Nikhil Banerjee was born in Calcutta into a Brahmin family, where music as a profession was discouraged, although his father, Jitendranath Banerjee, who was a Sitarist by his hobby, taught him on the instrument. Young Nikhil grew into a child prodigy, won an All-Bengal Sitar Competition at the age of 9 and soon was playing for All India Radio. At the time, his sister was a student of khyal great Amir Khan, who became a life-long influence. Jitendranath approached Mushtaq Ali Khan to take the boy as a student, and Banerjee learned with him for his initial training. In 1947 Banerjee met Allauddin Khan, who was to become his main guru along with his son Ali Akbar Khan. Both were sarod players. Banerjee went to Allaudin Khan’s concerts and followed him around, and in the end even went so far as to threaten to kill himself if he was not accepted as a disciple. Allauddin Khan did not want to take on more students, but changed his mind after listening to one of Banerjee’s radio broadcasts. After a short period of time spent with Allauddin Khan in Maihar, Banerjee went to study with his son Ali Akbar Khan for the rest of his training.


After Maihar, Banerjee embarked on a concert career that was to take him to all corners of the world and last right up to his death. All through his life he kept taking lessons from Allauddin and his children, Ali Akbar and Annapurna Devi. Perhaps reflecting his early upbringing, he always remained a humble musician, and was content with much less limelight than a player of his stature could have vied for. For him, music-making was a spiritual rather than a worldly path.[2] Even so, in 1968, he was decorated with the Padma Shri and posthumously received also the Padma Bhushan; at the time of his death by heart attack, he was a faculty member at the Ali Akbar College of Music in Calcutta. Nikhil Banerjee disliked teaching, and hence does not have any significant students. There are a few sitar players who are presently performing around the world who claim to be his students or disciples; they are not ‘disciples’ in the true sense. According to many sources close to Banerjee, he might give a lesson here or there to a dedicated student, but that was all. And considering the rigors of the guru-shishiya (master-disciple) relationship, one cannot say that Banerjee had any ’students’. Although he recorded extensively, the studio environment made Banerjee nervous. Not so the concert hall; his live albums, many of which were brought out around the turn of the 21st Century by Raga Records in New York, are widely considered to be the finest documents of his playing. Today, he is regarded as one of the greatest traditional sitarists of the 20th century.

His interpretation of ragas was usually traditional although he would some times take liberties with the raga in a moment of inspiration. Some people say he created a raga Manomanjari of his own, mixing ideas from Kalavati and Marwa, while other attribute it to Allaudin Khan.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Metasyntactic variable”.

Now a days I am feeling that there are more Rock and English Music Listener as compare to Indian Classical Music.Even the Bollywood Songs are also now a days made on Western Music.May be one of the reason is not so many people have any information about our music.That is the reason I am trying to explain the basic flow of the Indian Classical Music.My most of the explanation will be in context of North Indian Classical Music.

So here is the flow of North Indian Classical Music.There are basically 6 Parts in order

1. Alaap
2. Jod Zala
3. Bada Khayal
4. Chhota Khayal
5. Zala
6. Dhun (In Light Rag)

1 Alaap Alaap is a part where artist explain the Rag.He introduces one by one notationas/swars in alaap.Every Rag is having its own individual Vadi/Sanvadi Swars(Main notations),Pakkad(Main combination of the notations) and rules.So Artist will play the rag with all its properties in mind. He uses different combinations to show the beauty of Rag. Alaap normally starts with Mandra Saptak(Lower Octave) mostly with Madhyam or Pancham.Gradually artist will introduce new notations and move towards the Taar Saptak(Higher Octave).And finally completes by coming back to the Sa of the Madhya Saptak (Middle Octave).Thus he tries to put his thoughts about Rag through Alaap. Please note that Its completely an Individual and spontaneous creation,and there is no pre-composed or prepared playing.

For the reference I am putting few Videos of Alaap here.

First Video is of Pandit Nikhil Benerjee Playing alap on Sitar in Rag Bhim Palasi

Second Video is of Ustaad Sahid Parvez Again alap On Sitar and Rag is Bhairavi

Please share your views.For any Help please write a comment I will try to help as much as I can.I am graduate(Sangeet Visharad) in North Indian Classical Music.
To be Continued

Fagun V Pandya