World Music Day 2025: In an exclusive tell-all, classical powerhouse Kaushiki Chakraborty opens up on love, lineage and Pankh
Imagine being 44 and never having tasted ice cream—not because of any ailment or restriction. Nor do you know how sour tamarind tastes—or how satisfying it is to gulp down a puchka dipped in tamarind water—despite being born and brought up in Kolkata. That’s Kaushiki Chakraborty for you, one of the finest Hindustani classical vocalists in the country. One of the most mellifluous voices among the young generation of singers, Kaushiki has carved a distinct niche for herself despite having to live up to the unjustified expectations of the audience for being Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty’s daughter. Having a knack for music since age two, Kaushiki’s first-ever public rendition was a tarana when she was just seven years old. Since then, the chirpy singer has grown musically by leaps and bounds, performing on the world stage with elan, sharing the stage with doyens of classical music.
Always a believer in living in the moment, Kaushiki becomes the first Indian classical artiste ever to come up with a living autobiography in a web series format. The six-episode series called Pankh, slated for release on her YouTube channel on July 11, sees her taking the audience through various phases of her life lived so far, with each episode ending in a song sung by her. The series has been directed by illustrious musician Shantanu Moitra, who has also composed for the same. What’s more, the lyrics for a couple of the six songs have been written by Kaushiki herself. For our World Music Day cover, who else could have been a more fitting subject than Kaushiki? We had an exclusive chat with the sonorous singer on her upcoming series, her growing-up years and the bond she shares with her father, Pt Ajoy Chakraborty, and her husband and vocalist, Parthasarathi Desikan.
Kaushiki also obliged us with an exclusive two-look shoot, donning ensembles from designer Sayantan Sarkar’s latest wedding-festive edit, immaculately captured by photographer Debarshi Sarkar.
Excerpts from the chat.
She’s spent a lifetime perfecting the sur, but now, for World Music Day, Kaushiki Chakraborty takes us backstage—to her childhood, her choices, and her new sonic memoir, Pankh
What was the idea behind Pankh?
The series covers my journey, starting from my roots, my parents, to the journey of learning classical music, and growing up around legends and doyens of music. One needs to be lucky to have that kind of training and at the same time, that training brought me to a phase of my life creatively, where I wanted to dive deeper within myself and find that very unique, authentic creative space and voice, where I wanted to sing what my heart wanted to sing. Pankh is an amalgamation of everything that I heard, learnt, and have been exposed to in life. Everything that came together and gave me my wings. Pankh is a bridge between my roots and wings.
Why did you decide to release an autobiography so early on in life, when there’s still so much more left to do and achieve?
That’s why it’s called a living autobiography. Not only do I talk about my experiences, but I also talk about future possibilities. A living autobiography is a unique concept where writers keep on writing about the things that they think in the moment, and as life progresses, perspectives change, and it offers endless possibilities.
How did musician Shantanu Moitra come in as a collaborator?
We worked together for the first time 13 years back for a song called Lagi Lagi for Coke Studio. I was doing something significant for the first time outside of the classical music world, and I was very stressed, nervous, and unsure. While working, I realised Shantanu, too, has a different bent of mind. I was already a fan of his work, especially the Ab Ke Sawan album with Subha Mudgal, and while making Lagi Lagi, I learnt so much about looking at music from a different perspective, where expression and being in the moment were just as important as understanding your voice sonically, and where it fits and how it fits. It was a great learning experience for me to understand how different kinds of music need different kinds of minds. So, after many years, when I started to think about what I wanted to convey through the series, my discussions with Shantanu started happening, and he got involved in it.
What’s the unique selling point of this series?
There are things I haven’t said till now. The audience will see me as a person beyond the performing artiste, where I lay bare my emotions, conflicts, ideas, fears, losses, and my attachments and anchors in life both creatively and personally. It absolutely opens up a whole new world to the audience to see who I am. Most of us, who are in showbiz, are always working towards perfecting the skill and improving our craft, but we at times don’t even get the time to work on who we truly are. Pankh will take you through that.
So, who’s the real Kaushiki?
I think all of us carry a bit of our childhood in our hearts till we live, and the child in me kind of remembers a different kind of childhood underscored by discipline, structure, and goals. So, I try to relive the naughty part of my childhood along with my son Rishith. When you live for a purpose in life, there’s a price you have to pay. I attended school three times a week. Practising for six to nine hours a day for about 10-15 years was a part of my daily routine. I never attended any parties, never went to theatres, and never had an ice cream in my life. I still don’t know the taste of tamarind or Puchka. Whenever any temptation came in the way of music, I have always overcome it.
Did that hurt as a child?
Not at all, and now, I thank that very discipline since without it I could have never developed the bond I have with music.
Was your father strict or loving?
He was a loving father, but he chose to express all his love through music. Unlike any other father, who cuddles or does trivial things, Baba gave me time and told me stories about musicians and their lives, sang to me, and took me to concerts rather than movies. Now, he says it’s okay to have an ice cream, it’s funny that I don’t feel like having it anymore (laughs).
What kind of relationship do you share with your son Rishith?
It’s very different from the one I had with my dad. For me, Baba was a tall figure who couldn’t fail or do anything wrong. But for Rishith, I am just a normal, flawed person, so that it would take that much pressure away from his chest as a son.
How hard has it been to find your space as a musician, being Ajoy Chakraborty’s daughter?
People who talk about nepotism do not consider the fact that when I was seven years old, while singing a song, my first comparison was with Baba, who was at his peak. Comparing someone with a seasoned and brilliant musician at his peak is so unfair to a child—she can never be good enough. If she sang well, it was normal because she is his daughter, and if she faltered even slightly, people would say, “How could she be so bad being his daughter?” Every fault is bigger than it is, and every achievement is smaller than it is. But as children of such families, we learn to deal with it early on in our lives. Rishith, too, has the burden of two generations. Hence, it’s so much more important for me to liberate him from that burden and make him understand how friendship with music matters beyond everything else.
Do you feel classical artistes are neglected by Bollywood?
If most of the movies revolve around gangsters, anti-socials, and terrorists, where do you find a spot for thumris? Film music is dependent on the story and has to be contextual. There are so many composers dying to create a tune that comes from their hearts but often movies can’t fit in that emotion within their narratives. If songs are driven by films, only a limited type of songs can be experienced within that framework. That’s why independent music and social media platforms open up a whole new possibility for everyone, including us.
Your husband, Parthasarathi Desikan, too, is an accomplished singer. Has that created ego tussles in your relationship?
Not at all. We actually used to be best friends as children. I met my husband when I was two years old and he was eight, and we grew up together, when he used to come for training at our house during summer holidays. My mom made us sit on top of the table and fed us from the same plate. We shared bicycles, toys, balls, and bats and never imagined we would eventually become a couple. And our friends still pull our legs that he got away without proposing to me ever. It happened so naturally. Our personalities are very different. I can be friends with anyone within five seconds, while he is reserved, calm, quiet, and patient. Music was our common love before Rishith happened. For two people to be together, it’s important for both to love the same thing passionately, rather than loving each other. We both loved music passionately—that was the glue that brought us together. I can’t thank the universe enough for giving me a person I can bank on come what may.
Did you ever think of being something else?
I loved dancing and wanted to learn kathak, but someone once told me that tapping your feet against the ground could affect your voice texture, making it husky. So, I left. Later, I wanted to be a lawyer, but my husband says I make up for that at home (laughs).
Is there any contemporary singer you adore?
I love Adele. I saw her live in Las Vegas last year, in October—she’s so authentic, you can hear her soul sing. I also like Celine Dion and Snarky Puppy.