Radhika Samson - Odissi Dance
Ramanan - Hansaveena
Aditya Phatak -Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a performance featuring Odissi Dance and an instrumental performance on the Hansaveena - a unique instrument based on the guitar. The performance will also be streamed live.

A 40% student discount will be offered at-the-door for the first 15 students with valid ID!

Radhika Samson

Sitar player and Odissi dancer , Radhika Samson is an accomplished performing artist based in New Delhi. She is an empanelled artist of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations . She has received a Nritya Bhushan from Pracheen Kala Kendra and is an alumna of the prestigious Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. She is the founder of Sadhana- School of Music , Dance and Arts, which promotes the arts and has brought together several young artists and promoted their cause. Radhika has dedicated numerous years to the field of art and worked consistently towards building a stronger foundation in music and dance, while popularising and propagating Indian Classical arts amongst the current generation.

Radhika has been an immensely talented dancer since childhood. Seeing her inherent passion for music and dance, her parents channelized her interests and initiated her into the classical art form, ‘Odissi’. Their encouragement and support further gave her the opportunity to develop a keen interest in the performing and creative field. Radhika received her initial training from Guru Dilip Mohapatra. During the course of her rigorous training with Guru Dilip Kumar Mohapatra, prestigious performances began coming her way. With her determination and sincerity she blossomed into a proficient and professional Odissi dancer. Radhika’s performances in prestigious platforms have been highly appreciated. She gained popularity and recognition amongst critics and connoisseurs, for her remarkable confidence and grace in blending abhinaya and nritta in its pure form. Currently Radhika is taking advanced training under the tutelage of Smt. Sujata Mohapatra, leading soloist and disciple of Late PadmaVibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She is training many young talents at her school- Sadhana. Radhika is known for her creative abilities and innovations in Odissi . Her prowess , for envisaging new concepts and choreographies has been widely acknowledged. Radhika has imbibed the purity, aesthetic spirit and sensibility of Odissi Dance through many years of her disciplined training. She promises to carry on the rich tradition of Odissi dance through her dedication and commitment.

Ramanan

Ramanan Venkatraman, also known as Ven Ram, is a Producer, Musician and Song Writer based in New Delhi, India. Ram is a person with immense love for sound and music. He has been active in the music circle since a very young age from the beginning of his musical career. His knowledge for music and sound grew over a period of time and this led to him developing his own style of guitar playing and composing.

While studying audio engineering in the Chennai, he got the opportunity to meet and work with eminent artists, music directors, film directors and audio engineers. Owing to his creative working style and strong technical base, Ram has earned a lot of popularity and appreciation from numerous musicians as well as established studios.

Ramanan was a senior disciple of the late Pandit Barun Kumar Pal (Guruji) and trained in the true Guru Shishya Parampara. On many occasions he has given various performances with the guidance and love from Guruji. The style of playing would mostly be termed as the Senia Maihar Gharana Style, however, Ramanan says that mostly it is Guruji's style, which includes everything from the Gharana without fail, but it also has a touch of his musical sense in such a way that it sounds like a completely different world and side of music altogether. Ramanan has expanded his horizons with this instrument and is developing a new dimension with his creative abilities.

In 2014, Ramanan, along with two of his close associates, Radhika Samson (Odissi Dancer & Sitar Player) & Pranav Ramji (Tabla Player), started a Performing arts school called, Sadhana – School of Music, Dance & Arts. The school has more than 150 students learning various art forms. Courses offered at Sadhana are very diverse. It’s teaching philosophy is based on experiential learning. Sadhana focuses on building performing skills and thus organizes events every month to give opportunities to the young budding talents to perform. All these innovation came from the Ram’s personal attachment towards music and stage performances.

Aditya Phatak

Aditya Phatak is a young student of Indian music, with special aptitude in Tabla. He started playing tabla at the age of two, even before he was tall enough to reach the drums. He was initially inspired by his grandfather Deepak Phatak and guided by his uncle Shivraj Phatak. Since February of 2008, when he was four years old, he came under the loving mentorship of Pt. Samir Chatterjee in the formal Guru-Shishya (master-disciple) relationship. Seven years into his talim (grooming), through utmost sincerity and diligence, Aditya qualified to make his entry into the field of performance. His music is certainly worth listening to. He is also studying Hindustani Classical vocal music with Smt. Rucha Jambhekar.

Debarna Manna - Tabla solo

Debasish Adhikary - harmonium

Rittika Chakraborty - vocal

Prasenjit Bhattacharjya - tabla

Debasish Adhikary - harmonium

Rajarshi Chatterjee - sitar

Arka Ghosh - tabla

Namami Karmakar - vocal 

Chiranjeet Mukherjee - tabla

Debasish Adhikary - harmonium

Partha Bose - sitar

Samir Chatterjee -tabla 

Chhandayan in Kolkata is presenting a unique rooftop concert featuring many prominent artists from the Kolkata area.

Namami Karmakar

Namami Karmakar is regarded as one of the finest vocalist among the younger generation of the Kirana Gharana. She had her initial training under Smt. Malini Mukherjee Bhowmick. Then she began learning under Late Pt. A. Kanan and Late Sangeet Bidushi Malabika Kanan and currently she is under the able guidance of their disciple, Pt. Sanjoy Banerjee.
Namami has a Masters in Classical Vocal Music from the prestigious Rabindra Bharati University. She stood first in All India BSNL Cultural Meet in 2007 and has successfully ranked in the prestigious Dover Lane Music Competition and West Bengal State Music Academy. She has also performed at major conferences in and also in TV channels to great acclaim. Her debut performances at prestigious The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City, Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, India Center of Westchester and in Virginia were extremely well received and received praises from the audiences and music aficionados. She has also successfully assisted her Guru in workshops in Chhandayan Center, New York and India Center of Westchester. 
At present Namami is a faculty at Chhandayan Center of Indian Music in New York and Kolkata Suromurchhana, Kolkata, imparting training to local as well as international students. She has a proven track record as a successful teacher as her students have earned applause from audiences and maestros of Classical Music. 

Chiranjeet Mukherjee

Chiranjit Mukherjee is a well known name in the field of Indian Classical Music. He was born in the year 1984 in a family full of music admirers. His grandfather was a connoisseur of traditional Hindusthani Classical Music. His passion was infused in Chiranjit from the very childhood and his initial training in Tabla was started under the guidance of his first Guru Shri Sailesh Kumar Chakraborty. His parents encouraged him to take pleasure in the learning progression of Tabla. Gradually his inclination towards music increased and he devoted himself into the world of cadence. The thirst for the knowledge and passion for the music followed by the sense of belongingness with the tradition made him search the roots and branches of Indian Classical Music.

Chiranjit is acknowledged for his illustrious and robust performance in the style of Benaras Gharana. He is a disciple of the living legend of the Benaras gharana, Pandit Kumar Bose, who has recognized Chiranjit as his disciple for the last 12 years. He has spread the magic of rhythm with his sharp finger strokes and musical execution of a percussion instrument. Blessed by his Gurus and admired by the listeners Chiranjit is now a name to reckon with. His sincerity reflected in his academic performances when he was bestowed with the honor, First class first in his graduation and post graduation from the esteemed Rabindra Bharati University. He is able to inscribe his impression in the heart of music lovers with his dynamic solo performances as well as sagacious accompaniment.

Debasish Adhikary

Debasish Adhikary is a semi classical vocalist & harmonium player. He had his vocal and harmonium talim under pandit Jayanta Chatterjee and pandit Sohan Lal Sharma.

Partha Bose

Partha Bose is acknowledged as a star in the world of classical Indian music. Initiated to the Sitar at age 6, Partha went through intensive training in the truest traditions of Guru Shishya Parampara under the tutelage of Pandit Monoj Shankar of the Maihar Gharana. In academic pursuits too he showed flashes of talent and graduated in Economics from Presidency College, University of Calcutta. The young virtuoso first broadcast over All India Radio at the age of 11 and began performing in music festivals and on television in his teens. Gradually the promising youngster blossomed into a mature musician – lauded by connoisseurs all over India as a leading instrumentalist of his generation, representing an imaginative synthesis of the musical heritage of Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee, colored by his own creativity.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction. Samir began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Md. Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents. Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Manilal Nag, Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Ud. Naseeruddin Sami, Smt. Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Ud. Shujat Khan, Ud. Saheed Parvez, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Nishat Khan, Ud. Rashid Khan, to name only a few. Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, Yoko Ono Lenon, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg,

Sankrith Ramani - Carnatic Vocal
Tanisha Srivatsa - Violin
Sanjay Natesan - Mrdangam

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Carnatic Vocal Music performed by up-and-coming artists. The concert will also be streamed live.

A 40% student discount will be offered at-the-door for the first 15 students with valid ID!

Sankrith Ramani

Sankrith Ramani obtained his first formal exposure to Carnatic music under Smt. Anu Ikriti, followed by 8 years of initial vocal training under Smt. Preetha Narayanaswamy. For the last 7 years, he has been learning in the Trichur Brothers Online School of Music under the guidance of senior faculty Smt. Girija Venkataramani. Furthermore, he has undergone extensive and advanced manodharma training from the Trichur Brothers, Shri Srikrishna Mohan and Shri Raamkumar Mohan, and completed his vocal arangetram. Sankrith is a rising sophomore at Columbia University, intending to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry with a minor in Music. Outside the classroom, he is the Musical Director of Columbia's South Asian fusion acapella group, Sur, and the Events Chair of CU Raaga, Columbia's South Asian classical music organization.

Tanisha Srivatsa

Tanisha Srivatsa is a junior at Barnard College, Columbia University studying Economics. She is originally from the Bay Area, California. Tanisha has been learning Carnatic vocal and violin for the last 14 years and is fortunate to have been under the guidance of Smt. Charumathi Raghuraman for the last 7 years. She is also the president of Raaga, Columbia’s Indian classical music club, and sings for Columbia Sur, the South Asian acapella group..

Sanjay Natesan

Sanjay Natesan is currently pursuing advanced training in Mridangam from Kalaimamani Thiruvarur Vaidyanathan. In addition to Mridangam, he is also trained in Carnatic Vocal, carnatic flute and other Indian percussion instruments such as Kanjira and Tabla. Sanjay is a senior at Columbia University pursuing a degree in Computer Science and Economics..

Shreya Bhanja Choudhury - Vocal
Neil Khare - Tabla
Rohan Misra - Sarangi
Srikar Ayyalasomayajula - Harmonium

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a performance by several up-and-coming artists. The performance will also be streamed live. It will begin with a tabla solo by Neil Khare accompanied by Rohan Misra on Sarangi. This will be followed by a vocal performance by Shreya Bhanja Choudhury.

Shreya Bhanja Choudhury

Shreya Choudhury has a passion for a variety of musical genres. She started taking training in Indian vocal music from her father Suranjan Bhanja Choudhury and was a former high honors recipient of Hindustani classical vocal music from the Shankar Mahadevan Academy. She has won many recognitions and accolades in various music competitions. In 2017 Shreya published her first recorded album of original Bengali Songs. She is also receiving training from Padma Bhushan Pandit Sajan Mishra-ji.

Shreya also trained rigorously in Western classical piano from Westminster Conservatory. She received her distinction for the Advanced Performer Certificate administered by Trinity College of London. She has received several recognitions for her piano and performed in prestigious places such as Carnegie Hall and in recitals hosted by the New Jersey Music Teachers Association.

Shreya completed her Master of Music degree in Western classical voice performance from Rider University and Bachelor of Music from Rutgers University.

Shreya has performed in numerous events and occasions across US and has started teaching as well.

Neil Khare

Neil Khare started learning tabla at the age of 4 from his father Anil Khare, continued his training from Shri Surakshya Deshpande, and currently learns from Dr. Amod Dandawate. He has accompanied artists such as Srimati Gauri Pathare for her USA 2023 tour, Srimati Aarti Anklikar during her workshop presentation, has played on a New York TV Channel, and has received many awards in the Instrumental solo category. He is a recent graduate from Rutgers University and is working full-time in finance in Philly.

Rohan Misra

Rohan Misra is a young promising musician, specialized in the unique Indian bowed instrument called the Sarangi. As the son and disciple of great Sarangi virtuoso Pandit Ramesh Misra, Rohan has inherited many of his father-Guru’s specialties, including tonal quality and aesthetic approach.

Rohan Started learning the Sarangi (translation: An instrument with a hundred colors) from his father at the age of six. His exposure to music since early childhood attracted him to learn other Indian instruments as well. He has been learning Tabla from the renowned maestro Samir Chatterjee. Rohan is also pursuing his education in western music, particularly focused on the Piano and Clarinet. Coming out of the family of nine generations of Sarangi players, Rohan aspires to be successful as the 10th generation in his lineage. He also wishes to further his musicality by blending certain aspects of western music into his emblem of Indian classical music and emerge with a unique musical expression.

Rohan has performed at the Carnegie Hall, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., California and North Carolina. He has performed with luminaries such as Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Samir Chatterjee, among others. He is on the faculty of Chhandayan Center for Indian Music in New York City.

Srikar Ayyalasomayajula

Srikar Ayyalasomayajula grew up in central New Jersey and currently lives in Brooklyn. He has learnt Harmonium from Guru Sri Hemant Kulkarni in New Jersey for over ten years. Srikar has performed harmonium solo pieces in a number of concerts and competitions in harmonium growing up, including winning first prize in national competitions conducted by Marathi Vishwa, Academy of Indian Music and Fine Arts, Bharat Sevashram, etc. Apart from solo performances, Srikar has also provided dynamic as energetic Harmonium saath to artists from around the world regularly for over a decade. Srikar was also the Music Chair of Michigan Sahana, the premier Indian Classical Music and Dance Organization at the University of Michigan and had been organizing and performing in their concerts throughout his time at the university. After graduating, Srikar had been continuing to be a part of both classical accompaniment and fusion collaborations across the country. Apart from music, Srikar currently works at Google as a Software Engineer in New York City.

Pramatha Tagore - Sarode

Rohen Bose - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Hindustani instrumental music performed on the Sarode by Pramatha Tagore accompanied on tabla by Rohen Bose. The performance will also be streamed live.

Pramatha Tagore

Pramantha Tagore’s research and scholarship explore the interplay between music, race, and cultural politics in the long nineteenth century. A prominent emphasis of his work has been on the historical practices of music-making in modern South Asia, in particular, colonial Bengal, and how these practices help shape cultural identities. He is presently a Neubauer Family Foundation Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Music, and holds simultaneous positions as Honorary Fellow and Associate Director of the Centre for Nineteenth Century Studies International (CNCSI) based at Durham University and the International Nineteenth Century Studies Association (INCSA). He is also a Ralph Nicholas South Asia Fellow at the University of Chicago’s International House, and a 2023-24 Elinor Ostrom Fellow at the Mercatus Centre at George Mason University. His previous appointment at the University of Chicago was supported through a generous grant from the Fulbright Foundation via a Nehru-Fulbright Visiting Doctoral Fellowship.

On the musical side, Pramantha is a professional Sarod player trained in the Maihar-Senia style of Hindustani Music. For over two decades, he has received instruction on the Sarod, vocal music, and other instruments from renowned teachers in India through the guru-shishya parampara (master-disciple) system. As a musician, educator, and performer, he has collaborated with artists and ensembles spread across a wide array of genres and music practices, including those from South Asia, Indonesia, the United States, the Middle East, and Australia. Examples of his collaborations include those with the International Academy of Musical Arts (IAMS), the Australian Red Cross, Creative Victoria, Chicago Mehfil, and the Consolato Generale d’Italia, to name a few. He is also empaneled with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and is an affiliated artiste with All India Radio, the national broadcasting service of India.

Pramantha’s recent publications include “Songs for the Empress: Queen Victoria in the Music History of Colonial Bengal,” Victorian Literature and Culture (Cambridge: Forthcoming); “Pure or Tainted: Representing a Source of Colonial Bengali-English Music in RISM,” Fontis Artis Musicae, 69:3, 229–251 (with Christina Linklater and Emerson Morgan); “Listening Through the Walls: Music-making in the Historic Houses of Rabindranath Tagore,” in Sound Heritage: Making Music Matter in Historic Houses, eds. Jeanice Brooks, Matthew Stephens, Wiebke Thormählen (Routledge, 2021); “From the Private to the Public: Hindustani Raga Music in Colonial Calcutta. 1800-1945,” in Kolkata in Space, Time and Imagination Vol. II, eds. Melitta Waligora and Anuradha Roy (Primus 2020); “The Cultural Evolution of Performance: Representing Shakespeare Through Jazz,” International Journal of Cultural Studies and Social Sciences, 3:6, 144–160. Highlights of his ongoing research have been presented at conferences and invited talks organized by the Society for Ethnomusicology, Fulbright Research Speakers Series, The Bhawanipur Education Society College, Archive of North Indian Classical Music (ANICM, Jadavpur), Nineteenth Century Studies Research Unit (Monash University), and the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTM).

Rohen Bose

Rohen Bose inherited the musical trait by birth. Born in the family of legends, his fate brought him under magnanimous pillars of music. His father Pandit Debojyoti Bose; a hallmark of Sarod himself from Senia Bangash Gharana is also a brilliant composer, lyricist and a knowledgeable tabla player. He started his training under his father at a very initial stage of his life. His musical acumen had grown to its par when he started tutelage under his elder uncle Pt. Kumar Bose, the torchbearer of Banaras Gharana and one of the finest and most creative tabla maestros of all time. Pt. Bose has trained him to become his deserved legatee. He has also taken severe training on accompaniment from his younger uncle the legend Acharya Jayanta Bose.

Rohen has been performing with his father and uncles from a very young age. He has accompanied three of them in many a concert at different cities and states of India. He has also performed solo at distinguished conferences of the country and accompanied well-established artists of Indian Classical genre. Among the greats, he has performed with Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Pandit Kushal Das, Smt. Haimanti Shukla and many more. He has presented music in some of the most renowned conferences such as SAPTAK (Ahmedabad), Uttarpara Sangeet Chakra (Kolkata), Dumdum Classical Music Festival (Dumdum), Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (Pune), Sangeet Mahabharati (Mumbai), West Bengal State Academy Conference (Kolkata), Vishnupur Utsav, Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaraho (Varanasi) and many more.

As a multi-percussionist, he has also performed with many fusion bands, orchestras and special duo concerts and has played and composed for numerous films. His experimental Band ENCORE received great recognition in the field of world music. Apart from the practical training, he has completed his graduation and masters from the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata under the stream Percussion. He has composed music for several student films in Bengali and English. He has also made two internationally acclaimed documentaries on his father and elder Uncle Pt. Kumar Bose. His film ‘The Walk……. In search of the instinct’ on his guru, Pandit Kumar Bose was shown all over the world in various Film Festivals and was chosen as a text in the film studies centre in Colorado.

His paper on ‘The Language of Tabla: A linguistic discourse’, has been recognized by several national and international international universities. He has spoken about this in several seminars organised by various universities in India. He is apparently an independent scholar and a writer focusing on the relevance of Indian music in the modern world. His paper on USTAD ALLA RAKHA, “Beyond the Syllable- A hundred years of Ustad Alla Rakha” was presented exclusively at INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, NEW DELHI on the occasion of Khan Sahab’s birth centenary. He also teaches Tabla and various Indian percussions in his academy ‘BOSE FOUNDATION FOR ART AND CULTURE’.

Shalini Basu - Odissi Dance
Manav Khurana - Tabla
Bhavika Yendapalli - Poetry

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a unique afternoon performance of Dance and Poetry. The performance will also be streamed live.

Shalini Basu

Shalini Basu is a disciple of Odissi, which is an Indian classical dance originating in the state of Odisha. Shalini has been under the tutelage of Guru Kaustavi Sarkar since 2012. She is an undergraduate student at Pace University in New York, New York. Born in New Jersey and raised in Ohio, Shalini finds Odissi to be her primary medium in which she connects with her cultural and ethnic background. She has offered solo recitals in Ohio and has worked for her Guru's company regionally, nationally, as well as internationally. Shalini has also been recognized nationally as the first Odissi dancer to be awarded the National YoungArts award for Dance in 2021. She has worked closely as an apprentice to master artists such as Maya Kulkarni. Currently, Shalini is exploring hierarchies within Indian Classical Dance through her academic
thesis.

Manav Khurana

Manav Khurana is a talented young tabla player from the Farrukhabad Gharana. His musical inclination became apparent at an early age, and his parents encouraged him to learn Dholak, Piano, and other instruments. As a teenager, he was initiated into the world of tabla by his dholak Guru, Shri Roger Sookraj. He soon continued his study of tabla under Shri Kumar Raj Gandharva and Sabir Hussain of the Punjab Gharana. Subsequently, he began his serious training with Shri Dibyarka Chatterjee at the age of 14. In 2023 he became an initiated disciple (shishya) of tabla maestro Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Manav has already performed with some notable performers of Indian Classical Music including, Shri Biplap Mukherjee, Pandit Hindol Chattopadhyay, Pandit Sugato Nag, and his Guru Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Outside of music, he is currently pursuing his Bachelors degree in Finance.

Bhavika Yendapalli

Bhavika Yendapalli studies, works and creates within the intersection of sustainability, culture, and storytelling. Starting off as a hobby to document her friends and artists, her photography has
evolved into a form of documenting threads of community in NYC. As a cultural documentarian, Yendapalli’s subjects range from her NYC community, Indian textile artisans, and her grandmother. Some of her favorite photo projects include: capturing South Asian taxi drivers for Taxi Driver Doc, immigrant women business owners for a multimedia project called “Lost in Translation”, and her friend’s highlighting process experimenting with traditional Tamil recipes for a group show, “How Do We Play.” Bhavika is a senior at Fordham University studying sustainable business and anthropology. Post-grad, she will document images in dialogue with her research- amplifying the value of community-based sustainable textile systems in South India from an economic and ethnographic lens. This is her first time performing poetry to an audience, but the practice has been an outlet for all her childhood.

Siddarth Ashokkumar - Carnatic Violin

Sriram Raman - Mridangam

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening performance of Carnatic Violin Music. The performance will also be streamed live on-line.

Siddarth Ashokkumar

Siddharth Ashokkumar is a violinist and music educator based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Sri Lalgudi GJR Krishnan. 

Siddharth initially learned music in the US, but has traveled extensively through India to learn from disciples of the Lalgudi discipline, including Srinivasa Murthy and Sri Vittal Ramamurthy. He has also performed for senior musicians, dance performances, and raga-based fusion ensembles both in India and North America.

Sriram Raman

Sriram Raman is a mridangist and teacher based in New York. He's a disciple of the mridangam maestro, Neyveli R. Narayanan. Sriram’s journey with the mridangam started in Chennai (South India) at age 6 under the tutelage of Sri. Thiruvadaimarudur Sankaran, who was also a disciple of Sri. Tanjore Upendran. 

In the USA, Sriram has accompanied several prominent Carnatic musicians in concert performances in Austin, Texas and New York City. Sriram is also a regular performer in the annual December season of Carnatic concerts held in Chennai, India. Sriram also plays drums for NY-based alternative rock band, Sepoy. Sriram works full-time as a Senior Product Manager in the Cloud Technology space and has had the privilege of working for some of the best technology firms in the world.

Rajeswari Satish - Carnatic vocal

Kumar Kanthan - Mridangam

Arun Ramamurthy - violin

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Carnatic Vocal Music performed by Rajeswari Satish.

Rajeswari Satish

Rajeswari Satish (also known as Rajeswari Ranganathan) is a South Indian Carnatic vocalist. Rajeswari’s career spans over twenty-five years of teaching and thirty-five years of performance. 

Introduced to music by her mother Smt. Vijayam Ranganathan, Rajeswari began her formal training with Sri M.A. Venugopal at the age of seven. She received the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship from the Government of India to continue her training with Sangeeta Kala Acharya Sri C.S. Krishna Iyer for the next ten years. Rajeswari then studied with Padma Bhushan Sri P.S. Narayanaswamy, acquiring nearly twenty years of rigorous training. Rajeswari has had the opportunity to learn further from other illustrious gurus such as Padma Bhushan Lalgudi Sri G. Jayaraman, Sangeetakalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli, Sangeeta Kala Acharya Smt. Suguna Varadachari and Sangeeta Kala AcharyaSeetha Narayanan on various occasions. 

Rajeswari’s performance career includes concerts at All India Radio, multiple organizations in Chennai during the December season festivals, at numerous venues in the USA (such as the Cleveland Aradhana and CMANA, New Jersey) and in the UK (such as Nehru Center, Milapfest). A prominent teacher in the NJ area, Rajeswari has trained several students all the way from foundational stages into full-fledged concert artists. Many of her students have won prestigious prizes in national level competitions. For two consecutive years, the state of New Jersey recognized Rajeswari as a master teacher by awarding the Folk Arts Apprenticeship scholarship to her student to pursue advanced training with her. Rajeswari has co-organized local music events for the community youth music organization Yuva Sangeetha Lahari. She is currently a doctoral candidate at The Graduate Center, CUNY, pursuing her research on the nāgasvaram ensemble tradition.

Rajeswari Satish (also known as Rajeswari Ranganathan) is a South Indian Carnatic vocalist. Rajeswari’s career spans over twenty-five years of teaching and thirty-five years of performance.

Introduced to music by her mother Smt. Vijayam Ranganathan, Rajeswari began her formal training with Sri M.A. Venugopal at the age of seven. She received the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship from the Government of India to continue her training with Sangeeta Kala Acharya Sri C.S. Krishna Iyer for the next ten years. Rajeswari then studied with Padma Bhushan Sri P.S. Narayanaswamy, acquiring nearly twenty years of rigorous training. Rajeswari has had the opportunity to learn further from other illustrious gurus such as Padma Bhushan Lalgudi Sri G. Jayaraman, Sangeetakalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli, Sangeeta Kala Acharya Smt. Suguna Varadachari and Sangeeta Kala AcharyaSeetha Narayanan on various occasions. 

Rajeswari’s performance career includes concerts at All India Radio, multiple organizations in Chennai during the December season festivals, at numerous venues in the USA (such as the Cleveland Aradhana and CMANA, New Jersey) and in the UK (such as Nehru Center, Milapfest). A prominent teacher in the NJ area, Rajeswari has trained several students all the way from foundational stages into full-fledged concert artists. Many of her students have won prestigious prizes in national level competitions. For two consecutive years, the state of New Jersey recognized Rajeswari as a master teacher by awarding the Folk Arts Apprenticeship scholarship to her student to pursue advanced training with her. Rajeswari has co-organized local music events for the community youth music organization Yuva Sangeetha Lahari. She is currently a doctoral candidate at The Graduate Center, CUNY, pursuing her research on the nāgasvaram ensemble tradition.

Kumar Kanthan

Kumar Kanthan began learning mridangam at the age of 8 from Sri Nagarajan of Delhi. He later continued his tutelage under Sri Ravichandra of London and Australia. For nearly four decades he had the privilege of receiving advanced training from the legendary mridangam maestro, Guru Kaaraikudi Mani, and he is currently under the guidance of Guru Mani’s senior-most disciple, Sri R. Ramesh. Kumar has performed in concerts in the USA, Europe and India and has accompanied many senior artists including “Sangita Kalanidhis” such as B. RajamIyer, R K Srikantan, T.K. Govinda Rao, and Trichur Ramachandran. Kumar, a Yale graduate, resides in New Jersey and works in the field of finance. He runs the Sruthi Laya Kendra USA institution in New Jersey where he teaches the sought-after Kaaraikudi Mani style of play to select and dedicated mridangam students. Kumar has been teaching mridangam for over 30 years and has taught students to the arangetram level and beyond and his students have won first prizes in prestigious competitions such as the Cleveland Aradhana.

Arun Ramamurthy

Arun Ramamurthy is a multifaceted violinist, composer and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. Rooted in South Indian classical Carnatic music, Arun is a versatile musician, performing internationally in both traditional Carnatic and Hindustani settings, as well as blurring genres with his own innovative projects like the acclaimed Arun Ramamurthy Trio. Arun studied under the celebrated violinist brothers, Sri Mysore Nagaraj & Dr. Mysore Manjunath, the distinguished violinist Sri. Ananthakrishnan as well as many early years with western classical violinist Jim Mate.

He leads the Arun Ramamurthy Trio, an ensemble that brings a fresh approach to Carnatic classical repertoire and features Arun's original composition work. Praised by All About Jazz as “a beautiful, exotic, ear-opening listening experience" ART recently recorded their 2nd studio album in January 2023, featuring newly commissioned music. He also co-leads a violin duo project with wife and violinist Trina Basu, reimagining string chamber music through the lens of Indian classical raga. The duo plans to release their debut studio album “Nakshatra” on January 20, 2023. Other notable projects Arun is involved with include Raga Maqam (ensemble with Amir ElSaffar bridging the worlds of Raga and Maqam) and Ragmala Go: Organic Orchestra & BRM (large ensemble led by percussionist / composer Adam Rudolph).

He has shared the stage with luminaries like Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Sudha Ragunathan, Flute Shashank, Subhankar Banerjee, Mashkoor Ali Khan

Reggie Workman, Kenny Werner, Jamey Haddad, Amir ElSaffar, Hamid Drake, Adam Rudolph, Hamid Al-Saadi, Martha Redbone, Awa Sangho amongst others. He has performed and recorded with a wide range of musical genres including Jazz, Arabic Maqam, Afro-Cuban, Malian, American folk, Western classical, and other creative and improvisational styles. Arun's music has brought him prestigious stages like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Celebrate Brooklyn and many more.

As a composer, Arun has created new works for his Trio (ART), scores for theatrical productions such as Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink, composition for Indian classical dance, and for the pioneering musician's collective Brooklyn Raga Massive. Arun was recently commissioned by Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works grant to create music for his ensemble, Arun Ramamurthy Trio. Arun was also commissioned through New Music USA to compose original work for Malini Srinivasan's 'Appeasing Radhika', an ambitious project investigating Devadasi lives in Indian Classical performing arts.

Arun is a co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Brooklyn Raga Massive, a progressive genre-bending collective of musicians rooted-in and inspired-by the classical music of India. He created and produced the innovative series Carnatic Sundays at the iconic West Village haunt, Cornelia Street Cafe. Throughout his career, Arun has curated and performed in hundreds of concerts bringing together music from all over the world.

Arun also is a dedicated educator, teaching Carnatic music privately to children and adult students, professional string players and instrumentalists from various genres. He conducts workshops and has held teaching-artist residencies working with student ensembles at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn College’s Jazz & Big Band program, NYU, Yale University, Sarah Lawrence University, and many others.

Come celebrate Diwali with us in Princeton NJ.

The festival will feature variety of performances of dance and music.. There will be snacks, meal and beverage available for purchase. 

Program:

Welcome
Vocal performance by Aishani Singh, with Maulik Mehta on tabla,
Vocal performance by students of Raag Rang,
Vocal performance by SvarNaad Ensemble,
Tabla Solo - Aditya Joshi,
Chhandayan NJ Tabla Ensemble,
Kathak Demonstration by Sneha Bolisetty,
Panel Discussion by Samir Chatterjee, Hidayat Husain Khan, and Dr. Antonio Merolli,
 
Break

Hidayat Husain Khan - sitar,
Dibyarka Chatterjee - tabla 

Tabla Solo by Yogesh Samsi

Following the tabla workshop, Chhandayan is excited to present a set of student performances followed by a solo by Pt. Yogesh Samsi.

Yogesh Samsi

Recognised in the world today as a leading tabla artiste, exhibiting consummate artistry both as a soloist and accompanist. The son of the renowned vocalist Late Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, Yogesh was initiated into tabla by his father at the tender age of four, and later received guidance. Yogesh received intense training for twenty three years, maturing into one of the most sought after tabla artistes in India today. His style is marked by an unmatched combination of power, sensitivity, knowledge of tradition, tonal clarity, and aesthetics.

Yogesh has played with many of the top ranking classical instrumentalists, vocalists and dancers of India, including Pt Shivkumar Sharma, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pt Dinkar Kaikini, and Pt Birju Maharaj. He has also had the privilege of accompanying Ustad Allah Rakha and his son the great maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain in their solo performances, and has performed duets with Ustad Zakir Hussain. Apart from accompaniment, Yogesh has performed numerous memorable solo performances in India and abroad. He has been featured in many of the world’s most prestigious venues, including: Carnegie Hall, New York; Kennedy Center, Washington DC;

Theatre de la Ville, Paris; Opera House, Sydney; Barbican Centre, London; Bolshoi Theatre, Moskow; Esplanade Theatre, Singapore, to name a few.

Outside of the authentic tradition that he carries forward, Yogesh also embraces collaboration with artists for sounds that fuse music from various world music traditions. In this spirit, he has performed with artists including Taufiq Qureshi, Ranjit Barot, Louis Banks, Shujaat Khan, Karsh Kale, Kayhan Kalhor, and many more.

Besides performing, Yogesh is very committed to educating students and listeners about his art and the rich legacy of his style of tabla playing, the Punjab Gharana. In more recent times, to further the exploration and study of Punjab Gharana, Yogesh has continued efforts to revive old compositions of both the Punjab tradition as well as the compositions of Pandit Sushil Kumar Jain.

As a pedagogue, he has been very actively conducting workshops and lecture-demonstrations in music institutions in India, USA, UK, South Africa and Japan. He is also a highly respected teacher, having a large body of students worldwide. Understanding the need for a traditional art to move with the times, he has created a syllabus for learning tabla designed specifically for teachers in the West, and also worked on an instructional CD-Rom about tabla which is available for students.

Yogesh is a member of the advisory board for the music department at Pune University, the Saaz School of Music London, and is a chief advisor for educational activities and promotion of Indian Classical music for the reputed music organisation Darbar, in London.

Yogesh has currently been appointed as a Guru along with other Gurus like Pt Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt Suresh Talwalkar, Smt N.Rajam and Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia at the Indian Classical Music Gurukul run by the M.I.T group of Institutes In Pune(Loni) which aims at developing professional musicians in the future.

Kiran Morarji - Tabla Solo

Ramneek Singh - Hindustani Vocal
Jasmeet Chana - Tabla
Hardeep Chana - Harmonium

Come join Chhandayan’s Toronto chapter for an evening of Hindustani Music at the Maja Prentice Theatre. The first part of the performance will be a tabla solo by Kiran Morarji. This will be followed by a Hindustani Vocal performance by Ramneek Singh, accompanied by Jasmeet and Hardeep Chana.

Kiran Morarji

Kiran Morarji is a talented tabla player of the Punjab gharana. He is amongst one of the most active and sought out tabla players in both the Canadian and International scene, performing all over Canada, USA and other parts of the world.

Kiran is knon for his sensitive accompianment and traditionally rich tabla solos, finding a medium between technicality, mathematics and musicality. Kiran has been studying the tabla since the ripe young age of eight. Kiran is currently a disciple of Ustad Zakir Hussain, whom he has been studying with for the last 20 years. Kiran is also studying with senior disciple of Ustad Allarakha, Pandit Yogesh Samsi. Kiran has performed and toured with some of the world’s greatest Instrumentalists, Vocalists and Kathak Dancers including his Guru.

Kiran, through inspiration from this parents, family and guru, continues to practice, teach and perform this traditional art form.

Ramneek Singh

Ramneek Singh, an internationally acclaimed Indian born Canadian, Hindustani Classical vocalist, originally from New Delhi, India, now based in Canada, has created her own niche in the music world through her unique style.

Coming from the rich lineage of Ustad Amir Khan’s Indore Gharana, Ramneek is proficient in musical genres like Khayal, Thumri, bhajan, Shabad, Sufiana and Folk. She has performed all over Canada, USA, UK, Australia and India and her mesmerizing voice, that spans three octaves, leaves a lasting effect on audiences.

She has many CDs to her credit namely Ibaadat, Naad, Gobind Naam and two of her Toronto based CDs called Saanjh and Bandishein which have some of her own compositions. Ramneek writes under the name of “Ibaadat” and her poetry in the form of Khayal, thumri, Sufiana and Tarana which she has composed herself, is highly acclaimed.

She runs a music academy by the name of “Sur-rang Music Academy” through which she is training many students all over the world in the art of vocal classical music in the Indore Gharana style, as propagated by her grandguru, the legendary Ustad Amir Khan sahib.

Hardeep Chana

Hardeep Chana has been learning music since the young age of 3. Being immersed and raised in a musical atmosphere, Hardeep first began learning from within his family. He then sought guidance for accompaniment from Professor Ranjit Singh for Taus or Mayoori Veena. Today, he continues his studies as a Harmonium accompanist with Shri Tanmay Deochake. Hardeep has had the fortune of accompanying many great artists, including Pandit Yogesh Samsi, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Smt. Kaushiki Chakraborty, and many more.

Jasmeet Chana

Jasmeet began his musical journey at the age of twelve by learning both the Tabla and Jori-Pakhawaj from Ustad Avtarjit Singh Honey Ji of the Punjab Gharana. Sadly, shortly after Jasmeet began his training, Honey Ji fell ill and passed away. Ustad Ranjit Singh Ji (one of Honey Ji’s teachers and his father) saw the dedication and potential in Jasmeet and decided to continue his education himself after his son’s passing.

Currently Jasmeet is continuing his musical journey under the guidance of the living legend, Ustad Sukhvinder Singh Pinky Ji, of the Punjab and Benares Gharanas and is considered to be one of his senior disciples. He feels blessed to have spent over thirteen years studying both the Tabla and Jori-Pakhawaj under the maestro.

Jasmeet has toured throughout North America, UK as well as India and currently lives in Brampton, Ontario where he is passionate about passing on his knowledge to his many students. He also has been blessed with the opportunity to accompany some of the great artists of today’s Indian Classical Music.

Hardeep Chana

Hardeep Chana has been learning music since the young age of 3. Being immersed and raised in a musical atmosphere, Hardeep first began learning from within his family.He then sought guidance for accompaniment from Professor Ranjit Singh for Taus or Mayoori Veena. Today, he continues his studies as a Harmonium accompanist with Shri Tanmay Deochake. Hardeep has had the fortune of accompanying many great artists, including Pandit Yogesh Samsi, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Smt. Kaushiki Chakraborty, and many more.

Bishnupriya Chakrabarty - Vocal

Amit Chatterjee - Tabla

Join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of classical music performed by Bishnupriya Chakrabarty, a renowned Indian singer. The performance will also be streamed live.

Bishnupriya Chakrabarty

Smt. Bishnupriya Chakrabarty is a classical vocalist of repute. She is blessed with a deep mellifluous voice. She has undergone extensive taalim for the past 30 years under Pandit Biresh Roy, guru of ITC SRA, thereafter from Vidushi Shubhra Guha in kheyal, and Vidushi Purnima Chowdhury in thumri, dadra, chaiti and other forms of Purab ang gayaki. Her present guru is Padmabhushan.Pandit Channulal Mishra of Banaras. Bishnupriya has performed all over the country and has received several accolades. Music is an inherent part of her life. She is a graded artist of AIR and Doordarshan. She is a performer, teacher and music therapist working to spread classical music in the hearts of many.

Amit Chatterjee

Amit Chatterjee, a highly gifted Tabla player of India, is the nephew, adopted son and disciple of the famous internationally reputed Tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatterjee. Since childhood Amit passed through rigorous training and practice and in the process he became a very special performer of Indian Drum (Tabla) His playing style is a wonderful confluence of Farukkabad Gharana (Ustad Karamatullah Khan) and Punjab Gharana ( Ustad Allarakha Khan).

Amit is an empanelled artist of Indian Council of Cultural Relations(ICCR) and was awarded “TAL MANI” Title by “Sur Singar Samsad” (Mumbai), NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY AWARD. Being one of the busiest Indian Artist of his generation Amit has traveled throughout India, Europe, and the USA.

Kathak Dance - Sangita Chatterjee

Sitar - Shouvik Mukherjee
Tabla - Ehren Hanson

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for two performances of classical Indian music. First will be a Kathak Dance performance by Sangita Chatterjee. This will be followed by a sitar recital by Shouvik Mukherjee accompanied by Ehren Hanson on tabla. The recital will also be streamed live.

Sangita Chatterjee

Sangita Chatterjee, disciple of Guru Smt Vaswati Misra, is a young, dynamic and eminent exponent of Kathak, from Lucknow Gharana. Presently she is perusing “Taalvidya’ under Guru Pt Divyang Vakil. She has imbibed within herself the essence of Kathak, its lyrical movements, treasure of its scintillating rhythmic patterns and subtle abhinaya.

Sangita has emerged as a soloist of par excellence and has made her niche as a thinking dancer whose approach towards dance is beyond mere performative presentation. Having a double M.A in History and Tourism Management and Kathak from Khairagarh University, Sangita's work are mostly self-reflecting, thought provoking and collaborative in nature. Her recent works are a solo dance theater production 'Yagyaseni' on Draupadi’s life, 'Mirage' – A lust for life, 'Manthani', 'Hridoy Majhe Bangla', a multi dance style presentation which she presented in Rashtrapati Bhawan in presence of then President Late Shri Pranav Mukherjee, Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and

other political dignitaries, 'Ramayan', a collaboration with Japanese dancers which she presented in Tokyo National Theatre, Japan so on and so forth. Sangita also represented India in Delphic Games, South Korea in 2009.

She has performed in major festivals of India and has extensively traveled to different countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America for performances and lecture demonstrations. During the lockdown she has also created two short films, 'Quest' - a lockdown diary of dancer, and 'Mirage- A lust for life', which was also featured in INMOTION Dance Film Festival Chicago. Sangita is an empaneled artist of ICCR, SPICMACAY & Ministry of Culture and graded artist of Doordarshan. Sangita has been awarded with Dr Sarojani Naidu Award, Sringar Mani, Jayadev Samman, Woman achievers award etc.

Sangita is also a motivational speaker and have been invited by many forums like Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Josh Talks, workmob to talk on wellness through arts and women empowerment. She is the founder director of her organization Kalpataru Arts where she imparts training to her students and also curates Festivals throughout the year. Since 2023 she is also a member of the advisory board of Kathak Kendra, which is an autonomous body of Sangeet Natak Academy.

Shouvik Mukherjee

In his early years, Shouvik Mukherjee received tutelage from renowned Classical Instrumentalist (Sitar) Bimal Chatterjeeand later on, he was fortunate to receive training from the sitar virtuoso Pandit Kushal Das, which he continues till date. He had awarded as an All India Radio artist in 2012. He has performed in many Classical Festivals like, Raj Bhawan(Governer’s Place) in Kolkata, Belur Math RamkrishnaMission, Behala Classical Festival, Golpark RamkrishnaMission and so on in India. Besides, he has performed many prestigious concerts in Europe like, Indian Embassy of Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, France,Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark , FABRIK, Hamburg-Altona, Indian Embassy-The Hague, Cultuurhuis Heerlen, Très-Sainte-Trinité Strasbourg, India Week, Hamburg,Theater am , also Performed in “Fest in Indischen Dorf”, Rathausplatz, Althütte, Germany. Recently, He collaborated with German Rock Band “Back To The Roots” on their Led Zeppelin-famed cover music video “Kashmir” in 2017 in Wuppertal. Performed in kerala kappatv Music Mojo season 1 and 2. Performed in Bangalore B flat bar and phinixmalltoo. Performed at ITC ROYALBENGAL and HYATT REGENCY and Jwmarriot . Performed with GRAMMY AWARD WINNER IVANSANTOS , and with Pandit Kumar Bose ji.

Ehren Hanson

Ehren Hanson is professional NYC based tabla player. He began learning tabla at age 15 under Misha Masud in New York City and in 2000, he became a disciple of legendary tabla maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, with whom he has been a dedicated disciple ever since. Ehren performs classical Indian music as a soloist and accompanist in NY and around the world. He has the fortune of accompanying maestros including the late Pandit Ramesh Mishra, late Pandit Subrata Ryan Chowdhury, Steve Gorn, and others.

He has also collaborated on experimental and creative projects with West African giant Noura Mint Seymali, Cuban legend Bobby Carcasess, Roman Diaz, the American Symphony Orchestra, and many others. He is the co-host of the Brooklyn Court - a music series featuring touring and local artists in an intimate setting, reminiscent of the royal courts of Indian history. Ehren is also the founder of Viewcy.com, and an amateur chef.

Arnab Chakraborty - Sarode
Tejas Tope - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a Sarode concert by Arnab Chakraborty. The performance will also be streamed live on-line.

Arnab Chakraborty

Trained in the traditional Lucknow and Shahjahanpur gharanas, Chakrabarty has had the good fortune to study with some of the most erudite luminaries of the sarod, like Dr Kalyan Mukherjea, Ustad Irfan Muhammad Khan and Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta. His music displays a wonderfully subtle amalgamation of his gurus, catalyzed by his own unceasing quest for blending skill with emotion, virtuosity with affect.
Arnab has been performing all over the world since 1998. He has toured nearly 35 countries and given more than 850 professional concerts. He has performed at some of the most coveted international concert halls and festivals like: The Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), National Centre for the Performing Arts (Mumbai), Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Silk Road Festival (Damascus), Trafó Theatre (Budapest), Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), Saptak Festival (Ahmedabad). He has also delivered invited talks at various esteemed institutions including Leeds University, Syracuse University, College of William & Mary, University of Texas (Arlington), California State University (SLO) and Bard College.
Chakrabarty has also earned great repute for his occasional but highly articulate and forthright writings on various topics concerning music. He has interviewed leading musicians like Pt. Budhaditya Mukherjee, pursuing a serious and sustained line of enquiry. His writings on Hindustani music for the e-media portal Scroll continue to be extremely popular with general readers, musicians and scholars alike.
In collaboration with celebrated luthiers Naba Kumar Kanji and Ed Powell, Chakrabarty has experimented with sarod design and materials with the aim to optimize tonal quality and ergonomics of playing. With Naba, Arnab has managed to greatly refine the ergonomics and tonal quality of the sarod. He has brought changes and additions to structural elements, radiator shape, neck design, action and tuning mechanisms. Many young sarod players have embraced these changes, often unaware of their origin in Arnab’s enterprising experiments. Do get in touch for a customized sarod, bespoke designed by Chakrabarty and built by Naba according to your needs.

Tejas Tope

Tejas Tope is an aspiring young Indian percussionist who comes from Long Island New York.   Tejas has been learning tabla from Pt. Samir Chatterjee for over 15 years. Additionally, since 2011, Tejas has been attending classes in the Summer with Ustad Zakir Hussain. At Zakirji's invitation, Tejas performed a tabla solo at the Barsi of Ustad Alla Rakha on February 3, 2018 at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai.

Tejas Tope has also been learning Pakhawaj from Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma for the last 5 years. He has also had the opportunity to study with Pandit Manik Munde and Shri Pratap Awad. 

Tejas received First prize in the instrumental category from 2005-2011 at the annual Vedic Heritage’s Holi Youth Talent Competition held in Hempstead, Long Island, NY.   In the summer of 2006, he played at the 6th Marathi European Sammelan in Almelo, Netherlands, at the 13th BMM Convention in Seattle (June 2007), and 15th BMM Convention in Chicago (July 2011).   In October 2007, Tejas had his Rangamanch Pravesh and presented tabla solo as a part of Chhandayan Concert Series.   Tejas received first prize in the Swardhara Competition held by Marathi Vishwa  of New Jersey in 2010 and 2012.  Tejas is recipient of Chhandayan’s most prestigious Jyotsna Award  in the student category in 2011.

Rajeeb Chakraborty - Sarode

Samir Chatterjee - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening instrumental concert featuring renowned Sarodist Rajeeb Chakraborty accompanied by Chhandayan’s founder Samir Chatterjee. The concert will also be streamed line.

Rajeeb Chakraborty

Dr. Rajeeb Chakraborty is an internationally acclaimed Sarod player from India. His name breathes an astounding versatility of self-expression as a musician, an educationist, music composer and conductor. Rajeeb belongs to the Maihar gharana of North Indian Classical Music and trained under his father and lifelong Guru Pandit Rabi Chakraborty.

Over the last four decades, Rajeeb has been performing nationally and internationally at major music festivals and concerts. Rajeeb has a doctoral degree in Indian Classical Music on the 'Role of computer in learning & teaching North Indian classical music'. In addition, he earned a degree in Western classical music from the Royal College of Music.

Rajeeb has also made his mark as a composer in a host of films, Tele films, serials, fusion bands, and stage plays. He is the guest composer of SAMYO - National youth orchestra in UK.

Rajeeb is the recipient of the King-Chavez-Parks (KCP) Visiting Professorship Award from the University of Michigan, USA. This is an extremely prestigious program that hosts internationally acclaimed artists from around the globe.

2016 Rajeeb got the Fulbright Nehru Excellency Fellowship from the Fulbright foundation United States. Pioneer High school, the recipient of 8 Grammy awards has joined hands with Rajeeb to form a Global symphonic orchestra with the music of Tagore which was premiered in USA in 2018.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.

Chatterjee began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Mohammad Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.

Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Manilal Nag, Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Ud. Naseeruddin Sami, Smt. Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Ud. Shujat Khan, Ud. Saheed Parvez, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Nishat Khan, Ud. Rashid Khan, Pt. Tejendra N. Mazumdar, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, Smt. Arti Anklekar, Smt. Kaushiki Chakraborty, to name only a few.

Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, Yoko Ono Lenon, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Jerome Harris, Eric Friedlander, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Boby Sanabria, Jin Hi Kim, Min Xiao-Fen, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Ethos Percussion group, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is the composer and director of Indo-Flame – a blend of Indian and Flamenco dance and music, Chhand-Anand - a world percussion ensemble, RabiThakur – a ballet on the life of Tagore, Meghadootam – a feature program of music and dance on an ancient Indian poem, and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond – on the effect of music on humans and nature. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.

Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled A Study of Tabla, a guide book to Indian music titled Music of India and Those Forty Days, a journal of an austere practice regimen. He is on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh and New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. He also taught at the Yale University, Columbia University, New York University and Princeton University, among many other major institutions in the USA, Europe and India. He also contributes to several newspapers and periodicals. He won gold medal for his proficiency in a musical examination and has two Master degrees, in English and History.

Akhil Jobanputra - Vocal
Tejas Tope - Tabla
Srikar Ayyalasomayajula - Harmonium

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Vocal Music performed by Akhil Jobanputra, a promising young artist. The performance will also be streamed live on-line.

Akhil Jobanputra

As a child, Akhil always enjoyed singing devotional songs at the local temple, and hitting random pots and pans at home. He started taking tabla lessons, but his passion kept driving him towards singing. At the age of three, he was enrolled in the Pandit Jasraj School of Music Foundation, Vancouver. He received his preliminary training from Smt. Asha Lohia of the Jasraj school, as well as from another local teacher Smt. Neeraja Aptikar. Akhil's association with the school gave me opportunities to learn from his BadeGuruji Pandit Jasraj and other representatives of the Mewati gharana. After his association with the school, he took a period of self-study, after which he found amazing Gurus for his intensive training. Akhil currently receives taleem in khayal from Pandit Dr. Arun Dravid, and in khayal and dhrupad from Pandit Arijit Mahalanabis. He is also fortunate to receive guidance from Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar.

Akhil's gayaki (style) is mainly shaped by the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, but also exhibits elements of Agra, Mewati, Gwalior, and Kirana along with Dagarbani Dhrupad. His approach to Hindustani raga sangeet brings contemporary experience into the context of a traditional art-form. It is constantly evolving, finding itself situated beyond time and space, but stays firmly rooted in its essence. His music is shaped by drawing on elements of self-introspection, personal narratives, metaphysical beliefs, and artistic expression. He also enjoys composing and have created bandishes (compositions) in different ragas and compositional styles. Apart from his Gurus, some artistes who inspire Akhil's music are: Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, Vidushi Kesarbai Kerkar, Pandit Kedar Bodas, Vidushi Mogubai Kurdikar, Pandit Maniram, Vidushi Gangubai Hangal, and Vidushi Asgari Bai.

Akhil had the privilege to perform for various organizations and festivals across Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and India as a soloist and an accompanist. His first solo performance in India was at the prestigious Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh at the age of thirteen. Recent performances of note include Chaar Prahar Festival 2020 (Global), Richmond World Festival 2019 (Canada), and UTSAV SpringFest 2018 (U.K.). As an accompanist, I’ve performed with BadeGuruji Pandit Jasraj in some of his performances, such as at the Sawai Bhimsen Sangeet Mahotsav, as well as with his other Gurus and various eminent vocalists.

With the permission of his Gurus, Akhil has been teaching Indian classical music since 2010 across the Metro Vancouver region. His curriculum has been developed over the years through a variety of experiences that he has encountered both as a student and a teacher. Pedagogy plays an extremely important role in cultivating good musical sense, and his curriculum constantly evolves through feedback from his students. As an educator, he has delivered lectures, both of academic and non-academic nature, on Indian classical music. He was recently featured in the Canadian South Asian Youth Conference, and his paper “My Identity, My Music” was published by the Simon Fraser University Library. Growing up, he wanted to see more Indian classical programs curated in his hometown. At the age of twelve he founded the Indian Classical Music Society of Vancouver (ICMSV) with the goal of bringing communities together and promoting various local events. Since then, his team at ICMSV and himself have organized a series of initiatives and events geared at increasing awareness, accessibility, and education around Indian classical music.

Besides music, Akhil is a University of British Columbia alumni with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography. His focus has been on socio-cultural development, South Asian studies, and decolonization.

Tejas Tope

Tejas Tope is an aspiring young Indian percussionist who comes from Long Island New York.   Tejas has been learning tabla from Pt. Samir Chatterjee for over 15 years. Additionally, since 2011, Tejas has been attending classes in the Summer with Ustad Zakir Hussain. At Zakirji's invitation, Tejas performed a tabla solo at the Barsi of Ustad Alla Rakha on February 3, 2018 at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai.

Tejas Tope has also been learning Pakhawaj from Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma for the last 5 years. He has also had the opportunity to study with Pandit Manik Munde and Shri Pratap Awad. 

Tejas received First prize in the instrumental category from 2005-2011 at the annual Vedic Heritage’s Holi Youth Talent Competition held in Hempstead, Long Island, NY.   In the summer of 2006, he played at the 6th Marathi European Sammelan in Almelo, Netherlands, at the 13th BMM Convention in Seattle (June 2007), and 15th BMM Convention in Chicago (July 2011).   In October 2007, Tejas had his Rangamanch Pravesh and presented tabla solo as a part of Chhandayan Concert Series.   Tejas received first prize in the Swardhara Competition held by Marathi Vishwa  of New Jersey in 2010 and 2012.  Tejas is recipient of Chhandayan’s most prestigious Jyotsna Award  in the student category in 2011.

Srikar Ayyalasomayajula

Srikar grew up in central New Jersey and currently lives in Brooklyn. He has learnt Harmonium from Guru Sri Hemant Kulkarni in New Jersey for over ten years. Srikar has performed harmonium solo pieces in a number of concerts and competitions in harmonium growing up, including winning first prize in national competitions conducted by Marathi Vishwa, Academy of Indian Music and Fine Arts, Bharat Sevashram, etc. Apart from solo performances, Srikar has also provided dynamic as energetic Harmonium saath to artists from around the world regularly for over a decade. Srikar was also the Music Chair of Michigan Sahana, the premier Indian Classical Music and Dance Organization at the University of Michigan and had been organizing and performing in their concerts throughout his time at the university. After graduating, Srikar had been continuing to be a part of both classical accompaniment and fusion collaborations across the country. Apart from music, Srikar currently works at Google as a Software Engineer in New York City..

Vikram Nitin - Vocal
Akshay Venkatesan - Mrdangam
Siddharth Ashokkumar - Violin

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Carnatic Vocal Concert performed by Vikram Nitin. The performance will also be streamed live.

Vikram Nitin

Vikram Nitin is a Carnatic vocalist, and he had his initial training in music from his mother, Vidushi Smt. Sumitra Nitin. He has recently begun training under Vidwan AS Murali. Vikram has performed at various venues in Chennai, Bangalore and the USA, including Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana, Narada Gana Sabha, Brahma Gana Sabha, and Kartik Fine Arts. Vikram is currently a Ph.D student at Columbia University studying Computer Science.

Akshay Venkatesan

Akshay Venkatesan has been learning mridangam for the past 18 years. His initial training was under the guidance of Sri. Ramesh Srinivasan, and he has been undergoing advanced training under the tutelage of Vidwan Sri. S.V. Ramani since 2019.

Akshay has been accompanying vocalists and instrumentalists regularly all over the US and in many sabhas in the December music season in Chennai since 2013. Akshay has also been teaching Mridangam at the Mahaperiyava School of Percussion since 2020 under the guidance of Guru Sri. S.V. Ramani. Akshay is currently pursuing his master’s degree in data science at Columbia University.

Siddharth Ashokkumar

Siddharth Ashokkumar has learnt the violin for the last 20 years. He is a student of Lalgudi Krishnan and previously from Vittal Ramamurthy. Siddharth is the has had the privilege of performing internationally for traveling artists from India as well as during the December Music season in Chennai. Siddharth lives and works in New York City.

Arvindkumar Azad - Tabla

Rohan Misra - Sarangi

Join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening tabla solo by the prominent musician Arvindkumar Azad. The performance will also be streamed on-line.

Arvindkumar Azad

Arvind Kumar Azad was born in Jamshedpur, the largest city in Jharkhand, to a family of tabla players who originally hailed from Bihar. He received his initial training in the instrument from his father, Lal Baboo Prasad, an eminent tabla player. Subsequently, he studied under veteran percussionist Jagdish Shankar Mishra, popularly known as Lallu Maharaj, and Kishan Maharaj, both of the Benares gharana (a specialist school of Indian classical music).

Azad has won recognition among the stalwarts of the music circle for the control, balance, and quality of tone of his tabla renditions. His melodious and pristine Benares gharana tabla playing, along with the perfected use of his bayan (the larger drum in a set, used for a deeper bass), is highly acclaimed. It is believed by connoisseurs of music that playing the Teental theka, a particular rhythmic pattern vocalised as ‘Na Dhin Dhin Na’, with just one finger at a tremendously fast speed is the unique specialty of the Benares gharana. Azad is known for exhibiting this feat with clarity and emotion. He describes his passion for tabla as, ‘The tabla, for me, is not merely a skin-covered percussion instrument! It is neither just a leading rhythm instrument nor the ruling accompanying instrument, but is the way of life; it is life itself for me!’

He is a sought-after accompanist for vocal and instrumental music, as well as for classical dance forms like Kathak. He has provided accompaniment to leading performers at prestigious music festivals held across India. Prominent among them are Ram Narayan, M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Girija Devi, Rohini Bhate, Birju Maharaj, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Rajan and Sajan Mishra, D.K. Datar, Dr N. Rajam, Shahid Parvez, and Rashid Khan. He is equally known for his solo recitals and has travelled extensively in India and abroad for performances. He has also conducted lectures, tabla demonstrations, and seminars.

Azad was given the grade ‘A’ by All India Radio (AIR); a committee of experts from the field award musicians one of four grades: B, B-high, A, and Top. He is also an approved artist of the national television channel Doordarshan. He serves as a PhD guide at Savitribai Phule Pune University’s centre for performing arts, Lalit Kala Kendra, and is an honorary advisor at various educational and classical music institutions throughout the country, including the Bharati Vidyapeeth School of Performing Arts, Pune. He is also a senior examiner at the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, one of the pioneer institutes of music and fine arts in India, founded by veteran musicologist Vishnu Digambar Paluskar.

Azad lives in Pune, where he has been for more than three decades. He is one of the founding members of the Talayan Music Circle, formed in 1995 with other music lovers. Its name comes from the phrase ‘Taal aur laya ko dekhne wale nayan’, which connotes the perception of rhythm through the eyes of those who perform and hear. Talayan’s objective is to promote, encourage, and maintain the traditional values of Hindustani classical music. It organises seminars and workshops by musical maestros and has been affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Miraj, for the past few years. Talayan offers scholarships and accommodation to deserving candidates to encourage and propagate music. 

Rohan Misra

Rohan Misra is a young promising musician, specialized in the unique Indian bowed instrument called the Sarangi. As the son and disciple of great Sarangi virtuoso Pandit Ramesh Misra, Rohan has inherited many of his father-Guru’s specialties, including tonal quality and aesthetic approach.

Rohan Started learning the Sarangi (translation: An instrument with a hundred colors) from his father at the age of six. His exposure to music since early childhood attracted him to learn other Indian instruments as well. He has been learning Tabla from the renowned maestro Samir Chatterjee. Rohan is also pursuing his education in western music, particularly focused on the Piano and Clarinet. Coming out of the family of nine generations of Sarangi players, Rohan aspires to be successful as the 10th generation in his lineage. He also wishes to further his musicality by blending certain aspects of western music into his emblem of Indian classical music and emerge with a unique musical expression.

Rohan has performed at the Carnegie Hall, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., California and North Carolina. He has performed with luminaries such as Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Samir Chatterjee, among others. He is on the faculty of Chhandayan Center for Indian Music in New York City.

Tablaphilia: A Tabla Symphony based on Chaturashram, the four stages of human life,
Composed, Directed and Conducted by Samir Chatterjee,
Performed by the Chhandayan Tabla Ensemble

Chhandayan Jazz Ensemble: Xander Naylor (Guitar), Birsa Chatterjee (Saxophone, Clarinet), Dan Finn(Bass), and Akihito Gorai (Drums).

Directions from NYC to Williams Center, Rutherford by public transportations:
By Bus (15 minutes): a) NJ transit 164 bus from Port Authority Bus Terminus, NYC to the Patterson Ave-Hackensack St. stop.
b) NJ 163 to Patterson Ave-Lincon Pl. Williams Center is only 2 minutes from there.
By Rail: a) Penn Station, NYC to Secaucus (one stop), Secaucus to Rutherford (one stop). Click here for NY Penn Station to Rutherford station schedule. Click here for Rutherford station to NY Penn station schedule.
b) Path train to Hoboken, Hoboken to Rutherford (two stops). Williams Center is by the Rutherford station. Click here for Hoboken to Rutherford schedule. Click here for Rutherford to Hoboken Schedule.

Come join us at the Williams Center in Rutherford NJ for one of Chhandayan’s premier productions. The performance will also be streamed live. We want to thank our co-producers - the Williams Center for the Arts, Viewcy, and For the Artists By the Artists - for their generous support.

Tablaphilia is a unique symphony of tabla. It is based on the central theme of Chaturashrama, the four stages of human life. Composed and directed by renowned tabla maestro, Samir Chatterjee, this Symphony of Tabla brings together the power of 22 thundering tablas and four melodious vocals to produce a moving, inspiring, and thought-provoking experience of the philosophy of sound. 

This 70-minute piece interprets the four stages of human life (ashrams) as perceived and maintained in ancient Indian society. The first stage, Bramhacharya, identified as the student life, is meant to be dedicated to the pursuit of Brahma, the creator - our source and destination. In this stage, we are meant to be engaged solely in the pursuit of real knowledge and wisdom. In the next stage, Garhastha, one chooses a vocation and begins a family life to apply the knowledge and observations acquired in Brahmacharya. Retirement, or Banaprastha, is a transition out of Garhastha, after fulfilling life’s obligations, still taking one step in the city and extending the other into the forest. The final stage of Sanyasa brings together complete renunciation of the material world with a feeling of pure ecstasy.  

In Tablaphilia, we get a reminder of the differences we have created in our approach to all of these (different) phases of our lives, losing their true significance(s). For example, in modern times, Brahmacharya is often engaged in a selected field of study geared toward a particular type of vocation as opposed to being dedicated to the pursuit of truth and comprehensive knowledge about the governing phenomenon of life. Garhastha is the stage we like the most and prefer to drag on to consume the whole of our lives. Retirement is most often painful, contrary to how it used to be perceived in the past, as release and preparation for complete freedom. Modern society has designated Sanyasa for only a particular group of people (only). Tablaphilia re-establishes these stages of our lives, which we live anyway, with greater value and significance. It relates to everyone living this life, irrespective of their varied backgrounds.  

The experiences of these different phases of life are expressed through the abstract drum-language of tabla. Tablaphilia uses many of the musical principles, common in western symphony, such as harmony, counterpoint, canon etc. and embraces them in the musical experience that is purely Indian. It uses different traditional taals (rhythmic cycles), ragas and compositions produced out of the sound of tabla, enhanced by vocal inserts, and creates a soundscape that naturally relates the theme to the audience, making it accessible even to the untrained listener. They come out with a wholesome experience of life in those 70 minutes. Tablaphilia becomes more of a life-transforming experience than just a musical performance. 

            This enthralling production with extraordinary tonal range made its debut performance at Chhandayan’s All Night Concert in May of 2009, in New York city and grew to further perfection, particularly after its successful seven-city tour of Karnataka, a year and a half later.  

In the words of some well-known musicians of this style of music, “Tablaphilia has certainly expanded the range of the tabla.” Another said, “it really excited me in a way I have not experienced in a long time." In October of 2011, Tablaphilia was performed in The Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for veteran listeners of Indian classical music and newcomers alike. Museum administrators raved that, “Tablaphilia transformed the museum into a temple,” and called it “a life-changing concert!” From its exuberant beginnings to its meditative end, Tablaphilia transcends nationality and culture and speaks to all those who experience it.
- Renu Nahata

Chhandayan Annual Students Day Concert (Online)

This is an annual event of Chhandayan, in which all students and their parents participate. This year we have split it into live event held at the Chhandayan Center and an online event for students who do cannot travel to NYC. This is the online streaming event.

Program:

Rebecca Schwartz  | Tabla  | CCIM
 Naobhumi Uchimaya  | Tabla  | Tokyo
 Aryaman Roy  | Tabla  | Bangladesh
 Venu Divi  | Tabla  | California
 Momoko Hataya  | Tabla  | Tokyo
 Akshaj Kulkarni  | Tabla  | Bangalore
 Randal Jamrock  | Tabla  | Chicago
 Arka Ghosh  | Tabla  | Kolkata
 Biswajit Nandi  | Tabla  | Kolkata
 Rittika Chakraborty  | Voice  | Kolkata
 Prasenjit Bhattacharya  | Tabla  | Kolkata
 Nikhil Gowd  | Tabla  | Toronto, Canada
 Kuntala Roy  | Guitar  | Kolkata

Chhandayan Annual Students Day Concert (Live)

This is an annual event of Chhandayan, in which all students and their parents participate. This year we have split it into live event held at the Chhandayan Center and an online event for students who do cannot travel to NYC. This is the live event. Note that the live event will also be streamed online.

Program:

Welcome
Sanat Patel I Tabla I Hillsborough,
Arihan Bhattacharya I tabla I Maryland,
Kajol Chatterjee I tabla I CCIM, NYC,
Shravan Patel I Tabla I Hillsborigh,
New York Ensemble I tabla I Chhandayan, NYC, (Parveen Sultana, Aditya Kumar, Vibhav Sharma),
New Jersey Group I tabla I North Jersey and Scotch Plains, (Ishaan Freeman, Shiv Gandhi, Aneesh Joshi, Harshal Joshi, Keyur Thakar),
Aaron Edgcomb I tabla I NYC,
Andrea Bertucci I vocal I Queens, NY,
Nikita Trivedi I vocal I West Hartford, CT,
Arjun Patel I tabla I NYC,
Yatrik Solanki I Tabla I CCIM, NYC,
Aditya Joshi I tabla I NY,
Saurav Patel I tabla I New Jersey,

Break

Rahul Modi I tabla I West Hartford, CT,
Brandon Ram I tabla I Long Island, NY
Mahilan Guha I tabla I Maryland,
Abhiraman Senthilkumar I tabla I Maryland,
Adarsh Tolat I tabla I West Hartford, CT,
Shivya Kaul I vocal I NYC,
Shivya Kaul I dance I NYC,
Christopher Growdski I tabla I NY,
Chris Carroll I tabla I NY,
Isaac Dlugacz I sitar I NYC,
Kedar Havaldar | tabla | Bangalore, India,
Maulik Mehta I tabla I Hillsborough, NJ,
Manav Khuran I tabla I CCIM, NY,
Randal Jamrock I tabla I Chicago,

Vinay Desai - Santoor

Tejas Tope - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening concert of Indian Classical Music on the Santoor, performed by Vinay Desia accompanied by Tejas Tope. The concert will also be streamed live.

Vinay Desai

Initially, Vinay received knowledge in vocal/harmonium/tabla from Shafiq Rahman in his teens. After completing his college in both Pre-pharmaceutical science as well as Pre-Law in Delaware, Vinay sought out to learn Santoor in India. In 2011, with blessings and direct guidance of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Vinay began his studies under Takahiro Arai. He later moved back to USA to learn from Kunal Gunjal. To expand his knowledge in music, Vinay has learnt from different Maestros such as Parthasarathi Chatterjee, Jay Gandhiji, Suryaksha Deshpandejii.

Vinay learnt from Pandit Shivkumar Sharma until his passing. Vinay resides in Shanti Mandir, a beautiful Ashram located in Walden, NY.

Tejas Tope

Tejas Tope is an aspiring young Indian percussionist who comes from Long Island New York. Tejas has been learning tabla from Pt. Samir Chatterjee for over 15 years. Additionally, since 2011, Tejas has been attending classes in the Summer with Ustad Zakir Hussain. At Zakirji's invitation, Tejas performed a tabla solo at the Barsi of Ustad Alla Rakha on February 3, 2018 at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai.

Tejas Tope has also been learning Pakhawaj from Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma for the last 5 years. He has also had the opportunity to study with Pandit Manik Munde and Shri Pratap Awad.

Tejas received First prize in the instrumental category from 2005-2011 at the annual Vedic Heritage’s Holi Youth Talent Competition held in Hempstead, Long Island, NY. In the summer of 2006, he played at the 6th Marathi European Sammelan in Almelo, Netherlands, at the 13th BMM Convention in Seattle (June 2007), and 15th BMM Convention in Chicago (July 2011). In October 2007, Tejas had his Rangamanch Pravesh and presented tabla solo as a part of Chhandayan Concert Series. Tejas received first prize in the Swardhara Competition held by Marathi Vishwa of New Jersey in 2010 and 2012. Tejas is recipient of Chhandayan’s most prestigious Jyotsna Award in the student category in 2011.

Aarchik Banerjee - Tabla

Rohan Misra - Sarangi

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a tabla performance by the young tabla maestro Aarchik Banerjee. The concert will also be streamed on-line.

Aarchik Banerjee

Aarchik Banerjee is a rising young Tabla player set to make an independent place for himself in the Hindustani classical music fraternity. Aarchik is born to a family flowing with music, son of Tabla maestro Pandit Subhankar Banerjee and vocalist Smt. Nibedita Banerjee. At the age of eight, Aarchik made his first public performance in Switzerland. His musical prowess has also got him the golden opportunity to accompany legends like Padma Vibhushan Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pt. Naren Dhar, Pt. Basant Kabra, Pt. Debojyoti Bose, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pandit Kushal Das, Vidushi Mita Nag, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, Ustad Amaan Ali Khan, Purbayan Chatterjee and have been lauded by Pt. Shankar Ghosh, Pt. Swapan Chowdhury, Padma. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Pt. Swapan Siva and many others for his spontaneous and steady performance. He has also been fortunate to perform a Tabla solo in the Ali Akbar College of Music, San Francisco and Stanford University, California amongst five other US cities. He has performed in reputed conferences in Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai, noteworthy among which are the Dover Lane Music Conference, Uttarpara Sangeet Chakra, Swara Samrat Festival, Behala Classical Festival, the Ramakrishna Mission Annual Concert on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Aarchik also has a couple of solo albums released, one of which is from “SAREGAMA” HMV where he played a duet with his father.

Aarchik has received prestigious awards like the Telegraph School Awards for ‘Outstanding Talent in Music’ and the Times of India Award for the same. He was also recognized as one of the 11 Kidopreneurs in ‘The Kidopreneur Summit, 2018’. Aarchik is a promising young artist and wishes to whole-heartedly contribute to the immensely rich field of Indian classical music.

Rohan Misra

Rohan Misra is a promising musician, specializing in the unique Indian bowed instrument called the Sarangi (translation: An instrument with a hundred colors). As the son and disciple of great Sarangi virtuoso Pandit Ramesh Misra, Rohan has inherited many of his father-Guru’s specialties, including tonal quality and aesthetic approach.

Rohan Started learning the Sarangi from his father Pandit Ramesh Misra at the age of six. Coming from the family of nine generations of Sarangi players, Rohan aspires to succeed as the 10th generation in his lineage. He also wishes to further his musicality by blending certain aspects of Western music into his heritage of Indian classical music to emerge with a unique musical expression.

Rohan has performed at Carnegie Hall, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., California and North Carolina. He has performed with luminaries such as Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, among others.

Anol Chatterjee - North Indian Vocal

Kausik Banerjee - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening concert of North Indian Vocal Music featuring Anol Chatterjee accompanied by rising tabla player Kausik Banerjee.

Anol Chatterjee

Anol Chatterjee is a rising name in the field of Indian Classical Vocal Music. The flavour of Anol's music is essentially of Patiyala Gharana, the style, which was made popular by the great maestro Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab, but Anol has incorporated the best parts of other Gayakies or styles like Kirana, Jaipur, Agra Benaras etc to establish an attractive & beautiful style of his own. His exceptional sense and command over rhythm has made this Gayaki more unique.

Born to musical parents Shri Mihir Chatterjee and Smt. Madhumita Chatterjee, Anol's early grooming was initiated from his mother and Shri Bishwanath Chowdhury. Soon after it continued successively from Late Ajit Kumar Chakrabarty, Smt. Chandana Chakrabarty, and Shri Shantanu Bhattacharya. Later on, he was fortunate to be the direct disciple of Padmashree Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, the internationally acclaimed Indian vocalist and is still training under his tutelage.

Anol is an ex- scholar of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata. Anol is also a permanent artiste both in Khayal & Ragpradhan in All India Radio, Kolkata. He is an empaneled artiste of I.C.C.R; Govt. of India. Anol Chatterjee received the National Scholarship for Young Artistes from the Ministry of Culture. He also performed at the Yuva Pratibha Sammelan by Sangeet Natak Academy. He stood First in the prestigious Dover Lane Music Competition.

Music apart, Anol also did well in his general academics having passed in the Secondary and Higher Secondary examinations in First Division with Letter Marks. He is a graduate in English Literature and stood First Class First in masters in Music from Rabindra Bharati University.

Anol is an upcoming and promising performer of India. He has performed in a number of concerts throughout West Bengal and outside. Anol has been touring abroad since 2003. He has visited USA, UK, Canada, & Scotland for several times. He has worked as a guest artiste to teach Indian music in SAA UK, an organization, affiliated by The Leeds College of Music, UK. The Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar has expressed his deep hope about Anol's successful musical career after listening to him. Anol is training talented students in Shrutinandan, a renowned music institution for last ten years.

Kausik Banerjee

Kausik Banerjee was born in a musical family. Kausik was initiated to music by his parents. He started his formal training in Tabla playing at the age of four from Shri Chinmoy Midya. Later on, he was blessed to be one of the direct disciples of the legendary Tabla maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee.

Kausik Banerjee is a rising name in the field of Tabla playing. He performs extensively both solo and as an accompanist in India and abroad. He has toured Europe, Iran, Bangladesh for several time. Kausik is blessed to accompany the Sitar maestro Ustad Shujaat Khan. Kausik has performed in a number of prestigious concerts like, Uttarpara Sangeet Chakra, Dover Lane Music Festival, Bhawanipur Sangeet Sammelan, International Arts Festival Bengaluru, Gwalior Music Festival, Tata Tiscon sangeet Manch, ITC Sangeet Sammelan Mumbai, ITC Sangeet Research Academy sangeet sammelan Kolkata. Sangeet Natak Academy in Delhi, NCPA Mumbai, Bishnupur Sangeet Sammelan and Swar Samrat festival Kolkata and many more. He is an "A" graded artiste in All India Radio and Doordarshan. Achievements: Stood 1st in the prestigious All India Music Competition held by the All India Radio and awarded the President Gold Medal. Stood 1st in the Dover Lane Music Competition. Recipient of the National Scholarship, from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Stood 1st Class 1st in master's from Rabindra Bharati University. Recipient of “Nikhil Ghosh Memorial Award " by I.T.C Sangeet Research Academy. Stood 1st at Youth Festival organized by the Government of West Bengal.

Deepsankar Bhattacharjee - Sitar

Samir Chatterjee - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a unique morning concert by Sitar maestro Deepsankar Bhattacharjee accompanied by our founder Samir Chatterjee. The concert will also be streamed live.

Deepsankar Bhattacharjee

“Sur-Moni” Deepsankar, is the fourth generation sitarist of an enlightened musical family. He embarked on his musical journey at a tender age under the tutelage of his father, Pandit Hara Shankar Bhattacharya.He also trained under the watchful guidance of his dadaguru, Padmabhusahan Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan Saheb. 

He is the torch bearer of the Jafferkhani Baaj, a unique style of sitar playing invented and perfected by Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan saheb. He is an impaneled Artist of ICCR. Academic He has a master's degree in computer applications (MCA). 

Among his many accomplishments are
1) Gold Medal from Sarbobharatio Sangeeto-o-Parisad,
2) Scholarship from CCRT,
3) Awarded by Pt.Ravi Kichlu Foundation,
4) Earned the title of “Sur-Moni”,
5) Awarded with Ravi Kopikar Memorial Award from International Foundation for Fine Arts,
6) Won the AIR Music Competition,
7) Awarded by Arobindo Institute of Culture,
8) National Scholarship by Ministry of Culture,
9) Won the classical competition organised by Vedic Heritage in New York,
10) Gold Medal From Harballav Competition, 11) Honoured as Malhar Manishi by Malhar Mahostsav, Ajmeer.
11) Awarded Brahm Dhyanam Purashkar from Sangeet Vidyapeeth Parisad.

He has performed at Baba Harballav Music Festival, All Bengal Music Festival, Ramakrishna Mission Institute, Golpark, Salt Lake Music Festival, NCPA, Mumbai, German Film Festival, Naad Niket Sangeet Sammelan, tribute concert of Ustad Rahman Khan, Delhi Habitat Center, Indian Classical Music talents, Kal-ke-kalakar, Haridas Sangeet Sammelan in Mumbai, Indian Consulate, New York, Berlin, Paris, DenHaag.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso tabla player. He performs and teaches all around the world. He can be heard on numerous recordings as soloist, and with other outstanding musicians from the East and the West. Samir lives in New Jersey and presides over a center for Indian music in midtown Manhattan. Samir teaches at several universities. He performed at the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. He has also performed several times at the UN General Assembly. His compositions and writings are widely acclaimed. Samir played a significant role in the musical revival in Afghanistan. He is the recipient of a few awards such as the Sunshine Award, Jadu Bhatta Award and Acharya Varistha Award.

Sanghamitra Chatterjee - Vocal

Deepsankar Bhattacharjee - Sitar

Samir Chatterjee - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Indian vocal music performed by Sanghamitra Chatterjee, accompanied by Chhandayan’s founder Samir Chatterjee. The concert will also be stremed on-line.

Sanghamitra Chatterjee

Sanghamitra Chatterjee is a versatile singer of a wide variety of Indian songs from different genres. Her array of repertoire includes Bhajan, Ghazal, Dadra, film songs, Rabindra Sangeet (songs of Tagore), Adhunik (modern) Bengali songs, Nazrulgeeti and different types of folk and regional songs in different languages.

She had her lessons in classical singing from Pdt. Usharanjan Mukherjee and Sri Dashu Mukherjee. In non-classical music her training has been under Jatileshwar Mukherjee, Ajoy Das, Prasanta Chowdhury, Nikhil Chatterjee and others. She is an upgraded artist of the national radio and television of India. Her proficiency in Tagore songs has earned her the Sangeet Sudhakar diploma.

Sanghamitra's singing is characterized by high aesthetic quality and technical brilliance. Her sensible scanning of lyric with rendered with her original touches of embellishments, her highly sensitive and involved presentation not only brings out the inner essence of the songs she presents, but also adds a new dimension to their emotional contents. Her voice is gifted with a natural mellifluous quality which inevitably touches her audience. Much of her musical sensibilities have developed under the guidance and influence of her illustrious husband Samir Chatterjee, a musician of outstanding caliber and repute.

Sanghamitra Chatterjee is not only known for her excellence as a solo performer, she has also contributed to several groups such as the Chhandayan ensemble in their productions of Indo-Flame and Nacho-Nacho (blend of Indian and Flamenco dance and music), Dawn to Dusk and Beyond and World Percussion Ensemble; with the Battery Dance Co. of NY in production of Songs of Tagore; with the Kathak Ensemble of NY in Ka-Tap (Kathak and Tap dancing), with Ethos Percussions in Masters of Indian Music series. She has performed in many important places and festivals in the United States such as the Smithsonian Institute, Columbia University, American Museum of Natural History in New York and Washington, DC, Symphony Space in NYC, Wortham Center in Houston, Lotus Music and Dance, Kansas University, Monadnock Festival in Peterborough, New Hampshire, Sun Valley in Idaho, University of South Florida in Tampa etc. Apart from her homeland India and the United States she has also performed in Sri Lanka, Poland, The Bahamas and Kazakhstan.

She has presented master classes at Manhattan School of Music, Raritan Community College and also done several school performances in New York City. Her published recordings in CDs and cassettes are treasured by her audience. Her scholarly contribution includes music reviews to Indian news papers.

Deepsankar Bhattacharjee

“Sur-Moni” Deepsankar is the fourth generation of sitarists from an enlightened musical family. He embarked on his musical journey at a tender age under the tutelage of his father,

Pandit Hara Shankar Bhattacharya and then trained under the watchful guidance of his dadaguru, Padmabhusahan Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan Saheb. He is the torch bearer of the JAFFERKHANI BAAJ, a

unique style of sitar playing invented and perfected by Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan saheb. He has performed throughout Europe and the USA as well as the Indian subcontinent. He is an empanelled Artist of ICCR and also holds a Bachelors and Masters of Computer applications.

He received a Gold Medal from Sarbobharatio Sangeeto-o-Parisad, a Scholarship from CCRT awarded by Pt.Ravi Kichlu Foundation. He earned the title of “Sur-Moni” and was awarded the Ravi Kopikar Memorial Award from the International Foundation for Fine Arts. He won the AIR Music Competition awarded by Arobindo Institute of Culture. He was awarded a National Scholarship by the Ministry of Culture. He won the classical competition organised by Vedic Heritage in New York and a Gold Medal at Harballav Compitition. He was honoured as "Malhar Manishi" by Malhar Mahostsav, Ajmeer and also was awarded Brahm Dhyanam Purashkar from Sangeet Vidyapeeth Parisad.

“Sur-Moni” Deepsankar, a young sitarist born in the year 1986, is the fourth generation sitarist of an enlightened musical family. He embarked on his musical journey at a tender age under the tutelage of his father, Pandit Hara Shankar Bhattacharya.He also trained under the watchful guidance of his dadaguru, Padmabhusahan Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan Saheb . He is the torch bearer of the JAFFERKHANI BAAJ, a unique style of sitar playing invented and perfected by Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan saheb.

Deepsankar has performed at various places in India and abroad. His performances in New York and in various cities of Austria, Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Luxembourg, CzechRepublic,

Netherlands, France, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Spain,Sweden have been highly appreciated by the cognoscenti and the commoners alike. Deepsankar has been awarded by several Gold medals and titles from various organizations all over in the world.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.

Chatterjee began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Mohammad Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.

Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Manilal Nag, Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Ud. Naseeruddin Sami, Smt. Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Ud. Shujat Khan, Ud. Saheed Parvez, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Nishat Khan, Ud. Rashid Khan, Pt. Tejendra N. Mazumdar, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, Smt. Arti Anklekar, Smt. Kaushiki Chakraborty, to name only a few.

Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, Yoko Ono Lenon, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Jerome Harris, Eric Friedlander, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Boby Sanabria, Jin Hi Kim, Min Xiao-Fen, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Ethos Percussion group, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is the composer and director of Indo-Flame – a blend of Indian and Flamenco dance and music, Chhand-Anand - a world percussion ensemble, RabiThakur – a ballet on the life of Tagore, Meghadootam – a feature program of music and dance on an ancient Indian poem, and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond – on the effect of music on humans and nature. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.

Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled A Study of Tabla, a guide book to Indian music titled Music of India and Those Forty Days, a journal of an austere practice regimen. He is on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh and New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. He also taught at the Yale University, Columbia University, New York University and Princeton University, among many other major institutions in the USA, Europe and India. He also contributes to several newspapers and periodicals. He won gold medal for his proficiency in a musical examination and has two Master degrees, in English and History.