Meet Suchismita and Debopriya Chatterjee, the first women flautists of Hindustani classical music

Every January, Vivekananda Hall at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture (RMIC), Kolkata, comes alive with music as part of Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary celebrations. This year too, RMIC organised a day-long event to celebrate Swami Vivekananda’s 163rd birth anniversary — including a duet by violinist Kala Ramnath and vainika Jayanti Kumaresh.

Music lovers, who looked forward to veteran flautist Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia to give his annual ‘haziri’ (he has been a regular at the event) were disappointed. Unfortunately, his physical condition forced him to step back. Instead, the Chatterjee sisters — Suchismita and Debopriya — his senior disciples, performed at the event. The audience was surprised to see the sisters on stage with the flute, an instrument rarely associated with women in Hindustani classical music, though it has long found resonance with women musicians in the Carnatic tradition.

The Chatterjee sisters, accompanied by Ojas Adhiya, looked resplendent as they delivered Shuddh Sarang with impressive command, concluding the morning session on a luminous note. The opening of their concert — unlike that of their legendary guru — was less mysterious, more precise and sparkled sparkling like their beautifully eyes. Yet, their technique and musical thought carried the imprint of their master.

During a chat after the concert, the duo said they feel blessed to have participated in the event that for the first time had women musicians perform.

The sisters performing at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture at Swami Vivekananda’s 163rd birth anniversary celebration
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Special Arrangement

Debopriya shared that their journey was never defined by their gender. “Our vocalist-parents, Pt Robin Chatterjee and Krishna, were settled in Allahabad. They encouraged us to learn to play the flute in late 1980s when there were no female flautists in Hindustani music. Pt Bholanath Prasanna ji and later our guruji (Hariprasad Chaurasia) were more than happy to have us as their disciples and there has never been any discrimination. ”

Debopriya then reflected on why the flute has been a male-dominated domain. “Even the sitar, sarod and percussion instruments were played by very few women musicians earlier, let alone wind instruments such as the flute or the shehnai. Actually, the flute is not as simple as it looks. It demands immense lung power.”

When reminded about what Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia’s had said that the flute is a simple instrument and easy to play, the sisters laughed and said, “It is the simplicity of the instrument that makes it difficult too. It has no strings, wires, frets or pegs to tune it. It’s just a hollow piece of bamboo with holes drilled into it. One needs tremendous practice to master it. Guruji also says that to be able to play the flute, you need to be tuneful from within.”

Debopriya also spoke about their efforts to bring classical music to newer audiences. “Recently, we performed at a mall. The idea was to take classical music to the public, especially youngsters. Unlike film music, classical music often requires a conscious decision even to listen to it. While it has traditionally appealed to a niche audience, its charm and relevance have remained timeless.”