The Ali Akbar College of Music is incredibly happy to share with our community that our very own Maestro Swapan Chaudhuri was recently awarded Padma Shri—for distinguished service—one of the highest civilian awards conferred by the Government of India.
We are thrilled that this honor has been bestowed upon him, while still echoing the sentiments of the many who feel that Swapanji’s contributions to the spread of Indian music around the world have put him in a rarefied category beyond any award.
He is the first Tabla player of West Bengal to receive this award. He is also one of the only artists to be awarded Padma Shri who has spent so much of their career abroad—a testament to the Government of India’s recognition of Swapanji’s tireless efforts to share the beauty of Indian culture around the globe.
In addition to this exciting news, we have just learned that Swapanji has also been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Kolkata’s Rabindra Bharati University in 2019.
The whole AACM family is extremely happy that Swapanji is being recognized at such a high level in India. His tireless devotion, love, and enthusiasm has elevated our lives and touched so many throughout the world, and it is our great honor that he continues to share so much of himself with all of our very fortunate students. We are looking forward to his 38th year of teaching at AACM.
Congratulations, Swapanji! We love you!