As a folk music artiste, Dipannita Acharya holds a unique position of performing music of various parts of India in various languages and style. Her initiation to folk music happened through her own cultural roots from Chittagong (Bangladesh). But her years of growing up witnessed her musical journey growing under the tutelage of an array of Bengali music icons including Jatileshwar Mukhopadhyay, Pandit Binay Bhattacharya and Sukumar Mitra. It was Sukumar Mitra who introduced her to other folk forms such as Heer. However, a strict challenge from her father about her decision to pursue music over academics, witnessed the beginning of Dipannita’s professional career as a performer. In order to readily earn the much-needed cash, Dipannita began performing mainly in the Rajasthani/Marwari weddings, first in Kolkata and then all over the rest of India. Through the highs and lows, she gained lessons and experience in generous measures. The biggest challenge perhaps was to master the language and diction, which she mostly learned from her peers in the course of her performances. Despite moving away considerably from that life, she still looks back on it with both fondness and a note of pride!
