Child Singing in Video Misidentified as Grandson of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi

The child seen in the video is Siliguri-based Arrya Banik and not Viraj Joshi, grandson of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

A video of a child performing is being shared on WhatsApp and Facebook claiming that he is Viraj Joshi, grandson of Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

However, we found that it's a false claim. The child seen in the viral video is Siliguri-based Arrya Banik.

Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi, an Indian vocalist from Karnataka in the Hindustani classical tradition is lauded for his devotional songs or bhajans. He passed away in 2011.

CLAIM

The video that is being widely circulated on WhatsApp shows a child performing at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata.

Several social media users shared the video on Facebook with a similar claim and the archived posts can be viewed here, here and here.

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WHAT WE FOUND OUT

On carefully looking at the logo in the viral video, we noticed that it mentioned 'Sangeet Piyasi Calcutta'.

We then found the longer version of the viral video on Sangeet Piyasi's YouTube handle that was uploaded in 2018 and the viral portion can be heard from 01:18 minutes.

The caption along with the video identified the child as Aryya Banik.

In an article published in 2018, The Hindu had mentioned that the then 12-and-a-half year old Banik who is based out of Siliguri, West Bengal, was learning from Kaushik Goswami, a teacher at Pandit Ajoy Chakravorty’s Shrutinandan in Kolkata and Pandit Niharanjan Bandhopadhyay.

Speaking to The Quint's WebQoof team, Ajukta Sarkar, mother of Aryya Banik said that the viral claim is incorrect.

"He has no such relation with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, as claimed on social media. His father's name is Rajkumar Banik and mother's name is Ajukta Sarkar."

Ajukta Sarkar, mother of Aryya Banik

THEN, WHAT ABOUT VIRAJ JOSHI?

We came across an Indian Express article published in 2019 that carried the photo of the then 16-year-old Viraj Joshi, grandson of Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

Viraj Joshi had then performed at the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav, in Maharashtra's Pune.

Further, an article by The Times of India, published in 2021, carried visuals of him performing in Pune on the occasion of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi's birth centenary celebration.

On comparing the images of Aryya Banik and Viraj Joshi, we found a stark difference between the two.

Evidently, social media users misidentified Siliguri-based Aryya Banik as Viraj Joshi, grandson of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

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