Rakesh Chaurasia & Purbayan Chatterjee strike a note of togetherness in Kolkata

There’s a certain electricity to a Kolkata audience that even the most seasoned musicians don’t take lightly , something both Rakesh Chaurasia and Purbayan Chatterjee acknowledged as they took the stage at Dhana Dhanya Auditorium for a concert that balanced rigour with warmth. The concert marked the opening of their Saath Saath tour and also spotlighted young musicians, including Shikhar Naad Qureshi on the djembe, Ojas Ojha on the tabla, and Rakesh’s son, Ritik Chaurasia, accompanying him on the flute.

Purbayan Chatterjee

Music, mischief and a shared stage

If the music was precise, the mood was anything but stiff. Between compositions, the duo slipped into banter, letting the audience in on their camaraderie. “I come for the music but I also come for the jokes,” Purbayan laughed, promising more through the evening. From playful exchanges to spontaneous audience moments, the concert felt less like a formal recital and more like a shared experience. Even the structure reflected that ease, short alaap, jod, and compositions flowed into one another, while requests, laughter and on-stage asides kept breaking the fourth wall. At its heart, the evening was about connection, not just between artistes, but with the audience.

‘Two different, but it sounds one’

That connection stems from contrast. “The sitar and the flute are complementary instruments,” Purbayan explained. “The sitar… has a high attack. The flute has long sustain. So we can complement each other.” “Sometimes I play very rhythmic phrases and he sustains and gives a sense of serenity.” Both trace their lineage to the Maihar gharana, through gurus including Hariprasad Chaurasia, which gives them a shared musical vocabulary. “Some compositions, bandishes, approaches to ragas are the same,” Purbayan said. “And we bring two different instruments… in a manner that it sounds like one instrument.” Rakesh summed it up simply: “It’s very contrasting. That’s why it’s two different, but it sounds one.”

Why Kolkata had to come first

For a tour built on togetherness, Kolkata was a deliberate starting point. “Kolkata is the first concert,” Purbayan said. “And also the people of Kolkata love classical music. I think this is the appropriate city to start with.” Rakesh agreed, calling it a city that makes artistes “think twice” on stage. “There’s a musical audience… knowledgeable about classical and semi-classical music. So it’s always tense and enjoyment at the same time.” That mix of pressure and passion carried through the evening, and perhaps explained why Saath Saath began here. Because in Kolkata, even maestros admit it: the audience keeps you on your toes.