Often hailed as the Bhojpuri queen, Kalpana Patowary’s body of work is vast, exploring the intersections between Bhojpuri music and other folk traditions, including blues and jazz. 

Despite mainstream success, within the Bollywood film industry, this GANDI BAAT singer’s interest is in studying various lesser-known folk forms. Her recent album, ‘The legacy of Bhikhari Thakur’ is the first recording of the work on Bhikhari Thakur. Bhikhari Thakur was an Indian playwright, folk singer and activist who developed the folk theatre form of ‘Bidesia’. Bidesia, refers to migration- in the context of Bhikhari Thakur’s work, this refers not only to the geographical dislocation, but also to a larger sense of cultural alienation, experienced by the migrant. The album comprising of nine songs, brings to life Bhikhari’s Thakur’s work, reiterating its relevance in a contemporary context that is marked by the flows of migration. 

Gifted with a dynamic vocal tone, Kalpana recorded her debut album, "Huror Ane Junak” when she was 18 years old. Her solo Bhojpuri musical documentation “The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur”on the Shakespear of Bhojpuri Literature released from EMI-Virgin Records London got her International acclaim when students who come far from Leland Stanford University Califonia an American private research university located in Stanford, California in the northwestern Silicon Valley near Palo Alto just to explore the BHOJPURI MUSICAL TRADITION and the Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur in a Mumbai suburban studio…overwhelmed. 

In 2013, she made an appearance in a documentary film; Bidesia in Bambai, a feature-length film released in December 8, 2013 is as much a story about Bhojpuri music as it is about a constantly churning city. At times the music is the hero, at times the city. It is a look at Mumbai through the lens of the migrant worker and his music.” 
These successes led to invitations to perform on a 15 days tour for concerts in four Latin American countries presented by The Ministry of Cultural Affairs on the auspicious occasion of Indian Arrival Day, commemorating the arrival of Girmitias from the Indian subcontinent to  Caribbean and the island nation of Mauritius presenting songs on migration.
. 


I am a an independent multi -media journalist based in Lucknow , India. 
I have worked for the BBC for 21 years . It has been an excellent period of public service journalism.

Followers of Ram Dutt Tripathi