Purbayan Chatterjee

About

Internationally renowned sitar maestro globally acclaimed for his mastery of Hindustani classical music as well as his revolutionary fusion with alternative, modern genres from around the world. His career as both a recording and performing artist spans over the course of several decades, beginning officially with his 1999 debut album, "Horizon." His discography also features a multitude of immensely successful projects, including "Lehar," which maintained its designation as a bestseller for over a year and a half following its release in 2008, and "Stringstruck," which was declared Best World Music Album at Iraa Palm Expo in 2009.

Before fame

He began studying the sitar from a young age, with training from his father, celebrated sitarist Parthapratim Chatterjee. He also belongs to the prestigious Senia Maihar Gharana. When he was only 15 years old, he was honored with the Rashtrapati Award for being the Best Instrumentalist of the Country.

Trivia

Among his numerous career accolades, he has received the Aditya Vikram Birla Award for his musical excellence and contributions as well as the Rotary International Rasoi Award. Outside of his work as a sitar maestro, he has also performed as a vocalist in duet with renowned composer Shankar Mahadevan.

Family life

As the son of renowned sitarist Parthapratim Chatterjee, he received mentorship and influence from his father throughout his artistic development. He married Sanghita Chatterjee in 2002 before the pair later divorced in 2013. In 2016, he remarried to Indian playback singer Gayatri Asokan. He is the father of one son, Pratham Chatterjee, who has upheld his family's distinguished lineage of sitarists. The two have shared the stage at several live performances including at the Utsaah 2026 event.

Associated with

His 2013 anthem, "Tomake Chai Bole Banchi (I live as I yearn for you)," was composed as a tribute to Kolkata, created with the hope of making his hometown the first city to have its own official anthem. In addition to his original composition, the anthem also features Hindi and Bengali lyrics by Srijato and English lyrics by Bickram Ghosh.