I feel immense joy remembering my inspiring and action-packed collaboration with Dr. Bernard Bel, a visionary computer scientist of global repute. He was the catalyst who helped me push the boundaries of tradition by dreaming up the inclusion of Computer Music in Indian university education — at a time when “digital” was still a whisper in the academic corridors of music!
We had almost finalized a historic international conference titled “Revisiting C-Sound” at Khairagarh University (IKSVV), with none other than Prof. Barry Vercoe of MIT Media Lab — the father of C-Sound — graciously agreeing to visit.
Picture this: A meeting of minds — Prof. Richard Karpen (Univerity of Washington), Prof. Hari Sahasrabuddhe (University of Pune, joined from Mumbai), Dr. Srikumar Subramanian (Singapore), Bernard and I with our four eyes on the computer screen at Khairagarh — conducted from a tiny top-floor room in the IKSV library, on a humble 486 computer at 2 kbps internet speed. Yes, you read that right. 2 kbps! 
(We even had a railway twist — Prof. Hari missed his train to Khairagarh! Indian Railways added their own improvisation to our symphony of technology and ambition.)
Those were the days of big dreams powered by small machines, deep friendships, and visionary ideas that danced ahead of their time. I will always treasure those vibrant exchanges and shared passions for music, technology, and knowledge.
Thank you, Bernard, for being such an essential part of that journey.
- Professor [Pt.] Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, Kolkata, July 31, 2025
Some more from Facebook
Special Note: (1) The text was copied from Professor Sanjoy’s Facebook post of July 31, 2025. (2) The photograph of Bernard Bel and Sanjoy Bandopadhyay was taken during Pandit Sanjoy’s Marseilles [France] visit in 2005. (3) The title and the year details were updated after Dr. Bernard Bel pointed out in his Facebook note that the year was 1998.