Mukundraj Deo

Mukundraj Deo comes from a family deeply connected with Indian classical music and dance. His artistic foundation was shaped by early inspiration from his mother, Dr. Manjiri Deo, a noted Kathak dancer trained under Natraj Gopikrishna, and his father, Shreeram Deo, a committed admirer of the performing arts. He underwent rigorous tabla training under the late Pandit Brijraj Mishra of the Banaras Gharana and Pandit Mridangraj of the Ajrada Gharana, gaining command over diverse stylistic traditions.

He completed his Sangeet Visharad and Alankaar in tabla with first-class honors from the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya and also holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce. His talent was recognized with a National Scholarship from the Government of India in 1990, the prestigious Taalmani title from Sursingar Samsad, Mumbai, in 1993, and a National Fellowship in 1997. He is an ‘A’-grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan and was recently conferred the title Pandit by Savarkar Seva Sanstha, Thane.

Mukundraj Deo has accompanied legendary maestros, including Pandit Birju Maharaj, Dr. Prabha Atre, Begum Parveen Sultana, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Dilshad Khan, Pandit Jasraj, Dr. N. Rajam, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Ramnarayan, Rahul Sharma, and Pandit Ronu Majumdar, among many others. His international performances span the USA, UK, Europe, Japan, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East, including major global music festivals.

In addition to performance, he is the author of a Marathi book on tabla titled Susamvad Tablyashi, reflecting his commitment to pedagogy and scholarship alongside performance.