Subhen Chatterjee

Pandit Subhen Chatterjee was born on September 26, 1962, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He began his training on the tabla in childhood, studying under tabla legend Pandit Swapan Chowdhury of the Lucknow Gharana. While his foundational style is rooted in the Lucknow school, Subhen went on to learn the intricacies and beauty of other gharanas, incorporating them into his playing and developing a uniquely distinctive style.

A highly sought-after accompanist, Subhen has performed with many of the greatest names in Hindustani classical music, including Padmabhushan Smt. Girija Devi, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Smt. Sobha Gurtu, Ustad Rashid Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ustad Ashish Khan, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Pandit Manilal Nag, Ustad Ali Ahmed Hussain Khan, Pandit Rajan-Sajan Misra, Pandit Ronu Mazumder, and Pandit Chitresh Das, among others.

In 1985, Subhen founded KARMA, one of India's first and most prominent fusion bands, and the first of its kind from eastern India. He has been a regular performer at WOMAD (World Organisation of Music and Dance), collaborating with international artists such as Paul Horn and David Crosby. Since 2001, he has also collaborated with percussionist Sivamani to form the fusion ensemble Friends of Drums (F.O.D.), aimed at helping lesser-known talented musicians share the stage with renowned artists.

His album Artistry (a live recording in Kansas City with Manilal Nag on sitar and Ramesh Mishra on sarangi) was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002. His fusion album Bandish Fusion was nominated for the JPF Music Awards in 2006/2008. In 2012, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest single performance by the largest number of musicians live on stage, when he composed and performed a non-stop piece for approximately 55–60 minutes with over 300 musicians in Jorhat, Assam, India.

Among his many awards are the Jadu Bhatta Award from the Salt Lake Music Conference (2006), Honorary Citizenship from the State of Alabama, USA (2013), the Sangeet Samman Award from the West Bengal State Government (2021), the Acharya Gyan Prokash Ghosh Award, and the Pride of Bengal Award (2024).