HIS GURU
He was under the tutelage of Pt. Anand Gopal Bandhopadhyay of Benaras Gharana for eight years before meeting Pt. Sameer Chatterjee of Farukkhabad Gharana who proved to be his mentor. He was also guided by the late Pt. Shyamal Bose.
Pt. Sameer Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 25 years and many of his students are established performers in India and abroad. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN an organisation in New York, dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture around the world. Sameerji lives in New York where he has become a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Western music, performing with some of todays leading international artists and with prominent dance companies and percussion ensembles.
HIS GHARANA
You will find a subtle combination of both Benaras and Farukkhabad Gharanas in Shailendra's renderings but the final outcome always bears a deep mark of individuality.
His native place being close to Varanasi, his visits to Varanasi were quite frequent.Therefore he could be in touch with the late Pt. Mahadeo Mishra in his early years whose inpirational guidance motivated him a lot.
You can feel the temperament of Benaras Gharana in his renderings.The "uthan anga" the modulations in the bayan, the style of accompaniment with light classical style of music like chaiti, kajri, thumri etc, all smell of Benaras.
From Farukkhabad Gharana he learnt the melodious representation of 'Bols' and traditional compositions.
