Kalpana Patowary has earned an intense reputation by singing Bhojpuri songs and for being instrumental in uplifting this typical folk song of India into a global platform and she has introduced these songs of rural India to the music lovers of the whole world. Hence, she is rightfully called as “Bhojpuri Queen” by her numerous fans and followers all over the world.
Kalpana is actually an Assamese by birth. Being the daughter of famous Assamese folk singer Bipin Chandra Nath, she was naturally talanted. She was born and brought up in Assam and graduated in English Literature from Cotton College in Assam. Due to her hearty love for music, she became the disciple of the renowned classical singer Ustad Gulam Mustafa Khan. But her love of folk songs was mostly inspired by the example of Dr.
Bhupen Hazarika
, who was known as the “Bard of Assam”.
Later on, she completed the ‘Visharad’ course in the vocal stream of Indian Classical music, from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth in Lucknow, on 1996. But she was already singing regularly in All India Radio, Assam and in Doordarshan Kendra, Guwahati from 1992. Her real musical journey started from 2001, when she stepped in Mumbai and started singing songs in different other languages. Now she is credited with more than 7000 songs in 23 different languages, including Assamese, Hindi, Bhojpuri and even English.
Her first Bhojpuri music album ‘Gawanwa Leja Rajaji’ was released in 2003 and was instantly loved by the public and became the best-seller of that year. Thereafter, she has sung for more than 10 Bhojpuri albums and all these songs have become highly popular. She has also sung playback songs in more than 400 Bhojpuri films till date. She has received plenty of awards and recognitions for her great contributions in the music of various Indian languages.