Pt. Shashanka Bakshi (b. October 19) began his training at the age of six under the tutelage of Pandit Bhola Prasad, who later sent him to study with the celebrated Pandit Kanai Dutta. After the untimely demise of Pt. Kanai Dutta, he was requested by the legendary tabla maestro Pt. Samta Prasad to become his direct disciple. He continued to receive intensive training from him in the Benares Gharana lineage for the remainder of Pt. Samta Prasad’s life, and is currently the most senior disciple of the great tabla legend.
With a career spanning over six decades, he has accompanied such celebrated artists as Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Ustad Bahadur Khan, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Imrat Khan, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Nishat Khan, Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Daya Shankar, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt. Ronu Majumdar, Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya and Ustad Aashish Khan, along with many others.
He has performed in major music festivals throughout India including the Dover Lane Music Conference, Tansen Sangeet Sammelan, Sadarang Music Conference, Salt Lake Music Festival, Rabindra Bharati Society and Uttarpara Music Conference, and has toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States and the Middle East. He has also taught the art of tabla to numerous dedicated students in India and the United States for several decades. His illustrious performances, intensive training and dedication have established a revered position for him in the lineage of Indian classical musicians.
He currently lives with his family in Kolkata, India but spends 6 months out of the year in Los Angeles, performing live and teaching.