Shashanka (Bengali: শশাঙ্ক Shôshangko) is often attributed with creating the first separate political entity in a unified Bengal called Gauda and as such is a major figure in Bengali history. He reigned in 7th century AD, and some historians place his rule approximately between 590 AD and 625 AD. He is the contemporary of Harshavardana. His capital was called Karnasuvarna (কর্ণসুবর্ণ Kôrnoshubôrno or কানসোনা Kanshona) and is located in modern Murshidabad. The development of the Bengali calendar is also often attributed to Shashanka as the starting date falls squarely within his reign.

While Shashanka was known and referred to as the Lord of Gauda, his kingdom included more than just the region of Gauda. By the end of his reign, his domain stretched from Vanga to Bhuvanesha while in the east, his kingdom bordered Kamarupa. Prior to Shashanka, Bengal was divided into three regions, Banga, Samatata and Gauda and was ruled by a feeble ruler belonging to the later Gupta dynasty, Mahasengupta. Shashanka was one of his chieftains who rose to power taking the advantage of the weak ruler. After the death of Mahasengupta, Shashanka drove the later Guptas and other prominent nobles out of the ground to establish his own kingdom Gauda with the capital Karnasubarna.

Rajeev Taranath (Kannada: ರಾಜೀವ್ ತಾರಾನಾಥ್)(born 17 October 1932) is an Indian classical musician who plays the sarod. Taranath is a disciple of Ali Akbar Khan.

Rajeev Taranath was born in Bangalore on 17 October 1932. He received his initial training in vocal music from his father Pandit Taranath. He gave his first public vocal performance when he was nine years old. Rajeev was singing for the All India Radio before he was twenty.

Although Rajeev held a PhD in literature, he soon decided to give up his career as a Professor of English Literature and moved to Calcutta, where he began his musical training under the tutelage of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Rajeev continued to learn from his Guru till Khan Saheb's demise in 2009. He has also had guidance from Pt. Ravi Shankar, Smt. Annapurna Devi, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee and Ustad Aashish Khan. In 1999-2000 he received the Indian's government's highest award in the arts from the Sangeet Natak Akademi. He researched and published the Teaching Techniques of the Maihar-Allauddin Gharana, as a Ford Foundation scholar (1989 to 1992).