Arijit Singh surprises fans with live performance at Anoushka Shankar's Kolkata concert

Kolkata: Weeks after announcing his retirement from playback singing, Arijit Singh teamed up with sitarist Anoushka Shankar and tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh for a surprise live performance at a concert here to sing Pandit Ravi Shankar's composition "Maya bhora raati".

As he arrived at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Arijit said he felt nervous to be performing live. Shankar later wrote about their collaboration with a clip from the performance.

"So much more to say later, but for now, my heart!!!! Hearing the one and only @arijitsingh bringing my father's rarely heard Bengali song to life and then sharing our new music with Kolkata, was truly one for the books," she shared on Instagram.

Ghosh praised Arijit for his humility and respect for seniors in an Instagram post."Was special to be invited by dear Anoushka Shankar ( a throwback to the tons of concerts we played together through the 90s and early 2000s) to be a guest on her kolkata show tonight ! I played on Guruji Pt. Ravi Shankar's composition Fire Night. ( Will share an excerpt of my solo soon).

"Arijit Singh was another guest who enthralled with his rendition of Guruji's song 'Maya bhora raati' which I played on. The respect Arijit shows his seniors is exemplary. He has immense grace and humility. He always did. Every step of his is all heart! It was a fantastic show which showcased Anoushka's maturity both as a sitar player and a composer. She constructed a wonderful show laced by her disarming charm (sic)." It seems Arijit was returning the favour to Shankar, who was the surprise performer at his North London show in September last year. On January 27, Arijit had made the shock announcement about his retirement as a "playback vocalist".

"Hello. Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much love all these years as listeners. I'm happy to announce that I am not going to take any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it quits. It was a wonderful journey," Singh wrote at the time.

With his Kolkata concert, Arijit has given an indication about the kind of path he wants to pursue as a musician, one that's not tied to the demands of commercial music making in Mumbai.