The Art of Teaching—Subhranil’s Way

In a time when learning is often reduced to 55-minute time-boxed sessions, checklists, and faster outcome-driven classes, Shri Subhranil Sarkar’s approach to teaching Indian classical music stands as a quiet rebellion — a return to depth, sincerity, and spiritual connection. His method isn’t just about playing the sitar; it is about awakening the musical soul through discipline, devotion, and inner reflection.

Where Sound Meets

With over three decades of dedicated research, intense riyaaz, performance, and instrument craftsmanship, Subhranil Sarkar has immersed himself in the many dimensions of the sitar — its aesthetic grace, historical depth, tonal richness, and structural subtleties. His teaching flows from this vast inner reservoir, offering each student a rare and holistic journey into the living heart of Hindustani classical music.

Learning & Listening, Teaching as Initiation

His sessions are quiet explorations — unhurried, contemplative, and deeply personal. Here, the focus is on depth and clarity. Each intricacy is treated not as a task to be executed but as a being to be listened to, absorbed, and lovingly rendered. This is not instruction. It is initiation.

Subhranil believes that every student is unique. His teaching is personalized — aligned with the learner’s aptitude, temperament, and intent. Whether one is tracing their first stroke or refining the subtlest meend or gamak, his guidance remains patient, precise, and unwavering.

The Sitar as a Living Companion

What sets his pedagogy apart is his rare expertise in sitar craftsmanship. Having studied its construction and acoustics for over two decades, he guides each student to bond with their instrument — not as an object, but as a partner in expression. Through detailed understanding of jawari, wood, gourd shape, and string tension, he helps each learner find their perfect sound.

Walking the Timeless Path

To learn under Shri Subhranil Sarkar is to walk an ancient path — where silence is as valued as sound, and patience is the first raag. His is a teaching not meant just for performers, but for seekers — those who yearn to experience the sitar as a vessel of the soul, and Indian classical music as a way of life.