Record Mogul - Does This Man Look Like One

Antanu Biswas

Today I met with another agency scientist who is doing a one-month detail in Office of the USDA Chief Scientist as a part of his leadership training program. He came to my office to talk details about information he needed for a report he is preparing. After we finished our business, our discussion moved to random personal topics, one of which led to finding out he is a recording mogul - of a sort. As it turns out, he is head of Biswas Records - Home of Digital Bengali Music and Indian Classical Music - a musical equivalent of Bollywood. Who would have know, by day, a research chemist in the Illinois heartland working for salary and benefits, by night, the producer of fine classical music from India ...the second largest producer of Bengali CDs in the world. His achievements make my birding a very tame past-time.

The Biswas label

I remember Nonsuch Records, and how I would once-in-a-while order what seemed to be some off-the-wall music album from China, India, pan flute music, something from eastern Europe. As I wrote this posting, I was surprised to find that not only does Nonsuch Records still exist, there are many notable artists who are signed to that label. That too seems like a longs ways from the eclectic selections I used to order from Publishers Central Bureau mail order discounts. Samples of the listings on Biswas Records are generously available for listening.