Chandana started off as a Nazrul singer. Her father Nirmol Chandra Majumdar, a well-known Lalon singer, wanted her to be a Nazrul or classical singer. "He devoted his life to Lalon songs and wanted me to hone my skills in a different genre," says Chandana. She received five years of training in classical and Nazrul songs at Nazrul Parishad. Yakub Ali Khan was her instructor for a couple of years. She eventually shifted to Lalon songs.

Chandana remembers how she was inspired by the lyrics and tunes of Lalon. "At our home we used to have regular gatherings of bauls who would sing all night long. Renowned Lalon singer Moksed Ali Shai visited our home frequently as he was a close friend of my father. As a child I used to attend these soirees as a curious listener. These ashors and bauls awakened a certain thirst in me for Lalon songs. At that age I could not fully understand the meaning of the songs, the exquisite rhythm and melody, but the songs moved me greatly anyway. Whenever I listened to the tunes, I used to feel that I was not within me any more," Chandana says. Farida Parveen's rendition of Lalon's songs also inspired her greatly.

The first song she mastered, under the guidance of Moksed Ali Shai, was Ami porechhi okul patharey. Moksed Ali then called her up to perform in different programmes. She was enlisted as a Lalon singer in TV in 1979 and in radio in 1980. Moksed Ali's death in the mid-eighties saddened her greatly. At that time she had the chance to attend a 5-year diploma course conducted by Khoda Bakhsh Shai. The course was arranged by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

In 1979, she got married to Kiran Chandra Roy, a reputed singer of folk songs.

Chandana believes that our musical heritage is deeply rooted in folk songs. She welcomes the current generation's growing interest for these songs. Her suggestion to aspiring folk singers is to delve deep into these songs before working on them.

Since Lalon songs had no original notations and were handed down from one generation of bauls to another, Chandana has plans to establish a platform for the practitioners of Lalon songs. "Artistes practicing Lalon songs outside akhras are doing it individually -- we lack coordination. Many of us have thought of it but none has come up with a solution so far," she observes.

"We have a few Shais left who can provide proper training to aspiring Lalon singers. Currently very few can receive training at their homes, which may not be enough to carry on the legacy of the genre," says Chandana. She believes that initiatives concerning this should be taken immediately.

Chandana currently teaches at the department of folk songs at Chhayanat Sangeet Bidyayatan. Besides Lalon songs she also performs songs of Radharaman Dutt, Bijoy Sarkar, Shah Abdul Karim and Rajab Ali Dewan. So far over 20 albums featuring different types of folk songs rendered by her have been released. Apart from Kiran Chandra Roy, she is the only singer who has released an album of Bijoy Sarkar's songs.