I was born into a warm and vibrant Bengali household nestled in the cultural heart of Lucknow. Ours was a community where poetry lived in the courtyards and music drifted effortlessly through the walls. Singing came naturally to me, as instinctively as breathing. Even as a child, I knew this wasn’t just something I loved. It was something I was.
My formal journey in Hindustani Classical music began at the tender age of five. What started as a simple expression of joy soon turned into a deeper calling.
By the age of ten, I was blessed to win at the State-Level Competition conducted by the Sangeet Natak Academi. Having completed Sangeet Visharad with 1st Division, that same year I was filled with gratitude when I was awarded the National Scholarship by CCRT, Delhi. Soon after, I was honoured with opportunities to sing for Doordarshan and ETV.
Everything was unfolding beautifully on the outside… I was happy. I felt content. But something happened that changed the course completely for me.
And then, one ordinary day, my sister, who is also actually my very first teacher in music, said something to me very casually. I was just four, and she was six:
“We still don’t know anything about music.”
There was no argument. No discussion. But something in me shifted completely. In that one moment, it felt as though a vast ocean opened up in front of me, an ocean waiting to be explored. And I knew very clearly, very honestly that there was so much I did not know. That single sentence stayed with me. It didn’t disturb me. It awakened me.
Since then, I longed not just to sing well, I longed to know music, learn music in its truest form. My heart kept searching for that one Guru — the kind who doesn’t just teach notes, but reveals the silences between them. The kind of Guru who could open the doors to the sacredness I felt when I sang, but could never quite explain. Years passed in that search.
My soul waited…
Meanwhile, I completed my graduation from the prestigious NIFT, Bangalore, and received exciting opportunities with brands like Arvind, Tommy Hilfiger, Pantaloons etc. I quit those to launch my own fashion studio in Bangalore—Smritanjali. I even took up a job in Mumbai, because I wanted to be closer to music, closer to learning, closer to possibilities.
But doing all of this only made one truth clearer: music wasn’t something I could balance. It required full-hearted surrender.During that time, I met many great musicians, many dignitaries in the field.
I learnt from them. I respected them.But something didn’t align.I was learning… but I wasn’t settling.
And then, something extraordinary happened.
My Guruji was scheduled to perform at a concert,
and the sound check was happening that morning.
I made sure I reached the venue early, not for the concert, but for the sound check.
I met him there.He was gracious enough to let me sit with him,and later, even join him for lunch along with the other musicians.
At some point, gathering all my courage,
I requested him, just once, if he could listen to me sing.
When I finally sang for him, he suggested a few very basic practices. Nothing complicated. Nothing dramatic.
Just one session with my Guruji. That was all it took.
There was such immediate clarity within me
that I knew without doubt, this is my Guru.
There was no confusion.
No comparison. No second thought. As though destiny had been listening all along, my childhood dream came true. I received the rare blessing of learning under none other than Guruji Padma Bhushan Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty.
To this day, I cannot fully express what that means to me. That moment marked a turning point.
Just a few years before I began training under Guruji, life led me into another sacred tradition - Indian classical Yoga.
This was not a coincidence. It was preparation.
Meditation and yogic practices opened up dimensions within me that had been quietly waiting to be seen. They gave me the tools to not only observe the external craft of music but to enter its inner sanctum. Yoga helped me see that musical blocks are often just reflections of deeper emotional or energetic patterns. It showed me how life and voice mirror each other.
It was around that time that I quit my profession in the fashion industry and switched full time to my love, my breath, my being - Music. Shortly thereafter, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach at the Isha Home School, an international school nestled within the serene premises of the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore.
Together, music and yoga began to weave a tapestry that has since become the foundation of how I live, how I learn, and how I teach. These practices deepened my experience of life in ways I cannot fully describe. They brought me clarity in chaos. Silence in noise. Meaning in every note.
Today, I can say with all my heart, life itself has become a love affair, one that continues despite the inevitable ups and downs that come our way.
Being the first musician in my family, I know what it means to walk this path from the ground up. There were no inherited techniques or familial shortcuts. I wasn’t a prodigy. I was simply a girl in love with music.
This meant that I never skipped a single lesson. For me, every skill had to be earned. I have had the joy and the honour of imbibing every nuance slowly, deeply, and with immense love.
There is a quiet magic in sculpting your voice with your own hands. When each note becomes an offering, when every breath is trained to carry intention, when you feel your voice evolve alongside your spirit. That is a kind of joy that devoted effort can bring.
My Guruji was endlessly patient with me. He let me move at my own rhythm, guiding with compassion, correcting with kindness. With him, I learned not just how to sing—but how to listen. Not just how to perform—but how to honour the art.
These lessons didn’t just shape my voice. They shaped my values. They taught me how to bow before something greater than myself. They taught me that reverence is the true path to mastery. Learning under him did more than refine my voice. It refined my very being. The grace, the patience, the depth with which he taught—not only answered the questions I had carried for years but also taught me how to find the answers myself.
My musical journey took a significant turn when I moved to Kolkata. I had the rare privilege of staying at the esteemed Shrutinandan and learning under Guruji's guidance. Immersed in this rich musical environment, I experienced a wide variety of class formats and training structures. It wasn’t just the lessons, I was absorbing the atmosphere, the discipline and the ethos of a true Gurukul.
In those years, solitude became my most faithful companion. With no distractions, no need to socialize, I could focus entirely on my practice. Being alone, allowed my music to deepen in ways I could not have imagined. Simply breathing the air of Shrutinandan was a form of learning.
Yet, despite all this, something was missing.
Since I wasn’t part of a batch of music students, although I was absorbing a great deal simply from the environment and my one-on-one learnings, I couldn’t help but notice how students who were part of a batch, sharing routines, goals and struggles seemed to be growing together in ways I wasn’t. Their shared experiences gave them both camaraderie and accountability, a sense of being lifted together.
Music is undoubtedly a solitary journey. A deeply personal and lifelong path that only a few truly dare to walk. But even the most solitary path benefits from the presence of a nurturing community. A space where others understand your silence, celebrate your breakthroughs, and walk beside you, not to interfere, but to support. That’s where likeminded musical communities can offer the much-needed grounding, encouragement, and joy that fuel steady growth.
After years of seeking, learning, and rediscovering music’s true essence, I now hold a vision that is larger than just teaching songs or techniques.
I dream of helping every aspiring soul reconnect with their inner core through the timeless power of Hindustani music - not just as an art form, but as a way of being. A path that is structured yet creative, traditional yet liberating, and above all, deeply healing.
My vision is to build a holistic path for musicians that blends scientific structure, creative freedom and emotional depth, celebrating individuality within a nurturing, vibrant community.
I want to make the authentic knowledge of Hindustani classical music accessible to every sincere learner through a structured and supportive path with precision at its core.
No one should have to lose years searching for a Guru.
No one should have to waste time unlearn and recover from harm caused due to incorrect techniques that create more confusion than clarity.
No one should feel left on their own on a journey meant to elevate the soul. Every sincere seeker should feel the sense of belonging to a nurturing and inspiring community to grow steadily.
This is why I aim to build the world’s most joyful, inspired, and confident community of Hindustani music seekers—a space where learning is not only rigorous, but uplifting, where tradition is not only preserved, but lived, and where each person feels seen, safe, and supported in their musical and spiritual growth. Because Hindustani music is not just for performers. It is for the ones who are quietly seeking their voice
It is for those who wish to return to the stillness they were born with. In this sacred space, you don’t just learn a Raga—you remember who you are.
Music does not speak the language of caste, creed, country, or dogma.
It flows through all living beings.
It moves trees. It quiets dogs. It melts hearts.
I believe this ancient Indian art form holds within it a seed of universal harmony. And through it, we can raise not just singers, but conscious human beings.
As an artist, as a teacher, and as a student for life, I envision using this music as a vehicle to spread deeper awareness about conscious living , about returning to our inner alignment, and about building a more harmonious world for the generations yet to come.
Thank you for reading my story.
It is not just mine anymore.
If something within you stirred while reading this, then perhaps our journeys are meant to cross.
With a deep seated love and longing to reach out,
Suroshri
Performed on Doordarshan
Won the State Level Competition conducted by Sangeet Natak Academy
Performed on a Reality Show on ETV, Lucknow
Awarded the National Scholarship by the CCRT, Govt. of India
