An evening of Afghan classical and folk music and Hindustani classical ragas with eminent musicians Ustad Daud Khan Sadozai, Pandit Sanju Sahai and acclaimed sarod maestro Pandit Arnab Chakrabarty.

The evening opens with a performance of traditional Afghan classical and folk music, rooted in raga-based forms, by the eminent rabab master Daud Khan Sadozai, accompanied by tabla maestro Sanju Sahai. Widely regarded as one of the foremost exponents of the Afghan rabab—considered the direct forerunner of the Indian sarod—Daud Khan brings a rare depth of expression to his instrument. A disciple of the legendary Ustad Mohammed Omar and later a student of sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, he bridges Afghan and Indian musical lineages with nuanced artistry. Now based in Germany, he continues to perform and teach internationally.

The second recital in this double-bill concert presents an immersive journey through Hindustani classical ragas by acclaimed sarod maestro Arnab Chakrabarty. A disciple of three towering figures of the sarod—Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, Dr. Kalyan Mukherjea, and Ustad Irfan Muhammad Khan—Chakrabarty brings to the stage a deeply informed and highly individual voice within the Shahjahanpur Gharana.

Renowned for his deeply expressive improvisation and lyrical command of the sarod—a fretless, plucked lute integral to Hindustani art music—Chakrabarty will render a traditional solo performance comprising alaap (melodic elaboration) and gats (fixed compositions), accompanied on tabla by the virtuoso Pandit Sanju Sahai of the Benares Gharana.

Often described as a raga storyteller of uncommon depth, Chakrabarty’s performances unfold like cinematic narratives—rich in detail, subtle in development, and alive with unexpected turns. In his hands, the sarod becomes a medium through which raga becomes not merely heard but deeply experienced.

This event will last approximately 2 hours, including an interval.

About Arnab Chakrabarty

Trained in the traditional Lucknow and Shahjahanpur gharanas, Chakrabarty has had the good fortune to study with some of the most erudite luminaries of the sarod, like Dr Kalyan Mukherjea, Ustad Irfan Muhammad Khan and Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta. His music displays a wonderfully subtle amalgamation of his gurus, catalysed by his own unceasing quest for blending skill with emotion, virtuosity with affect.

Arnab has been performing all over the world since 1998. He has toured nearly 35 countries and given more than 850 professional concerts. He has performed at some of the most coveted international concert halls and festivals.

About Daud Khan Sadozai

Daud Khan was born in Kabul to a family of music lovers who patronized the arts in the Afghan capital. Upon hearing the rubab on the waves of Radio Afghanistan at home, he took a growing interest in the instrument, and at 17 got accepted among the disciples of Ustad Mohammad Omar, the “Sultan of Rubab”; the maestro celebrated for greatly developing the art of rubab into a soloist instrument with its own classical repertoire, as well as interpreting folk melodies from the whole country in a unique, beautiful style. The knowledge of playing the rubab, as well as the fine-tuning of its finest elements has become rare, and only a few artists keep the tradition of the classical rubab pioneered by Ustad Mohammad Omar in Kabul. Daud Khan has dedicated his life to preserving the authentic style of his master’s school.

About Sanju Sahai

Precise, powerful, and intricately funky, Pandit Sanju ‘Vishnu’ Sahai embodies the Benares tabla gharana. As the sixth generation of his family’s illustrious musical lineage, he was born into rhythm. His talent was recognised early – at age 9 he was playing major festivals, and completed his music degree at 13 with a Masters following at 18. He has spent a lifetime immersed in rhythm, taking his tabla around the world.

He is mindful of diluting classical tabla styles, but this has not stopped him taking them into a breathtaking array of contexts. Alongside accompanying top Hindustani musicians he has collaborated with artists spanning flamenco and jazz to opera and Gregorian chant. He has played in schools and prisons as well as for the Queen, and tutors tabla at SOAS in London. Today, he lives in the UK, but travels the globe as a star accompanist and soloist.