Debopriya And Suchismita Chatterjee: 'Back Then There Was No Female Flautist, Scenario Is Now Changing', Say 'Flute Sisters'

Sometimes, all you need in life is music — the soothing sound of a flute or the melodic interplay of a jugalbandi that touches the soul. 

We recently spoke to Debopriya and Suchismita Chatterjee, fondly known as the "Flute Sisters." Their performances are nothing short of a meditative experience, and their musical journey is a story you’ll want to hear. 

The musical duo recently performed at , an Indian instrumental music festival presented by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai.

“It’s a very special concert because it’s purely instrumental and dedicated to women,” the flautists shared, highlighting that the event had an all-female lineup showcasing accomplished women instrumentalists reshaping the classical music landscape. 

Check out the full interview below

Reflecting on their own beginnings, Debopriya shared, “When we started learning the flute, there was actually no other lady playing this instrument. We didn’t have any female flute players we could look up to. I don’t know why, but back then, nobody really considered that women could play the flute.”

Pt Bhola Guru ji; Flute sisters with Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia

"Our gurus never questioned why we, two women, were interested in flute", the sisters said while sharing a cherished memory with Bhola guru ji: "The very next day we approached him to learn, he came with two small flutes which would fit our hands, and said Chalo Lalli, Utto, Humko Abhi Bajana Hai Aur Rehearse Karna Hai (Come Lalli, get up, we need to play and rehearse now)". 

Noting that the sisters were born in Prayagraj and inherit the Senia Gharana lineage, we asked them about the significance of gharanas in Indian classical music and whether musicians can explore beyond the essence of their own gharana.

"Gharanas are different schools of music. Those days when the commuting was less, people were more rigid about each school... We never faced any restrictions", Debopriya shared. "With time and tradition and the modern generation, it is all about striking a balance because whatever you do, you need to be connected to your roots like enjoying homely Dal Chawal at the end of the day", Suchismita added. 

Describing the details, Suchismita told us that certain ragas, like Majh Khamaj, are deeply associated with specific schools of music. “This raga essentially comes from Baba Alauddin Khan Saheb, and it was passed on to his daughter Annapurna Devi, then Ravi Shankarji and our Guruji. So, it is very typical of their gharana. Kamaj is a very authentic raga, but then Majh Kamaj is something a little different”, the flautist explains. 

She mentioned that Guruji’s music (Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia’s) evolved significantly due to the technique of the bamboo flute (bansuri), an instrument that spans just one and a half to two octaves. She reflected that the focus, initially, was about exploring what artists could do with the limited notes, what kinds of techniques could be involved — only then did the influence of gharanas come into play. 

“There are different scales of flute. For every note like C, D, E, F, and G, the length varies. The more baser the tone becomes, the bigger the flute is, and the smaller the flute is, the sharper is its pitch”, Suchismita explained while noting they play the E base concert flute, which is a little more than 2 feet. 

For the 'Flute Sisters', playing the instrument is a way of living their father Robin Chatterjee’s (Sursen) unfulfilled dream. Though he was a trained vocalist, he was discouraged from pursuing wind instruments. His daughters carried that dream forward — becoming the celebrated flautists the world knows today.