Kushal Das - Sitar

Kushal Das - sitar
Samir Chatterjee - tabla

Sitting: Open seating in designated rows.
Dress Code: Casual, comfortable, decent.
Food and beverage: No food and beverage are allowed inside the auditorium. 
CHHANDAYAN'S PROGRAMS ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE.

Kushal Das 

Kushal Das, a north Indian solo sitarist was born to a highly enriched musical family of Kolkata. His grandfather Late Shri Bimal Chandra Das was a renowned Esraj player and his father and uncle are both sitarists of high repute. His father Shri Sailen Das is a disciple of Pt. Lakshman Bhattacharya. Later he became a disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar. His uncle Shri Santanu Das is a disciple of Late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Kushal started his talim from the age of five under the guidance of his uncle and father. Later He received intensive and rigorous training in advanced sitar techniques and the art of creating music under the affectionate guidance of Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, a renowned sitar maestro and academician. Kushal is also proud for having the privilege of learning from great musicians like Late Pt. Ajoy Sinha Roy, vocal lessons from Pt. Manas Chakraborty (Kotali Gharana) and Late Pt. Ramkrishna Basu. 

With a profound knowledge of music and raga improvisation Kushal is now considered to be one of the foremost torchbearers of the tradition of Indian Classical Instrumental Music. The critics and connoisseurs have acknowledged him as a worthy successor of his idol, the legendary maestro Late Pt. Nikhil Banerjee. His concerts are always marked for their aesthetic appeal and insight with a fine command of technical expertise. With maturity as his forte Kushal has the predominant virtue of Indian heritage and music. An A-rated musician of All India Radio and Television, he is a recipient of Sangeet Visharad from Pracheen Kala Kendra of Chandigarh and Suramani from Sur Singar Samsad of Mumbai.

Kushal has participated in most of the major concert festivals in India. His tours abroad since 1987, which includes USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Bangladesh were marked with outstanding success and audience appreciation.

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.