Patiala singer Kaushiki Chakraborty discusses the role of the tanpura, ubiquitous as the rich sonic backdrop to Indian classical performances of the North and South.

Kaushiki Chakraborty’s astonishing vocal technique is the result of years of intense training. She spent much of her childhood living at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, one of India’s premiere music institutions, while her father Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty worked there. Staff at the academy are said to recall how she would respond to melodic phrases at six months old, and how she was singing tarana and bhajan before the age of two. Quickly hailed as a prodigy, she entered the concert arena early to great acclaim, performing widely while also earning a Masters in Philosophy from Calcutta University.

She hails from the Patiala gharana, known for a strong Islamic influence and elaborate melodic ornamentation, and is one of the first female singers from her tradition to receive international recognition. Today she mainly focuses on classical music, but has also sung in films and recorded popular songs. She also leads Sakhi, a diverse group of female musicians and dancers, and explains that the project “is about understanding, from a female perspective, the diverse culture of India through all its traditional musical forms.”

The interview is part of ‘Musical Wonders of India’ curated by Darbar and the V&A Museum in London.