Purbayan Chatterjee, born on September 12, 1976 in India, is a sitarist known for blending traditional Indian classical music with contemporary world music genres. He began his musical journey under the tutelage of his father, Parthapratim Chatterjee, and was inspired by the sound of Pt. Nikhil Banerjee. At age 15, Chatterjee received the Rashtrapati Award for being the Best Instrumentalist of the country. His early career included performances as a solo artist and collaborations with groups such as Shastriya Syndicate and Stringstruck. In 2008, his album Lehar became a bestseller, remaining at Number 1 on the Planet M and rhythm house charts for six months. Chatterjee's fusion album Stringstruck, released in 2009, featured collaborations with Shankar Mahadevan, Taufiq Qureshi, Rakesh Chaurasia, and Atul Raninga, earning the IRAA Palm Expo Award for Best World Music Album of the Year. He also composed an anthem for Kolkata titled "Tomake Chai Bole Banchi" in 2013.
