Pankaj Kumar Choudhury

Pankaj Kumar Choudhury is an A graded artiste of All India Radio and TV and has given performances in the National Programme of music. He has attended numerous music conferences in India and accompanied eminent musicians like late Pandit Jagdish Prasad, Vidushi Sulochana Brihaspati, Pandit Narendra Nath Dhar, Pandit Sunil Kant Gupta of Mumbai, and many others.

His accompaniment is highly appreciated by both musicians and listeners. He has also been invited by the American Cultural Centre for accompaniment with famous artiste late Ustad Sharafat Hussain Khan who was also highly pleased by his accompaniment. He was born in Assam in a music-loving family. He started learning table at the age of 7 from his father late Pratap Chandra Choudhury.

In 1978 under the Music Talent Search Competition of Assam, he received a National Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and took admission in Bhatkhande College, Lucknow. Standing first in his M.A. in Music, he received training under Pandit Ram Kumar Sharma of Banaras. Later he learnt table from KHALIFA of Lucknow Gharana Ustad Afaque Hussain Khan. He also assisted Professor Jim Kippen, a research scholar of Toronto University, for his book Tabla of Lucknow Gharana that was published by Cambridge University press.