# Kalpana Patowary

Kalpana Patowary is an Indian playback and folk singer from Assam. She has recorded songs and folk music in several Indian languages, with Bhojpuri music being the major genre.
Patowary embarked on her career at the age of 4 and received further training from Dipen Roy and Shikha Dutta for Sangeet Bisharad in Hindustani Classical Music at Bhatkhande Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Lucknow. She has sung in more than 32 languages, including Bhojpuri, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, and English, throughout her solo musical journey.

## Early life and background

   " Music barons in India were left gaping when Kalpana Patowary, a singer of Indian folk music, was signed on by British recording company Virgin EMI Records in April. They were all the more surprised to see the soaring international demand for her Bhojpuri music album with songs about migration. It seems Bhojpuri folk songs on migration are witnessing resurgence on an unexpected scale."
Patowary was born in a Yogi-Nath family of Nath sampradaya community in Barpeta district in Assam. A graduate in English literature, Patowary is an alumnus of Cotton College of Guwahati. Trained in Kamrupiya and Goalporiya folk music by her folksinger father Sri Bipin Nath Patowary, Kalpana started to publicly perform at the tender age of 4 with her father and is also trained as Sangeet Visharad in Indian classical music from Bhatkhande Music Institute University, Lucknow. She sings many forms of Bhojpuri folk music including Purvi, Pachra, Kajri, Sohar, Vivaah geet, Chaita, and Nautanki.
Patowary has worked little on the works of Bhikhari Thakur and has released an album commemorating his life and work.

## Career

Patowary holds the distinction of being the inaugural Bhojpuri singer to introduce the age-old Khadi Birha tradition to international platforms.
In 2013, Patowary featured in the documentary film Bidesia in Bambai, released on 8 December. The documentary provides a perspective on Mumbai through the eyes of migrant workers and their music.
She received an invitation to perform during a 15-day tour across four Latin American countries, arranged by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to commemorate Indian Arrival Day.
A noteworthy achievement is Patowary's pioneering accomplishment as the first woman to record and sing in the Chhaprahiya Purvi style, a genre previously dominated by male artists.
Patowary marked her acting debut in the Bhojpuri movie "Chalat Musafir Moh Liyo Re," portraying the character of Janki alongside co-star Dinesh Lal Yadav.
She participated in the reality show Junoon - Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka (2008) on NDTV Imagine.

## Political career

In July 2018, Patowary became a member of the BJP in a ceremony graced by the presence of its president, Amit Shah, and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi in Patna.
In October 2020, Patowary affiliated herself with the Asom Gana Parishad during an event conducted at the party's headquarters in Guwahati.
In the 2021 Assam Assembly election, Patowary contested as a candidate representing the Asom Gana Parishad from the Sarukheri constituency. Jakir Hussain Sikdar defeated her.

## Discography

* Denotes films that have not yet been released

### Hindi film songs

| Year | Song | Film | Composer | Co-singer |
| 2007 | "Ek Sapna (Remix)" | Stumped | Dhrubajyoti Phukan | |
| 2007 | "Tere Layee" | Fool & Final | Himesh Reshammiya | Kunal Ganjawala |
| 2007 | "Uncha Lamba Kad" | Welcome | Anand Raj Anand | Anand Raj Anand |
| 2009 | "Billu Bhayankar" | Billu | Ajay Jhingran, Raghuveer | |
| 2009 | "Hotty Naughty (Remix)" | De Dana Dan | Pritam | |
| 2010 | "Tikhi Tikhi Mirch (Folk Version)" | Mirch | Monty Sharma | |
| 2010 | "Isak Se Meetha Kuch Bhi" | Aakrosh | Pritam | Ajay Jhingran |
| 2010 | "Shakira" | No Problem | Pritam | Master Saleem, Hard Kaur |
| 2010 | "Babe Di Kripa" | No Problem | Pritam | Vikrant Singh |
| 2010 | "Aila Re Aila" | Khatta Meetha | Pritam | Daler Mehndi |
| 2013 | "Gandi Baat" | R... Rajkumar | Pritam | Mika Singh |
| 2016 | "Mona Ka Tona" | Dhara 302 | Sahil Multy Khan | |
| 2016 | "Dono Aankho Ka Shutter" | Khel Toh Ab Shuru Hoga | Ashfaque | |
| 2017 | "O Re Kaharo" | Begum Jaan | Anu Malik | Altamash Faridi |
| 2017 | "Pyar Ka Test" | Running Shaadi | Abhishek-Akshay | Bappi Lahiri |
| 2018 | "Jeans Pant Aur Choli" | Ishqeria | Papon | Papon |
| 2018 | "Yaadein" | Ishqeria | Papon | Papon |

### Tamil film songs

| Year | Song | Films | Composer | Co-singer |
| 1999 | "Thirupachi Aruvala" | Taj Mahal | A. R. Rahman | Palakkad Sreeram, Clinton Cerejo, Chandran |
| 2005 | "Kaathadi Pola" | Maayavi | Devi Sri Prasad | Pushpavanam Kuppusamy |
| 2006 | "Thotha Puram" | Varalaru | A. R. Rahman | Lenon James, Peer Mohammad, Ranjith, Sonu Kakkar |

### Marathi film songs

| Year | Song | Films | Composer | Co-singer |
| 2016 | "Kalana" | Taleem | Praful Karlekar, Nitin Madhukar Rokade | |

### Assamese film songs

| Year | Song | Films | Composer | Co-singer |
| 2000 | "Soku Lotokere" | Asene Kunuba Hiyat | Manuj Sarmah | Zubeen Garg |
| 2002 | "Neela Neela" | Kanyadaan | Zubeen Garg | Zubeen Garg |
| 2004 | "Priya O Priya" (Sunday Holiday Closing Day) | Antaheen Jatra | Dr. Hitesh Baruah | Zubeen Garg, Sagarika |
| 2013 | "I am Sexy" | Ranangan | Nipon Chutia | Solo |
| 2015 | "Nonsense Hridoye" | Ahetuk | Poran Borkatoky (JoJo) | Solo |
| 2016 | "Maatal Ei Rati" | Bahniman | Jatin Sharma | Zubeen Garg |

### Bengali film songs

| Year | Song | Films | Composer | Co-singer |
| 2007 | "Dhukupuku Buk" | Minister Fatakeshto | Jeet Gannguli | Solo |
| 2010 | "Jhum Jhum Ja" | Target | Jeet Gannguli | Jeet Gannguli |
| 2010 | "Ki Je Aagun" | Target | Jeet Gannguli | Solo |
| 2011 | "Koka Kola" | Faande Poriya Boga Kaande Re | Samidh Mukerjee | Samidh Mukerjee |
| 2012 | "Madhubala" | Macho Mastana | Samidh Mukerjee | Solo |
| 2015 | "Chain Kahan Prabhu Bina" | Har Har Byomkesh | Bickram Ghosh | Solo |
| 2016 | "Aata Geche" | Angaar | Akassh | Solo |
| 2016 | "3G" | Hero 420 | Savvy Gupta | Nakash Aziz |

### Kannada film songs

| Year | Songs | Films | Composer | Co-singer |
| 2003 | "Sweetu Rasagolla" | Lankesh Patrike | Babji-Sandeep | |
| 2007 | "Magalu Doddavaladalu" | Ee Preethi Yeke Bhoomi Melide | R. P. Patnaik | C. Ashwath, Prem |
| 2010 | "Jarthaari Seere" | Jothegara | Sujeeth Shetty | Udit Narayan |

## Filmography

| Year | Film | Role | Language | Co-star | Director | Ref |
| 2006 | Chalat Musafir Moh Liyo Re | Janki | Bhojpuri | Dinesh Lal Yadav | Manoj Ojha | credited as Kalpana |
| 2013 | Bidesia in Bambai | Self | Bhojpuri | | Surabhi Sharma | |