Biography

Saurav Moni is a professional singer based out of the capital city of West Bengal, Kolkata. Hailing from Hingalgunj, a sleepy river village in the southernmost West Bengal, Saurav came to Kolkata for pursuing higher education- when he felt the tug of his roots. Saurav felt the need for disseminating, researching and vocal archiving on the rare folk genres, moribund village hymns (Pallygiti) and transcendental verses. In the sub-continental musical arena, Saurav is an acclaimed name in narrating bygone tales of Bengal’s riverain culture and the lives of its people. With an ethnomusicological bent of mind, he conserves and performs those traditional songs which are on the verge of extinction. Recently, Saurav has carved a niche in the hearts of national and international audience through his illustrious performance in the Coke Studio @ MTV, Jaipur Literature Festival, Sound Trek @ Fox Traveller, Celtic Connections Festival, Scotland, etc. He straddles the genres of Sari, Jari, Murshidi, Marfati, Dhuaa, Bhawaiya and Baul among others although Bhatiali is his primary genre of work. Saurav Moni’s expertise lies in telling the tales of the meandering river as it goes from upstream to downstream and along with the river the tales involving the endless journey of a man on a boat that serves as a typical metaphor of his life. His narrative, thus connected by rivers, takes a shape and intensity that never appears repetitive because of his ability to constantly innovate and change. Even as he takes his music to the cities of Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and beyond, performs in front of large, unacquainted audiences of Europe, tries to bridge the gap with a generation in the sub-continent that is only communicable through the MTV- network (he was one of the performers on the first show of MTV Coke Studio), his voice never wavers from a deeply melodious, soulful tonality.