Pt. Shiv Das Chakravorty - Sarod Player

Name: Shiv Das Chakravorty
Age: 56
Place of birth: Varanasi (but from a Bengali family), India.
Studies: Graduate at Gorakphur University.


Pandit Shiv Das Chakravorty, eminent sarod player is a disciple of Pandit Jotin Battacharia, great maestro of this music and disciple of Ustad Baba Allaudin Khan Sahib.


Born in 1951, Shiv Das was educated at the same school (Bengali Tola Inter College, Varanasi) as Pandit Ravi Shankar and Pt. A Jotin Battacharia and he was a brilliant student, becoming very popular between both teachers and students.  He used to accompany his father, big lover of Hindustani music, to all concerts, falling himself in love with it.

In 1969 he started his musical studies with a great rabab player (rabab is an old kind of sarod from Afghanistan): KhoKhan Babu, disciple of Ustad Amir Khan Sahib (sarod player).

Saroj Kumar Battacharia, another musician from Varanasi, offered Shiv Das the opportunity to learn sarod with him and play in the orchestra he belonged to. He accepted and, in a little time, started to perform with them.

He once played with the great dancer Amala Shankar, Udai Shankar’s (Ravi Shankar’s brother) wife, who congratulated him for his performance.

From 1970 Shiv Das life revolved on music: the more he was learning, the more he could enjoy it and, attending all concerts, he had the opportunity to hear the greatest performers of Hindustani music: Ali Akbar Khan, Nikhil Benarjee, Ravi Shankar, Amir Khan (singer)…
He saw Pandit Jotin Batacharia many times in Varanassi, but he never tried to talk to him, as he appeared to be a very serious man.
Shiv Das got good qualifications at the school, being rewarded with a scholarship, and with this money he bought a second hand sarod.

Looking for a deeper musical knowledge he took sarod lessons with Pandit Rajesh Moitira.

It was in 1972 when, after reading in a newspaper about the delicate health of Baba Alauddin Khan, he decided to go to his house but it was already too late to become disciple of him: lying in bed, Baba Alauddin Khan told him to join Jotin Battacharia, in Varanasi, and study with him “nobody can teach you the secrets of our gharana better than him” he told him.

After 40 years, Pandit Shiv Das Chakravorty continues learning from his guru, Jotin Battacharia, who is now 83 years old.

In 1982, after ten years studying indian classical music, he had the opportunity to perform alone at Sankat Muchan Festival, in Varanasi.

His career started then,as he was approved by All India Radio to perform radiophonic concerts, taking him to the most important citys and festivals of India.

In 1985 he played at Kal-ky Kala-kar, young talent festival in Bombay, where he had a great success.
In 1986 he performed again in Bombay, at Hari Das festival.

In 2000 he achieved level A at All India Radio, being approved then to perform at national programs.