About
Kaushiki Chakraborty, born 24 October 1980 in Kolkata, is a leading Hindustani classical vocalist of the Patiala gharana. The daughter and foremost disciple of Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, she was a child prodigy who grew up at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, graduating in 2004, and also trained in Carnatic music. Her repertoire spans khayal, thumri, dadra, kajri, chaiti and bhajan, delivered with a three-and-a-half-octave range.
Chakraborty won the BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music in 2005 for her album Pure and the Sangeet Natak Akademi's Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2010. She founded Sakhi, a pioneering all-women classical ensemble, conceived Remembering the Divas for the NCPA Aadi Anant festival in 2024-25, and runs the digital learning platform Music & Us. She performs at the leading Indian and international festivals, including the Darbar Festival, where she headlined at the Royal Albert Hall in 2025.
The artistry
Chakraborty sings the Patiala gayaki with a voice of exceptional range and control, balancing virtuosic taans with intellectual rigour and emotional depth. She has adapted the gharana, tailored historically to the male voice, to her own instrument, and moves fluently between mature khayal vistaars and charged thumri.
Chakraborty is a rare combination of deep classical authority and mainstream draw. For a host she offers a pure khayal recital, a semi-classical thumri evening, or a curated ensemble like Sakhi or Remembering the Divas. Her festival pedigree, from Sawai Gandharva to the Royal Albert Hall, makes her a marquee classical booking. [Atlas Assessment]
A defining voice of contemporary Hindustani music who has expanded both the artistry of the Patiala tradition and the place of women within it.