Mouli Chakrabarti’s musical journey began at home, in a family where music was part of everyday life. Her mother was a classical sitar artist. Her grandfather, Ramkrishna Chakraborty, was a fellow student of the same guru as sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.
First lessons, first performance
Mouli began learning Hindustani classical vocal music from her mother at the age of three. At five, she gave her first public performance: an early step into a tradition that asks for curiosity, discipline and a lifetime of listening. She later continued her musical education with Smt. Gowri Dasgupta.
By the age of twelve, she had completed the foundational stages of her initial training and was performing live on stage. Those early years laid the groundwork for a deeper and more demanding musical education.
A defining chapter in Kolkata
A major turning point came with Mouli’s move from Chennai to Kolkata, where she met Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty. Mouli trained with him for twelve years. During this period, her studies included khayal and thumri, as well as elements of dhrupad.
These forms offer different ways of approaching the voice and the raga. Khayal provides space for expansive melodic development and rhythmic invention; thumri brings close attention to poetic expression and emotional nuance; dhrupad is associated with a measured, deeply structured approach to raga. Together, they suggest a broad and varied field of study rather than a single fixed style.
Listening as a continuing practice
Hindustani classical music grows through sustained practice, attentive listening and the close study of musical detail. A raga is introduced gradually, its characteristic phrases explored and its mood developed through melody and rhythm. The performance is both grounded in tradition and shaped by the choices made in the moment.
Selected recordings include Rag Yaman, Rag Jaunpuri, Rag Bageshree and a thumri in Rag Maanjh Khamaj. Explore these performances on the Videos page.
On stage and beyond
Live performance creates a shared space between artist and audience. Whether presented in a concert hall or as part of a cultural programme, Indian classical vocal music invites listeners to follow the gradual unfolding of a raga and to notice the relationship between voice, rhythm and silence.
For concert invitations, collaborations, interviews and media enquiries, please use the contact details on this website. Event organisers are encouraged to include the proposed date, location, programme format and expected duration so that the enquiry can be considered with the relevant context.
