Kumar Bose

Kumar Bose
Background information
Born (1953-04-04) 4 April 1953 (age 73)
OriginKolkata, West Bengal, India
GenreHindustani classical music
Occupationsclassical musician, composer
InstrumentTabla

Kumar Bose (born 4 April 1953) is an Indian tabla musician and composer of Hindustani classical music. A leading exponent of the Benares gharana, he is the son and disciple of Pandit Biswanath Bose and later trained under the legendary Pandit Kishan Maharaj.

His style is noted for its power and clarity, spanning across classical, semi-classical, and fusion genres. In 2026, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, for his distinguished service to the arts.

Family

Bose was born in Kolkata in a musical family. His father, Biswanath Bose, a tabla player, taught him his first lessons in rhythm.

His mother Vidushi Bharati Bose was a sitarist and disciple of Dabir Khan and Ali Akbar Khan Bharati received several awards in her career, including recognition as an All India Radio Artist and the President's Award for Best Sitar Performance in 1956. She guided her son with the basic forms of classical music and helped him to groom himself into professional tabla player.[citation needed]

His brother Acharya Jayanta Bose is an internationally reputed composer, lyrist, harmonium soloist, tabla player and singer, while his brother Debojyoti Bose is a sarod player and music director.[citation needed]

Music career

Bose's first teacher was his father. After his father's death, he was taught by Padma Vibhushan Pandit Kishan Maharaj (Varanasi) (1923–2008).

Performances

Bose gave his first public performance at the age of 4. By 14, he performed abroad and has played at almost every major music halls in the world since. He has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican Centre in London, the Kremlin in Moscow, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Carnegie Hall in New York, and at various venues throughout India. In addition to that, Kumar Bose performed at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada in 2019 for the Raag-Mala Music Society of Toronto.

Achievements

Discography

CDs released are

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Metro | Timeout". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Classical Artists in the 2026 Padma Honours List". Indian Classical Network. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Tabla Maestro Pandit Kumar Bose in Concert". Aga Khan Museum. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  4. ↑ "The Telegraph - Calcutta : At Leisure". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "Remembering Padmabibhushan Pandit Kishan Maharaj(Varanasi)". Archived from the original on 30 May 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
  6. ↑ "Tabla Maestro Pandit Kumar Bose in Concert". Aga Khan Museum. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "The Hindu : Friday Review Delhi / Music : Winners'Januarycc". www.hindu.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2022.