Purbayan Chatterjee

One of the front-ranking performers of the younger generation Purbayan Chatterjee follows in the footsteps of the inimitable sitar maestro Nikhil Banerjee of the Senia Maihar gharana. Purbayan trained with his father Parthapratim Chatterjee, a disciple of Nikhil Banerjee and sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan, the doyen of the Senia Maihar gharana. Currently, Purbayan receives guidance from Ali Akbar Khan. Influenced by dhrupad and khayal, Purbayan combines stylistic features of both these forms in his playing.

He has over the years won acclaim for his performances by way of awards like the Presidents Award in 1993, Rotary Award in 1995 and Ravi Kichlu Award in 1995. He has performed widely in India and is a frequent performer on the international music festival circuit.

Purbayan has several commercial releases to his credit, but his album with Underscore Records brings to the listeners two seasonal ragas intrinsically connected with the monsoon.