Partha Chatterjee- sitarist from India.

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PARTHA CHATTERJEE

Since he was in high school Partha Chatterjee felt fascinated with Raga Music which was very much there in the family. From his mother Smt Rama Chatterjee who was a regular performer in the Radio and Television since the fifties. He learned vocal music which gave him the right foundation in the study of "bandish" raag -development and structural knowledge. His father Late Sri Prabir Kumar Chatterjee, an amateur sitar player, gave him his initial lessons in sitar and subsequently took him to the sitar maestro Late Pt. Nikhil Banerjee. Nikhilji's proper acceptance, however, came after some days of tests and trials.

For well over twelve years Partha was privileged to remain under the guidance of this great musician of the Senia Maihar Gharana, which originated from the great Ustad Allaudin Khan who had imbibed the essence of this heritage directly from the Senia Ustad Wazir KhanShahib.

Nikihilji's divine and soulful music took hold of his mind so much so that focusing on every aspect of it became his life time determination from which he does not want to waver till his last days. After the sudden and premature exit of his Guru in 1986 Partha was affectionately offered a place at the feet of the great exponent of his Gharana Ustad Ali Akbar Khanshahib who was also Nikhilji's teacher. Khanshahib taught him intensively whenever Partho got the chance to sit with him. He gave him the opportunity to come to the United States every summer to study with him and teach in his school.

Meanwhile Partha had gone ahead in his career as a concert artiste and a teacher engaged in promoting the cause of Indian Raga Music all over the world. He performed in Radio. TV and in many of the music festivals in India. South Asia. Europe and the United States. He performed in the Festival of India held in Basel. Switzerland in 1987. For three years he took up an assignment of Indian Council For Cultural Relations. Govt. Of India and played a key role in projecting the image of Indian Music over there. Since the past seven years he has been regularly teaching under the auspices of SARASWATI PROJECT. Germany. Ali Akbar College Of Music. U.S.A as a visiting faculty and gave innumerable lectures and demonstrations in several Universities. Museums and Centers for study of Asian art and culture.

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