Chowrangee is Hyderabad’s new arts and culture platform

Hyderabad’s cultural scene receives a boost with Chowrangee, a new-age platform for arts and culture. The group’s inaugural event, Raag-o-Rang, features Hindustani vocalist Sounak Chattopadhyay and theatre practitioner Arpita Chatterjee portraying Gauhar Jaan in a multilingual solo musical.

Love for two cities

Arpita Chatterjee  | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A group of music and theatre enthusiasts with a deep appreciation for Hyderabad and a strong connection with Kolkata have come together to create Chowrangee, according to the platform’s president, Santanu Paul, founder of TalentSprint, an EdTech firm based in the city. Recognising the contributions of Lamakaan, Manthan (a platform for speakers), and Banyan Tree (“though not headquartered here, they bring remarkable music concerts”) in promoting arts and culture, he says, “We increasingly see the country becoming more polarised on many issues, be it language, state, or religion. We felt, why not create a platform that adopts an ‘open doors and open windows’ approach?” The idea was also supported by CEOs of various companies in the city in 2024, who collaborated to establish a platform aimed at elevating Hyderabad’s cultural landscape.

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Historical landmark

Sounak Chattopadhyay | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The word ‘Chowrangee’ literally means ‘char rang/four colours or multi-coloured’ and is also a cross-section or intersection of two main roads where things collide. “Chowringhee is also a historical landmark in Calcutta during the British Raj and modern Bengal. With all these ideas, we hope this vibrant cultural hub connects our roots in Calcutta to Hyderabad,” shares Santanu.

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With ‘Bengal and Beyond’ as the premise, the goal is to bring multi-lingual performers from across India to showcase their art here. The inaugural session features Sounak, a Hindustani vocalist who blends classical music with Bollywood, ghazals, and Rabindranath Tagore. His repertoire for the evening includes a special tribute to legendary singer Mohammad Rafi on the occasion of his birth centenary. Arpita Chatterjee, the second performer for the evening, is a theatre practitioner who will portray Gauhar Jaan in the multi-lingual solo musical ‘My Name is Jaan’.

The platform aims to organise two to four performances a year.

Raag-o-Rang will be held on January 24 at Shilpa Kala Vedika in Hitech City.