Phone: 9872008263
Rajendra Pandey grew up in Khanpur Pilai in the Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, where he was surrounded by folk music from a very young age. He was immensely fascinated by the rich and diverse folk culture of the Awadh region. He not only started learning and performing the songs, but he also extensively researched the folk forms, their history and the societal conditions that favoured their origin.
He never received formal music training but instead learnt from his many years of experience performing in different events. He studied at JNU and later went to Russia to get a master’s degree in International Relations. This allowed him to explore Western music; he has even recorded in Russian and other languages. Despite all that, his heart remains in Awadh, and he holds the folk songs of the region very close to his heart. He is very knowledgeable about the folk music of Uttar Pradesh and is working towards preserving them for posterity. He believes this is important because folk music preserves the people’s history and lived experience and serves as a bridge between one generation and the next.