Amar Chandra Singha is a multi talented artist who sings Bhawaiya and Panchali songs and plays the dotara as well. He hails from a family of traditional folk musicians in Siliguri in Darjeeling district. His father who composed folk songs, would travel around singing and performing, mainly Panchali. Amar grew up listening to his father strumming a khamak or dotara and singing quietly to himself, after the family had retired for the night. Though he often accompanied his father on his trips, the latter always discouraged him from entering the world of music. Well wishers in the neighbourhood too tried to prevail upon him. His passion for music would serve no purpose they felt.
But Amar refused to be put off. He learnt Lahankari from Gurudas Singha, who had popularised the genre. Fascinated with the Bhawaiya form from the age of ten, he went on to learn it from Binoy Kumar Singha and later Kameshwar Roy. He has also performed in Panchali folk theatre of the Rajbongshis. Music and singing come easily to Amar. Most of the Panchali songs are embedded in his consciousness - since he would hear his father sing different songs all through his childhood. Amar has also composed a few songs himself. As for the dotara, Amar learnt this himself, by observing his father. Amar`s enthusiasm and commitment and the recognition he eventually received finally won his father over.
The family`s impoverished circumstances did not allow Amar to complete his school education, and he was forced to seek employment as an agricultural labourer. But he continued singing whenever he got an opportunity. Recognition first came his way in 1988 when he was 14 years old - for his Chotka performance at a Bhawaiya competition organised by the district administration. In 1992, he participated in another competition organized by the Rajya Sangeet Academy where he came 3rd. In 1993, he received the first prize from yet another government sponsored competition. He has also received the Abbasuddin Smriti Medha Britti award from the Rabindra Bharati University in 2002.
Amar is often invited to perform at various university functions and also at prestigious venues. He has performed at various village level functions and has also been invited to perform at Kolkata and for Central Institute of Indian Languages at Mysore, where his music was greatly appreciated. However, he rues the fact that modern cheap compositions are becoming popular at the cost of traditional music. Amar is not a professional musician. He plays and sings out of his love for his music, while eking out a living as a stonemason.
Amar`s son Rahul carries on the family`s musical tradition and plays the tabla. Father and son are often invited to play a dotara-tabla duet. Amar also guides a few other children on the dotara. Oddly enough, it is the very people in his locality who scoffed at his passion, who now want to send their children to learn from him.
Changed attitudes notwithstanding, Amar is not interested in how many performances he gets. He is content with the appreciation by those who truly understand folk music and continues to remain true to his music.