Kushal Das

Kushal Das (born 1959, Kolkata) is one of the leading sitar and surbahar players of contemporary Hindustani classical music. He comes from a distinguished musical lineage—his grandfather Bimal Chandra Das was an esraj player, while his father Sailen Das and uncle Santanu Das were respected sitarists.

He received advanced sitar training under Prof. Sanjoy Banerjee and Pt. Ajoy Sinha Roy, which later deepened his understanding of raga through vocal training with Pt. Manas Chakraborty and Ramkrishna Basu. His style reflects strong influence from Nikhil Banerjee and the Maihar repertoire, while also absorbing aesthetic elements associated with Ustad Vilayat Khan.

Since 2002, he has also performed on the surbahar, expanding his interpretative range in alap and dhrupad-ang exposition. A top-grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan, he has performed at major Indian music festivals and internationally across Europe, North America, and Asia.

His appearances at the Darbar Festival (2010, 2014, 2017, 2021) further established his reputation among global audiences. Over the years, he has collaborated with prominent percussionists, including Satyajit Talwalkar and Pt. Kumar Bose.

Kushal Das’s music is characterized by detailed raga architecture, balanced layakari, and a melodic approach that blends tradition with individual expression.