Radhika Mohan Maitra Biography 
Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra was an accomplished and influential sarod player who lived in Bengal in the 20th century. He has also done many compositions. He belonged to a zamindar family with strong music background, and Buddhadev Das Gupta, Dilshad Khan and Mohammed Amir Khan belong to the same family, who has succeeded in the field of Indian classic music. Radhika was the first guru of Buddhadev Das Gupta. He received Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1971, and is also a recipient of the title Sangeetacharya. He was a noted musicologist who wrote several books on music.
He was born in 1917. His family had many musicians. His grandfather, Lalit Mohan Maitra was a tabla player. His father, Brajendra Mohan was a sarod player, and his mother played sitar. Famous musician Mohammed Amir Khan (1873-1934) was his grandfather who introduced him to the world of sarod. Apart from sarod he also learnt other music instruments and vocals. He completed Master’s in philosophy and LLB and was a noted musicologist. As a sarod player he rose to prominence in the 1950s after the death of his guru.
He performed for radio stations apart from live concerts in India and abroad. He used to perform in foreign nations in cultural delegations organised by the Government of India. He used to teach students referred by his brilliant students. Buddhadeva Dasgupta is among his most prominent students, an encyclopaedia of rare compositions. It was Buddhadeva’s guru who inspired him to leave a career in mechanical engineering to pursue a career is sarod. Towards the last phase of his life, he concentrated on to teaching and avoided foreign tours after 1975. He passed away in 1981.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 19, 2016
