Daud Khan Sadozai

A double bill featuring a performance of traditional Afghan classical and folk music by the eminent rabab master
Daud Khan Sadozai, accompanied by tabla maestro Sanju Sahai, followed by an immersive journey through Hindustani classical ragas by acclaimed sarod maestro Arnab Chakrabarty.

Widely regarded as one of the foremost exponents of the Afghan rabab—considered the direct forerunner of the
Indian sarod—Daud Khan brings a rare depth of expression to his instrument. A disciple of the legendary Ustad
Mohammed Omar and later a student of sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, he bridges Afghan and Indian musical lineages with nuanced artistry. Now based in Germany, he continues to perform and teach internationally.

Sarod maestro Arnab Chakrabarty is a disciple of three towering figures of the instrument —Pandit Buddhadev
Dasgupta, Dr. Kalyan Mukherjea, and Ustad Irfan Muhammad Khan. Chakrabarty brings to the stage a deeply
informed and highly individual voice within the Shahjahanpur Gharana. Renowned for his deeply expressive
improvisation and lyrical command of the sarod - a fretless, plucked lute integral to Hindustani art music -
Chakrabarty will render a traditional solo performance comprising alaap (melodic elaboration) and gats (fixed
compositions), accompanied on tabla by the virtuoso Pandit Sanju Sahai of the Benares Gharana. Often described as a raga storyteller of uncommon depth, Chakrabarty’s performances unfold like cinematic narratives
—rich in detail, subtle in development, and alive with unexpected turns. In his hands, the sarod becomes a medium through which raga becomes not merely heard but deeply experienced.