Purbayan Chatterjee: Sitar is having a moment of resurgence

Pandit Yogesh Samsi and Purbayan Chatterjee in performance. PICS COURTESY/PURBAYAN CHATTERJEE ON YOUTUBE

Whether Indian Classical music is on your playlist or not, it's been hard to ignore Purbayan Chatterjee, and the unmistakable presence of his sitar this year. Following international jam sessions with the likes of Dream Theater, Steven Wilson, and Snarky Puppy, the globe-trotting maestro will now turn homeward, opening 2026 in Mumbai.

Guy Bernfeld

The concert, Sitar Stories, brings together an ensemble featuring Mark Lettieri, the five-time Grammy Award-winning guitarist and core member of Snarky Puppy, alongside Pandit Yogesh Samsi, Grammy-nominated musician Varijashree Venugopal, Stephen Devassy, and Shravan Samsi. For Mumbaikars, the concert offers an exclusive peek into Chatterjee's upcoming album with Lettieri, Feathered Creatures.

Excerpts from the interview.

What is the origin story behind The Sitar Stories?
In 2024, I released an album titled Sitar Stories which followed the instrument's journey across time. From playing my father's Surbahar (bass sitar) that I brought to Mumbai from Kolkata, to jamming with young musicians on the e-sitar, Pandit Samsi laid the rhythmic foundation for the album on the tabla. More recently, I've been working with Mark Lettieri on a new album [after an onstage collaboration with Snarky Puppy in 2023] that marks a foray into electronica. I've become close friends with these musicians over time. This first performance of the year sits at the cusp where the two albums converge.

Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy (left) jams with Purbayan Chatterjee

Tell us about the upcoming album, Feathered Creatures
We've dived headfirst into Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and electronica. The first single will be out in April 2026 through Snarky Puppy's label GroundUP Music. When you hear snippets of it at the Mumbai show, you'll notice the distinct grand cinematic production, and Lettieri's jazzy riffs shine through. I'm excited to see how younger audiences like this fusion of genres. It will speak directly to the Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences in a language they are already familiar with. Come 2027, we plan to tour with the album across the USA.

Fusion seems to be the buzzword no one can get enough of. What makes a good fusion track, in your opinion?
It's true that fusion has become everybody's go-to. That's partly because we're growing dissatisfied with a limited range of frequencies, at a time when music is more accessible than ever. For instance, when I'm in Spain listening to flamenco, or watching Guy Bernfeld lay down a groovy bassline, my instinct is to respond with the sitar. That genuine impulse is at the heart of good fusion. It has to be a call-and-response conversation that works both ways, as opposed to a one-sided, forced effort.

Varijashree Venugopal and Stephen Devassy

The West's fascination with the sitar is not new; it drew The Beatles to India. With the way international artistes have brought the instrument onstage in 2025, are we looking at a new wave?
Sitar is definitely having a moment of resurgence in the mainstream music space. If The Beatles' visit in 1968 was a watershed moment for the instrument, what we're seeing now is light seeping through a new crack beginning to emerge. It is a cue for me, and younger sitarists, to ride that wave. After my student Megha Rawoot collaborated with Ed Sheeran earlier this year, I also started an ongoing email correspondence with him. He's keen on knowing more about Indian Classical music. Closer to home, Arijit Singh is also embracing the sitar. He's an exceptional instrumentalist. 2026 looks exciting, to say the least.

ON January 3; 7.30 pm
AT The Grand Theatre, NMACC, Bandra Kurla Complex.
LOG ON TO in.bookmyshow.com
ENTRY Rs 1500