Biography
Samanwaya Sarkar is a sitarist and a Surbahar player shaped by classical training and years of dedicated practice. He has received international recognition as the first Indian classical musician to receive the
Bravo International Award (Moscow)
, and national honours including the National Award and President’s Award
. Graded A by All India Radio and Doordarshan (2006)
, his music combines deep lineage with a reflective, attentive approach to raag.Samanwaya began his training with
Pt. Sasanka Bandopadhyaya of the Senia Gharana
, continuing with Pt. Manilal Nag, Pt. Shyamal Chatterjee, and Pt. Kumar Prasad Mukherjee
, exploring the Senia Maihar, Bishnupur, and Agra Atrauli
traditions. Under Padma Vibhushan Girija Devi
, he studied vocal forms including khayal, thumri, tappa, and tapp khayal integrating their phrasing and subtlety into his sitar playing.Behind each chapter of his artistic and personal growth stands his father,
Sri Swapan Kumar Sarkar
- a disciple of Sri Lalit Mohan Sanyal
, senior student of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
- whose guidance shaped his path in music, arts, and sports alike.He has performed across India at festivals including
Sawai Gandharva, Saptak, Swar Mangesh, and Swar Samrat
, as well as internationally at venues such as Elbphilharmonie (Germany), Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), WOMAD (UK), the Sitar Festival (Russia), and Sharq Taronalari (Uzbekistan)
, where he was recognised by UNESCO
.Beyond performance, Samanwaya co-directed the National Award winning documentary
Girija: A Lifetime in Music
and has released the albums IRIDESCENT (Ragaranga, USA) and SAMVAAD (Times Music)
, focusing on careful, attentive raag development and rhythm.