Aditya Kalyanpur

Born on July 21, 1978 in Mumbai, Pandit Aditya Kalyanpur showed an extraordinary affinity for rhythm from early childhood. Not from a musician's family, he was the first in his household to pursue music professionally. At age five, he began formal training under the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha, and later continued under Ustad Zakir Hussain, becoming an official disciple through the traditional ganda-bandhan ceremony. His stage debut came at age eight, and he gained national recognition at age eleven through his performance alongside Zakir Hussain in the iconic "Wah Taj!" television commercial.

His performing career has been distinguished by collaborations with some of the greatest names in Indian classical music, including Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Dr. Prabha Atre, Pandit N. Rajam, and Ustad Shahid Parvez. He is credited as the inventor of the "Tik" technique, now widely adopted by tabla players worldwide.

Beyond classical music, Kalyanpur toured with A.R. Rahman's JAI HO World Tour, was featured on Katy Perry's "Legendary Lovers" (from Prism, 2013), and recorded with Keith Richards and saxophonist Tim Ries. In 2008, he founded the New England School of Music (NESOM) in Boston, which has grown to over 100 students. He also established the Shyamal Music Foundation in Mumbai in memory of his late mother, raising funds for cancer patients through benefit concerts.