Sufi Sangeet – is a forum for Sufi philosophy and music.
Expression through writing
Smita freelances as a journalist writing on classical artforms, especially music. More than 50 of her articles have been published.
Music for a cause
Smita Bellur has joined many causes with her music contribution:
Jashn-e-Soofi
Compositions of the great Sufi poets of India like 13th-century poet Amir Khusrau, Bulla Shah, Kabir, Khwaja Bandanawaz Gesudaraz, Baba Farid etc. were presented by Smita Bellur along with explanations by the Spiritual Guru and Prof. Dr. Ejazuddin Ashrafi (Retd Prof. Hindi at Government Arts and Science College, Bangalore, Former MLC Government of Karnataka), an authority on Jainism, Sufism and Veerashaiva Philosophies. Presented at several fora like corporate events (SAP Labs India, SAP Analyst Day etc.), Indian Institute of World Culture; televised and broadcast by news channel TV9.
Daasa-Soofi-Sharanara Anubhaava Lahari
Exploring the common threads of Dasa, Soofi and Shivasharana philosophies with multi-lingual music that celebrates 'unity in diversity'. Compositions from Haridasas of Karnataka like Purandaradasa, Venkata Vittala Dasa, Shivasharana saints like Basavanna and Akkamahadevi, along with Soofi saints like Bullah Shah and Amir Khusrau were presented in Avadhi, Kannada, Hindi, Punjabi and Pharsi. The music is accompanied by an explanatory lecture by Dr. Yejazuddin Ashrafi. Presented in Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs etc.,