Ajoy Chakrabarty

Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty is one of the most important vocal musicians of his generation and a popular concert vocalist of India today. He showed such great potential as a child that his father Shri Ajit Chakrabarty initiated him early and afterwards oversaw his training under great teachers like Shri Kanaidas Bairagi, Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh and Ustad Munawar Ali Khan. Awarded gold medals in the BA (Honours) and MA examinations of Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, there is hardly any form of Indian vocal music where his impeccable presentation has not been a mesmerising success. Since June 1983 he has been a guru of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, which he had joined in 1977 as the first research scholar. In 1993, his deep interest in propagating music among children, prompted him to begin ’Shrutinandan’, a non-profit society that offers a holistic approach to the teaching of music to young people.

Abir Hossain

Abir Hossain was born into a musical family of Burdwan, West Bengal. His father, Gulam Emam was his first mentor. Later, he came under the tutelage of the sarode maestro Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta from whom he continues to receive talim. Subsequently, he joined ITC Sangeet Research Academy as a scholar under the aegis of his Guru. In 1997, he received the National Scholarship from the Department of Culture, Govt. of India. He has also been a gold medalist at the Sangeet Prabhakar examination. He has successfully participated in many music concerts in India, including Kalavati Foundation, Bangalore, Bihar Sangeet Natak Akademi, Patna and ITC Sangeet Sammelan, Raipur in 2005 and Ballygunge Maitreyee Music Circle in 2006.

Arshad Ali Khan

Arshad Ali, the grandson of the legendary sarangi maestro, Late Padmashree Ustad Shakoor Khan of the Kirana gharana is a child prodigy who lived up to his initial promise. He was absorbed into the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata, as a scholar at the age of six, where he has been receiving extensive taleem from his maternal uncles, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan and Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan in the guru-shishya parampara style. As a child, he became one of the most celebrated “Little Ustads” of our country and today, Arshad is hailed as a performer par excellence. Winner of the Jadu Bhatta Puraskar in 2002, Arshad has performed in many prestigious festivals in India and abroad. Memorable performances of his include Bhatkhande Sangeet Sammelan, Lucknow (2000), Harvallabh Sangeet Sammelan, Jalandhar (2004), Sangeet Natak Akademy’s ‘Sangit Pratibha’, Patna (2005), Gharana Sammelan, Mumbai (2006) and Sawai Gandharva, Pune (2008) and numerous ITC Sangeet Sammelans among others. His international tours, taking him to countries like Holland and the Middle East, have been well received by audiences and critics alike.

A solo album of his, Murchhana was released in Bangladesh in 2002, while Sparkling Kirana is his most recent release from Saregama India Ltd. Arshad has recently become a Musician Scholar at the Academy.

Buddhadev Dasgupta

Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta is the senior most exponent of one of the most authentic sarode gharanas today. One of the better-known cultural ambassadors of our country, he was born in 1933 at Bhagalpur and started his training from the age of ten from the sarode maestro Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra. His training continued for a period of 38 years until the demise of his teacher – the longest and most intensive training imparted by the great maestro to a disciple.

Since Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra took his talim from Md. Ameer Khan, whose gharana’s forte was the rabab-style of playing and also from Md. Dabir Khan of the Rampur- Senia gharana, his style is based largely on that of his teacher’s - emerging from a synthesis of the two gharanas. However, it is his unique musical personality that has shaped a distinctive style, completely his own. A deep understanding of the raga, a rare accuracy of the swaras, a superb balance between gayaki and tantrakari, together with powerful bol patterns and fluent ekhara taans, of which he has been a pioneer, mark his music.

He started broadcasting at the age of 16 and has featured in over 20 National concerts and Radio Sangeet Sammelans. A veteran performer at all the major festivals for over five decades, he also has a number of commercial recordings to his credit.

He has done considerable research work on sarode and music in general, and is known for his lucid articles and lectures. He has held audiences spellbound with his bandishes based on Rabindranath Tagore’s songs, a unique concept pioneered by him.

He has been honoured with many awards including the Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1993), Shiromani Award (1989), ITC Award (2002), Ustad Chand Khan Memorial Award (2006), Bhuwalka Award (2006), Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Award (2007) and Pracheen Kala Kendra Award (2007).

Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta is an accomplished teacher. His education, articulation and communicative abilities have combined with intelligent teaching techniques to ensure that his students become able performers.

At present, he is a Guru of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata, and is also as a member of its Experts Committee He is also the Chairman of the West Bengal State Sangeet Academy.

Girija Devi

Shrimati Girija Devi, the prima donna of the Benaras tradition, has an amazing proficiency in all the vocal forms of northern India, namely khayal, thumri, dadra, tappa, kajri, hori, chaiti and bhajan. Born in Benaras, Pandit Sarju Prasad Mishra christened her into classical music almost instantly as a child, the mantle to be taken up later by Pandit Shri Chandra Mishra. Apart from performing at the most reputed of music conferences and festivals all over the world, Shrimati Girija Devi has also appeared in immensely successful jugalbandis with Shrimati Shobha Gurtu and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, a rare phenomenon in the Indian musical tradition. Padmabhushan and Sangeet Natak Akademi award winner, her care for students is reflected in her successful career as a Guru for over a decade at the ITC-SRA, followed by that of a visiting Professor at the Benaras Hindu University. In 2003, she again joined the faculty of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy and presently imparts training in thumri and other semi-classical forms to some of the ITC SRA scholars.

Ganesh Kumaresh

Ganesh Kumaresh, the world-renowned Violin duo are known for their scintillating and spirited Violin recitals since the last three decades. Their music is laden with pure virtuosity and brims with novel surges of soul stirring creativity soaked in Classicism. Known for traditional, classical and contemporary work, their creative idiom is international and their communication through music crosses all physical boundaries. Their performances both at home and abroad have captivated and enthralled audiences across the world. Trained by their father, Shri Rajagopalan, Ganesh and Kumaresh completed their hundredth stage appearance before the younger brother was ten years of age. By the time they reached their teens they were performing with the veterans in the musical field. Ganesh and Kumaresh are today a much honoured, widely traveled musical team who have made inspirational and exhilarating forays into world music teaming with a long list of luminaries including the likes of Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Pallakad Raghu, T.K. Murthy, Vikku Vinayakran, Harishankar, Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram, Balamuralikrishna, Rajan & Sajan Mishra, Zakir Hussain, Gundecha Brothers, Debashish Bhattacharya, John Mclaughin, Steve Thornton, George Brooks, Nadaka, Randy Bernsen, AR Rahman, Illayarja and Trilok Gurtu.

Their deep-rooted strength in playing Carnatic music the traditional way has made them a favourite with the purists as well as the uninitiated. Over three decades, the brothers have carved a niche for themselves with their impeccable and remarkable technique– powerful, precise, with platinum tonality and incredible virtuosity.

Kushal Das

Shri Kushal Das is one of the foremost sitar players of the country today and a worthy torchbearer of Hindustani Rāga Sangeet in its true spirit and glory. Born in Kolkata, he belongs to a family of instrumentalists of distinction. His grandfather, Shri Bimal Chandra Das was a renowned esraj player while his father Sri Sailen Das and uncle Sri Shantanu Das were sitariyas of repute. He has had the privilege of studying under some great exponents and teachers of music including sitar exponents Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay and Pandit Ajoy Sinha Roy and vocalists Pandit Manas Chakraborty and Shri Ramkrishna Basu. Deeply influenced by his idol, the great sitar maestro Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Kushal Das’s concerts are marked for their aesthetic appeal and a fine command over technique.

An "A" grade musician of All India Radio and Television, he is a recipient of Sangeet Visharad from Pracheen Kala Kendra of Chandigarh and SurMani from Sur Singar Samsad of Mumbai. Kushal has participated in most of the major music festivals in India, including the Tansen Music Conference, Dover Lane Music Conference, ITC Sangeet Sammelans & Mini Sangeet Sammelans, State Music Academy Annual Conferences, Saltlake Music Conference and numerous All India Radio concerts. His tours abroad have covered Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Italy, while his recent tour to Holland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Bangladesh was marked with considerable success and appreciation.

Mashkoor Ali Khan

Mashkoor Ali Khan is the son of Padmashree Ustad Shakoor Khan, the great Sarangi-nawaz. He has inherited a veritable treasure of compositions and a rare knowledge of Ragas from his ancestors, who were the founders of the Kirana Gharana. His grandfather was the legendary vocalist Ustad Abdul Karim Khan Sahab.

Mashkoor was trained by his father from childhood. Mashkoor further developed his undiluted style of Kirana gayaki by joining ITC-SRA as a scholar in 1981. He is presently a Guru at the Academy, nurturing new musicians. An ‘A’ grade artist of All India Radio (AIR), Mashkoor has performed in prestigious programmes for Radio and Doordarshan, including the National Programme of Music. He has also participated and presented in all major festivals and conferences, both in India and abroad. The Salt Lake Cultural Association honoured him with the 'Bandish Nawaz Award in 1998.

Rashid Khan

There have indeed been only a very few classical vocalists, who form the very burgeoning phase have created such a mesmerizing impact on listeners and astounding influence on the gayaki of budding singers as successfully as Rashid Khan. Hailed by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi as one of the most notable torchbearers of the Hindusthani classical tradition in the twenty-first century, Rashid is a gandabandh shagird of his illustrious granduncle Ustad Nisar Hussain Khan of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. Debuting in performance at the age of eleven, he has looked higher and higher ever since. Adjudged ‘A’ graded by A.I.R in his very first audition, the phenomenon of stupendous success and an endless list of concerts in the greatest of festivals in the country and abroad has since continued. And equally fascinating is the quantity of published cassettes and CDs available of his, the figure runs apace. The remarkable ability to enthrall listeners, a God’s gift Rashid possesses, has been diligently developed by this young singer to incorporate nuances of different styles. And yet Rashid Khan’s singing bears a distinctive stamp of his very own, grand and majestic.

Shaswati Mandal Paul

A fine exponent of the Gwalior style, Shashwati’s musical dexterity marks a refined eclecticism that has lent her an individualistic style at a fairly young age. Born into a family devoted to music, Shashwati showed rare sensitivity towards it from early childhood. Grand-daughter of late Pandit Balabhau Umdekar, the erudite exponent of the Gwalior style of classical Hindustani music and a court musician of the Gwalior state. Shashwati, initially trained under her mother late Smt Kamal Mandal. Later, from 1987-1992 she received the national scholarship from the dept. of culture, Govt of India, for learning “Tappa” and “Khayal” from the veteran musician Pandit Balasaheb Poonchwale. A foremost disciple of Balasaheb, Shashwati has acquired under his tutelage, an able hold on the subtle complexity of “Tappa”. She also continued to be inspired by her mother whose steady guidance has groomed her into an accomplished performer. Presently she is taking guidance from the “Gundecha Brothers”.

Shashwati is an ‘A’ graded artist of AIR and Doordarshan. Her performances at several platforms and festivals have received high acclaim. Some of her notable performances include those at the Sawai Gandharv festival Pune, Tansen Sangeet Samaroh Gwalior, Habba Festival Bangalore, Samrat Sangeet Sammelan Goa, etc. Shashwati, who has two audio cds released to her credit, has been awarded the title “Surmani” by Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai.

Shashank Maktedar

Shashank Maktedar is one of the most promising vocalists of the present generation. His father, Late Shri Shamrao Maktedar encouraged him to learn classical vocal and he started to learn from Pt. Nath Neralkar of Aurangabad from 1982. Shashank stood first in the National Talent search competition, organized by ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in 1991, and this was the turning point of his musical career. He joined ITC SRA as a residential scholar in 1992, training under Guru Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar of Gwalior and Jaipur Gharana and lived and learnt under the same roof as his guru in accordance with the strict and traditional Guru shishya parampara, till April 2000.

He was awarded the first prize in the All India Radio Music Competition in 1988 and is now a regular performer of AIR in ‘A’ Grade. He was also awarded the ‘Jadubhatta Puraskar’ by Salt Lake Cultural Association, Kolkata in 1996, the ‘Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskar’ by Sangeet Kala Kendra, Mumbai for upcoming vocalists in 2000 and the ‘Yuva Gayak Puraskar’ in memory of Pt Ramkrishnabua Vaze, from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Pune in 2000. He is also the recipient of a fellowship from Sanskriti Pratishthan, Delhi for the year 2008-2009. Shashank has numerous cassettes and CDs to his credit and has performed widely in India and abroad. Presently Shashank is based in Panaji, Goa, working as a Lecturer in Goa College of Music.

Saket Sahu

Born on July 23, 1986, Saket Sahu learnt the violin for 15 years from Pandit Radhakrishna Jha, from the age of 5. He has completed his MA in Music (Violin) from Indira Kala Music University, Khairagarh. A recipient of ‘Sur Ratna’ and gold medal from Bhatkhande Lalitkala, he also won the All India Radio music competition in 2006, ITC Sangeet Research Academy Promising Artistes award in Mumbai (2007), ‘Surmani’ from Sur Singer Samsad Mumbai (2007) and National Scholarship (2007-2008). He has performed in several parts of India. Since May 2009, he has joined the ITC Sangeet Research Academy as a disciple of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty under whom he is learning the gayaki ang.

Supratik Sengupta

Supratik Sengupta received his early training from his vocalist father and subsequently began formal training on the sitar. After receiving the National Talent Search Scholarship in 1994, he briefly trained under Sangeetacharya Ajoy Sinha Roy and later was a student of Pradeep Chakrabarty, a disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar. Supratik was selected for the National Scholarship by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India and has stood first in various music competitions, including that of the Ravi Kichlu Foundation. He has been with ITC-SRA from 2002 and is currently a scholar here under the sarod maestro, Buddhadev Das Gupta. Supratik has recently become a Musician Scholar at the Academy.

Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain is today appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his consistently brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but gained him worldwide fame. His playing is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity, founded in formidable knowledge and study. Widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement, Zakir's contribution to world music has been unique, with many historic collaborations, including Shakti , which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar, the Diga Rhythm Band , Making Music , Planet Drum with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science , Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland and recordings and performances with diverse artists.

A child prodigy, Zakir was touring by the age of twelve, the gifted son of his great father, the late tabla legend, Ustad Alla Rakha. Zakir came to the United States in 1970, embarking on an international career that includes no fewer than 150 concert dates a year. He has composed and recorded many albums and soundtracks, and has received widespread recognition and awards as a composer for his many ensembles and collaborations. He has composed soundtracks for several films as well.

The recipient of countless honors, Zakir has received the titles of Padma Bhushan, in 2002, and Padma Shri, in 1988, becoming the youngest percussionist to be awarded these honours. In 1990, he was awarded the Indo-American Award in recognition for his outstanding cultural contribution to relations between the United States and India and in 1991, he was presented with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the President of India. Zakir received the 1999 National Heritage Fellowship, the United States' most prestigious honor for a master in the traditional arts and in 2006, he was the recipient of the prestigious Kalidas Samman, from the government of Madhya Pradesh. In 2007, readers' polls from both Modern Drummer and Drum! magazines named him Best World Music and Best Worldbeat Drummer respectively. He has taught at Princeton University and at Stanford University.

Ananda Gopal Bandopadhyay

Early initiation into the world of music by his father, Shri Radha Gopal Bandopadhyay and years of rigorous riyaz under the watchful eyes of the much respected tabla and thumri exponent of the Banaras gharana, Pandit Mahadeo Prasad Mishra, have resulted in the making of this exceptional tabla maestro, Pandit Ananda Gopal Bandopadhyay. His knowledge of vocal music helps him to strike a balance between subtle artistry and power-packed taiyari in all his performances as a soloist or accompanist. He is now a top graded artiste of Akashvani and a valued member of its Audition Committee. Apart from his performances, he has been associated with many prestigious organizations like the Song & Drama Division, AIR Delhi; Faculty of Music & Fine Arts, University of Delhi and the Amir Khusro Society, Chicago. Ananda Gopal Bandopadhyay is a past faculty member of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy.

Ajay Joglekar

Ajay Joglekar had a natural flair for harmonium since the early age of ten. Dedication and practice resulted in an individual style and technique. He is presently being trained by renowned harmonium player Pandit Tulsidas Borkar. He has accompanied many well-known musicians like Pandit Jasraj, Smt. Kishori Amonkar and Ustad Zakir Hussain to name a few. Besides accompanying leading vocalists, tabla players and dancers, Ajay is also establishing himself as a composer and arranger. He has performed at several prestigious venues in India and also U.S.A, Australia, South America & several countries in the Middle East.

Biplab Bhattacharyya

Born in 1975, Biplab was introduced to the Tabla by his father Pt. Kanai Bhattacharyya at a very young age. He has been taking taleem from the legendary Tabla Maestro, Pandit Shankar Ghosh from 1993. For a short period he also trained under the Late Prof. Arabinda Ghosh at Bengal Music College (Calcutta).

A gold medallist and a Master’s degree holder in music, Biplab has received numerous awards - a Senior National Scholarship from the Dept. of Culture, Govt. of India, in 1995 , the prestigious Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Memorial Scholarship from Sourav Centre of Art and Culture, Kolkata for 1993-94, the Biman Ghosh Memorial Challenge Trophy from H.M.V. as the best new talent for 1995 and the ‘Sangeet Kala Ratna’ award from Matri Udbodhon Ashra, Patna (2001). He stood first in the all Bengal Tabla competition, 1990-91 and also stood first in the Dover Lane Music Talent search Calcutta in 1995.

A regular artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan, Biplab has participated in numerous musical concerts all over India and abroad, accompanying luminaries of yesterday and today. Biplab is also an outstanding solo tabla performer. Biplab is a regular artist for the music group ‘Layavinyas’, founded by Vidwan N. Shankar. He has conducted a very popular rhythmic composition (prabah) at Viswavarati, which was completely based on Kathak dance and Indian Classical Music.

Gopal Mishra

Hailing from a family of tabla practitioners of Benaras, Gopal Mishra has proved himself not only as a soloist but also as an accompanist and is a well-known name in his generation. His father Damodar Mishra, son of Bundi Maharaj, trained him. His repertoire in the Benaras style got further enriched after he became the son-in-law of the great maestro Kishen Maharaj. A regular artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan, he has performed at major festivals all over the world and is currently a staff musician at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy.

Jyoti Goho

Inspired by his mother’s melodious voice, Jyoti Goho developed a keen interest in music, which was carefully nurtured by his parents. He was trained in harmonium playing by Shri Deb Kumar Banerjee. He also has profound knowledge of vocal music in which his mentors were Sanat Banerjee, Biren Bose and Pandit A. Kanan. He is thus able to heighten the mood and spirit of any performance. Known for his sensitive playing and appropriate embellishments, his supportive role has been acknowledged by maestros like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Shri Jyoti Goho has performed with all the great vocalists of Hindustani classical music, appearing at the major music conferences in India and abroad. He is currently a faculty member of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy

Patri Satish Kumar

Satish Kumar is one of the most sought after Mridangam artists. His gurus are some of the great Mridangam players from Andhra, Sri Ramachandramurthy, V.A.Swami and V.Narasimhan. Satish was initiated into the world of percussion right from childhood by his mother Padmavathy, a renowned violinist. He played his first concert at the age of 7. He plays Classical, Fusion and Jazz. A very innovative artiste, he has played with leading musicians such as Flautist, Shashank and Violinists, Ganesh & Kumaresh. He has played in many international festivals such as the Festival of France, Miami Beachfront Festival and the India Gate Festival. Apart from having played many recordings with different melodic instruments from India and the West, Satish has also conceived a special Laya Vinyasam (a cascade of rhythms) titled ‘Dancing Drums’. An integral part of the Percussion department of A.I.R, Satish Kumar has regaled audiences in USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Emirates, Italy, Japan and Mauritius.

Ramesh Mishra

Born in 1952, Ramesh Mishra is one of the outstanding exponents of sarangi from the Benaras gharana and represents the twenty-third generation of sarangi players in his family. Initiated by the great sarangi maestro late Pandit Gopal Mishra and later groomed by his father late Pandit Ramnath Mishra, For several years now, Ramesh Mishra has been under the tutelage of legendary Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. The association has brought both the maestro and the disciple together in performances, recordings and projects all over the world. An artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan, he has accompanied almost all the leading musicians of India and performed in numerous conferences and festivals all over the world both as a soloist and as an accompanist. He has been honoured by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his sincere service to music.

Rupashree Bhattacharya

Born into a family of musicians, Rupashree Bhattacharya was tutored in vocal music by her father, Durga Charan Bhattacharya and later by Shipra Bose. In 1996, she became a scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy under the tutelage of Ajoy Chakrabarty. Noticing her innate talent in playing the harmonium, her mentor gradually guided her through the intricacies and exacting standards of accompaniment. Rupashree, a proficient vocalist herself, quickly imbibed his teaching and has matured into a sensitive and unobtrusive accompanist. Presently, she is a faculty member of ITC Sangeet Research Academy.

Sandip Ghosh

Born in 1982 Sandip Ghosh is a talented young tabla player who was initiated by his parents into music at the age of six. His initial tabla lessons were under the tutelage of Pandit Gobindo Bose which continued for nine years. His subsequent training took place under tabla wizard, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, who continues to be his guru. Specialising in the Farukhabad gharana, Sandip is adept at solo recitals and is also a reliable accompanist for Hindustani classical instrumental, vocal and dance.

Sandip is a 1st class Honours graduate and a 1st class 1st Masters in Music from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. He is a graded artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan. He is a “National Scholar” and has been twice awarded the gold medal at the “South Asian Music Festival”. He has performed all over the world and has accompanied several great artists. He has also had the opportunity to perform duets with his guru.

Samar Saha

For years now, Samar Saha has been widely known for his dexterous tabla and rare musicianship. With his matured sense of accompaniment he contributes immensely to any raga sangeet performance and is a boon to every vocalist or instrumentalist. Born in Kolkata, he was initially trained by his father, Sudhangshu Bhusan Saha and his elder brother, Tarak Saha. Later, he received extensive talim from Satchidananda Goswami and from Krishna Kumar Ganguly (Natu Babu) of the Benaras gharana. A much sought-after artiste today, he has played with some of the greatest stalwarts of Hindustani music and has participated in all the prestigious music festivals in India and overseas. He has been a full time faculty member of ITC Sangeet Research Academy almost since its inception

Sarwar Hussain

Sarwar Hussain is one of the most accomplished and promising musicians of the younger generation of Sarangi exponents in India. He was born on 5th October 1981, at Gohad district near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh his musical heritage comes from a long line of distinguished Sarangi exponents from Gohad.

His ancestry can be traced back six generations to Ustad Fazal Khan, father of Ustad Ghansi Khan, famous for his mastery of the intricate Tappa Style. Ustad Ghansi Khan taught his sons who included Ustad Chhuttu Khan, Ustad Garru Khan and Ustad Uday Khan, who were the father and paternal uncles and gurus of Padmashree Ustad Abdul Latif Khan, Sarwar’s eminent grandfather and guru.

Sarwar’s father, Anwar Hussain is also a well-known musician. Sarwar began learning Sarangi from his grandfather when he was nine. The superb ‘taleem’ that he received for eleven years is clearly reflected in his playing style. His playing embodies the intricate delicacy of his grandfather’s style as well as the techniques which his grandfather learned from one of the most famous Sarangi exponents of the first half of the last century, Ustad Bade Ghulam Sabir Khan Ambala Wale.

An A grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan, Sarwar has received many awards for his outstanding performance.

Subhankar Banerjee

When he was barely five, Shubhankar Banerjee was placed under the tutelage of Shri Swapan Shib, a Tabla artiste of the Farukhabad Tabla gharana. Over the years Shubhankar has dedicated himself to learning music of the other gharanas as well from different maestros.

He received coveted awards and gold medals from celebrities like Satyajit Roy, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and from the President of India. In addition to being a reputed soloist Shubhankar is one of the few choicest accompanists of the most prominent celebrities like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pandit Jasraj. He has been a frequent star performer at famous music venues all over India and in the UK, USA, Australia, Africa, Japan, and the Middle East. He has presented his Tabla programmes all over Europe, as well as in South America and South Africa.

Yogesh Samsi

Born in 1968 into a rich musical tradition, Shri Yogesh Samsi inherited music from his father Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, a renowned vocalist and also from his mother Smt Shashikala Kaikini, a musician of repute. He learnt tabla initially from Pandit H.Taranath Rao and thereafter was under the tutelage of the renowned maestro Ustad Allah Rakha of the Punjab gharana. An ‘A’ graded artist of A.I.R & Doordarshan, he has given many solo performances and accompanied many musicians of repute such as Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, Pandit K.G.Ginde, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Ram Narain, Ustad Sultan Khan, Smt Shobha Gurtu, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Ustad Rashid Khan and Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. He has had the privilege of accompanying his guru Ustad Allah Rakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain in their solo performances. He has performed in prestigious music festivals all over India and in Europe, USA, Canada, Japan & South Africa. In 1992 he accompanied the renowned sarangi player Pandit Ram Narayan in the World Music Festival in Berlin, Germany. In 1997, he participated in the World Music Conference in the Theatre de La Ville in Paris, France.