Indian classical sitarist of the Maihar Gharana who was regarded as a legend of Indian classical music. He was profoundly influenced by khyal singer Amir Khan.
He was a pupil of the great sarod player Baba Allauddin Khan. He was hired by All India Radio when he was nine, becoming one of the youngest Musicians ever employed by the company.
He would often rise during his years of training at four in the morning to begin practicing and continue throughout the day until he went to bed at 11.
His father Jitendranath Banerjee was an amateur sitarist. He survived three heart attacks, but died from a fourth one on his daughter's birthday in January 1986.
He and Ravi Shankar were considered to be two of the greatest sitarists of the 20th century.
