Alam Khan, son of the legendary Sarod Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, has been touching the hearts of audiences worldwide for many years. Since his initial training into the Maihar Seni Gharana at the age of seven, Alam was blessed to learn and live in the traditional style of Guru and student.  Ali Akbar Khan’s careful crafting and guidance shows in each note as well as in Alam’s imaginative way of expressing the ancient ragas passed down from the courts of Emperor Akbar by Mian Tansen in the 16th century.

Kaushiki Chakraborty could reproduce Hindustani classical vocal patterns at the age of two. Maestros visiting the ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA), where Kaushiki grew up, soon discovered a new game: they would hurl the most complex of patterns at her, using only the ‘aa’ vowel instead of pronouncing the notes, and wait for her to identify the notes and reproduce the patterns. At 12, she was a scholar at the ITC SRA, at 14, she was on a 50-concert tour in the US with her father and guru Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, at 16, she took the world of music by storm with her first solo concert in Delhi and by her early twenties she was being hailed as the brightest young female vocalist of her generation. Over the last decade, she has successfully obliterated the gender qualifier.

Ojas Adhiya was born in Chikhli, Maharashtra State, and is hailed as a musical child prodigy. His father, Dr. Yogesh Adhiya, spotted his child’s keen interest in percussion at the tender age of 2, watching him at Siddha Yoga Guru Swami Muktananda and Gurumayi Chidvilasananda’s chanting and meditation center.

Ajay Joglekar has a natural gift for Harmonium playing. He has been performing and arranging music for the last 20 years. Through his dedication and practice, he has created a style and technique that is uniquely his own. Ajay has undergone training from renowned Harmonium player Pandit Tulsidas Borkar for many years. He has also been in association for many years with internationally acclaimed Indian classical vocalist, Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty—accompanying him on the Harmonium in his major concerts both in India and abroad.

Pandit Kushal Das is a leading master of both the sitar and surbahar in India today, with a style that builds on Pandit Nikhil Banerjee’s Maihar repertoire. Kushal was born in Kolkata in the year 1959, and hails from a family of musicians—his grandfather, the late Bimal Chandra Das, was a famous Esraj player, and his father, Sri Sailen Das, and uncle, Sri Santanu Das, are highly recognized sitar players. Kushal received rigorous training in advanced sitar styles and the art of music under the tutelage Professor Sanjoy Banerjee and Pandit Ajoy Sinha Roy.

Pandit Anindo Chatterjee is one of the most accomplished tabla players of the modern age, known for his breathtaking speed and extraordinary clarity of stroke. His studies began at the age of five, under Ustad Afaq Hussain Khan of the Lucknow gharana. At that same age, he became All India Radio’s youngest performing artist, and soon after entered the gurukul to train under Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh. He studied with his guru for three decades, learning the intricate grammar of the Farukhabad gharana before branching out to others.

Purbayan Chatterjee is considered as one of the finest sitar players in Indian Classical music, and has attained a very special place for himself among the musicians and music lovers around the world. Purbayan belongs to the famous Senia Maihar Gharana, the school established by musical genius Baba Allauddin Khan, the guru of such artists as Ustad Ali Akbar Khan on the sarod, and sitar players Pandit Ravi Shankar and Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. Purbayan also studied directly with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Bickram Ghosh is one of the most well-known names in the world of Indo-fusion music. The son and disciple of the illustrious tabla maestro Pandit Shankar Ghosh and well-known vocalist Sanjukta Ghosh, Bickram also learnt the nuances of Carnatic percussion from the great maestro of the mridangam, Pandit S. Sekhar. Bickram has performed the world over with the greatest names in classical music, and learned the intricacies of accompaniment from Pandit Ravi Shankar, with whom he played for over a decade.

One of the best-known Sarod players of the present generation, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar has long achieved that order of excellence and popular acceptability which ensures one’s place in posterity. He had an early initiation into music by his grandfather, the late Bibhuti Ranjan Majumdar, and his considerable talent was later nurtured by his father, the late Ranjan Majumdar. Tejendra received vocal and rhythm training under Late Pandit Amaresh Chowdhury and Sri Anil Palit, which further ensured a holistic musical development in him. Tejendra was then accepted by the late Ustad Bahadur Khan as his disciple.

Yogesh Samsi is recognized as a leading tabla artiste in the world today, exhibiting consummate artistry both as a soloist and accompanist. The son of the renowned vocalist, the late Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, Yogesh was initiated on tabla by his father at the tender age of four, and later received guidance under Pandit H. Taranath Rao. However, it was under the gifted tutelage of the legendary Ustad Allah Rakha that Yogesh received intense training for 23 years, maturing into one of the most sought-after table artists in India today. His style is defined by an unmatched combination of power, sensitivity, knowledge of tradition, tonal clarity, and aesthetics.

Indrayuddh Majumdar has been learning Sarod from his father, the world-renowned Sarod Maestro, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, since he was five years old. He has also been receiving vocal guidance from his mother, Dr. Manasi Majumder, who is a renowned Indian Classical vocalist. Initially, he had also received taalim (lessons) from his grandfather, the late Ranjan Majumder, and he had the fortune of receiving taalim on Laya & Taal (Rhythm) from the world-renowned Tabla Maestro, the late Pandit Subhankar Banerjee.

Ayan Sengupta has been studying sitar since he was six years old. His style expertly blends the vocalistic turns of his gurus, who include singers such as Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty as well as esteemed sitarists Pandit Manilal Nag, Pandit Partha Chatterjee, and Pandit Kushal Das. Ayan also learned from his grandfather, another vocalist.

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya was born into a musical family in Kolkata, and his skill became apparent at a young age. His parents, both traditional Indian vocalists, gave him a basic understanding of music—his brother and sister are musicians as well. He first began strumming a guitar when he was 3 years old, when his father gave him a full-size Hawaiian lap steel guitar.

Tanmoy Bose is one of the foremost musicians in the contemporary world music scene, and an indispensable member of the table and rhythm community. Born to a family of connoisseurs, he began learning music at the age of seven—studying vocal music from Pandit Maharaj Banerjee, harmonium from Pandit Mantu Banerjee, and subsequently learning table. Tanmoy first took his talim from the late Kenai Dutta, and after his passing, Tanmoy became a Gandabandh Shagird of Pandit Shankar Ghosh.

Shakir Khan is one of the most promising young exponents of the legendary Etawah Gharana, energetically following in the musical footsteps of his prodigious father and guru—the sitar maestro, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan. Indeed, Shakir represents the eighth generational link in an unbroken chain of musical talent and tradition, poured exclusively into the sitar and surbahar; a chain that includes, besides Ustadji, the musical legacy of Ustad Aziz Khan (Shakir’s paternal grandfather), and that of the patriarchal surbaharist Ustad Wahid Khan (Shakir’s great grandfather). Great Ustad Vilayat Khan is his grand uncle.

Anubrata Chatterjee is regarded today as one of the finest tabla players of his generation. Son of the world-renowned tabla maestro, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Anubrata was nurtured from day one to be a tabla player. In 1992, he had the rare fortune of being the youngest and last “Ganda-Bandh” disciple of the great guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Later on, Anubrata continued to study under his father. At his very first public performance, he accompanied Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, and since then Anubrata has played many tabla solos and duets with his father.

Pandit Kumar Bose (born 4 April 1953) is an Indian tabla maestro and composer of Indian classical music. Bose belongs to the Benaras Gharana style of tabla playing. Having honed his skills under the tutelage of the legendary Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Pandit Bose rose to prominence with his flamboyant performances with Pandit Ravi Shankar. In a career spanning more than four decades, Pandit Kumar Bose has established himself as one of the leading exponents of the tabla and an internationally recognized face in the world of Indian Classical Music. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007.

Born into a family of legends, Rohen Bose‘s fate brought him under magnanimous pillars of music. His father, Pandit Debojyoti Bose – a sarod player himself, from the Senia Bangash Gharana – is also a brilliant composer, lyricist, and knowledgeable tabla player. Rohen started his training under his father at a very early stage in his life.

Sahana Banerjee is one of the most accomplished and outstanding female sitar players of India. Belonging to the Rampur Senia Gharana, Sahana was born in a family of rich musical heritage and was readily recognized as a child prodigy at the early age of 4. Her father, Professor Santosh Banerjee, was a celebrated sitar and surbahar player in India, and former Head of the Department of Instrumental Music of Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata.

Rajrupa Chowdhury was born in Kolkata, India. She took up the sarod at the tender age of five at the Ustad Ameer Khan School of Instrumental Music, under the guidance of Pranab Naha. She has taken talim from Pandit Ajay Sinha Roy and from Siddhartha Roy Chowdhury. In 2006, Ms. Chowdhury placed first class in her Masters in Instrumental Music from the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata.

Abhijit Banerjee was born in 1964, and by the age of 4 years old had already received his first instruction from Tushar Kanti Bose and, later, from Manik Pal. After that, he became a disciple of the late Pandit Ghyan Prakash Ghosh, who ranked at that time among the most outstanding tabla teachers of the last century. Besides his education on the tabla, Abhijit also took vocal lessons from Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty and received lessons on the violin from Guru Ma Annapurna Devi.

Pandit Nityanand Haldipur is among the Maihar gharana’s leading bansuri exponents. He was a longtime student of surbahar maestro Annapurna Devi, one of India’s most revered musicians. He continues his guru’s tradition of teaching students of other instruments, including flute, saxophone, violin, guitar and vocals, and holds “listening sessions” on the works of Maihar gharana greats, such as Ustad Allauddin Khan. His bansuri style fuses the ideas of Ustad Wazir Khan and Pandit Pannalal Ghosh.

Indranil Mallick combines talent, virtuosity and youthful dynamism in perfect proportion, making him a leading tabla player of his generation. Since the age of five, Indranil has received intensive training under eminent masters, including his uncle, Montu Mallick, as well as Professor Dhabol Bandyopadhyay, Shri Uttam Chakraborty, and, currently, living legend Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. This training has shaped Indranil’s rich repertoire and contributed to his reputation in the national and international arena.

Sandip Chatterjee, a disciple of Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya and vocal maestro Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, is a rich and accomplished Santoor player.

His collaboration, “Calcutta Express,” has been nominated as finalist in the Indo Acoustic Project’s “Best CD’s of 2006” award in the World Music category. Sandip’s abilities have been exhibited through his albums, which range up to 21 in number. His expertise has also been utilized by renowned music directors like A.R. Rahman, Jatin Lalit, Gulshan Kumar, Rabindra Jain, and Pt. V. Balsara.

Debjit Patitundi is a young tabla maestro. He took up the instrument at the age of four, learning first under his father, Amal Patitundi, and then from his father’s guru, Pandit Shankha Chaterjee. Their fruitful decade spent as guru-shishya (master-student) saw Debjit win various competitions—including All India Radio’s tabla competition in 2009—and appear frequently on national TV.

Pandit M. Venkatesh Kumar is an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist. Born in Lakshmipura, in the Dharwad region of northern Karnataka, he is renowned for his vibrant, classical singing style.

In 1968, when Venkatesh was 12, he was taken by his uncle to the Veereshwara Punyashrama in Gadag (central Karnataka), run by Puttaraja Gawai—the religious saint and Hindustani musician. Venkatesh lived and studied at the ashram for the next 11 years. Under Gawai, Venkatesh learned Hindustani vocal in the Gwalior and Kirana gharana styles.

Born in 1980, Keshav Joshi started learning tabla at the age of eight from Shri R.M. More. After ten years old, he was fortunate to have guidance from the late Pandit Karveer Mallapur, as well as from Pandit Ishwarlal Mishra of the Banaras Gharana.

An educator from Mangalore, harmonium player Narendra Nayak is a disciple of the late maestro Pt. Vasant Kanakapur, and Ustad Rafique Khan. At present, he is also taking guidance from Pt. Vyasmurthy Katti.

Arjun Verma was trained on sitar by the legendary Maestro Ali Akbar Khan and has spent his entire life steeped in the tradition of North Indian Classical Music. The son of internationally performing sitarist Roop Verma, who was a disciple of Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar, Arjun began learning sitar from his father at age five. After the Maestro’s passing, Arjun continues his training under the guidance of Ali Akbar Khan’s son, Alam Khan. Arjun has also received guidance from Smt. Annapurna Devi.

Nilan Chaudhuri is a Bay Area-based percussionist, educator, and performer. Initiated into the tradition of Indian Classical Music at the age of five by his father, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Nilan has been performing as a tabla soloist and accompanist for nearly two decades. Prior to beginning his formal training with his father in 2000, Nilan studied tabla with Brad Van Cleve, Tim Witter, and Uttam Chakraborty, all of whom are senior disciples of his father.

Narendra Nath Dhar is one of the finest exponents of the Seniya Gharana who is known for his innovative and refined style, as well as for upholding the traditional pattern of pure and untainted Ragdari. Born in Calcutta in 1954, Pandit Narendra received his initial training in sarod from his father, the late Shri Nemai Chand Dhar, who himself excelled in sarod playing. After the death of his father, Narendra came under the tutelage of Shri Samarendra Nath Sikdar, and later, under the late Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra.

Pandit Arup Chattopadhyay is recognized as one of the most outstanding and sought-after tabla artists of this generation. He has established himself as a top-notch accompanist as well as a formidable soloist. Arup’s performances are admired for their exceptional tonal quality, clarity and deep compositional repertoire—all presented with an innate sense of rhythm and melody. Arup began learning tabla at age six from his father, the eminent tabla player, Pandit Pankaj Chattopadhyay.

Maestro Ali Akbar Khan’s life story began the way many others do: living in a small town, unaware of what lay beyond the roads outside his window. However, coming from a village in rural Central India, with a father whose legend preceded him and whose infamous disposition as a taskmaster was an everyday reality—this begins to set Ali Akbar Khan’s story apart as something singularly remarkable. What he couldn’t have known back then, sitting on the floor of his room, his sarod before him, was that he would go on to become one of the greatest Hindustani classical musicians the world has ever known.

Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri is a phenomenon in the arena of Indian Classical Music. Musicians honor him as one of the most respected Tabla players, worthy of highest regard all over the world. Today a two time Grammy nominee, it was Swapan’s beloved parents, through their own passion for music, who initiated his formal musical training and inspired him in the field of Tabla, paving the path that would eventually lead him to virtuosity.

The pre-eminent classical tabla virtuoso of our time, Zakir Hussain is appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon and one of the world’s most esteemed and influential musicians. The foremost disciple of his father, the legendary Ustad Allarakha, Zakir was a child prodigy who began his professional career at the age of twelve, accompanying India’s greatest classical musicians and dancers and touring internationally with great success by the age of eighteen.