Ayan Sengupta

Ayan Sengupta’s sitar style expertly blends the vocalistic turns of his gurus, who include singers such as Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty as well as esteemed sitarists Pandit Manilal Nag, Pandit Partha Chatterjee, and Pandit Kushal Das. He also learned from his grandfather, another vocalist (after receiving his first scholarship he gifted his grandson some biryani, but cautioned him, saying “This is your gift. But, don’t think what you’ve achieved is the end. This is just the beginning. You have to practice more...”).

As a youngster he enjoyed success in local competitions, and in 2007 won the All India Radio youth sitar competition. Aged 21 the station awarded him an ‘A’ grade rating, making him one of the first sitarists born in the 1990s to achieve this accolade. He currently studies as a scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, while also pursuing a Masters degree in Music.

Though still young, he is starting to receive acclaim for his growing international touring schedule, debuting in London in early 2019. Outside of classical music he has participated in a 'fusion reality TV show', #LifeIsMusic, alongside artists such as Taufiq Qureshi, Purbayan Chatterjee, and Indian jazz godfather Louis Banks.

"My grandfather was a very learned and good singer...At some point in his career, he developed a throat problem and he had to stop singing. That really hurt him. That’s when he decided that he would make his grandson a musician, but he wouldn’t let him be a vocalist. He was afraid that something similar may happen to me."

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