SPOTLIGHT

THE SAROD SISTERS: A RARE AND RISING DUO IN RAAG SANGEET

Sisters Troilee and Moisilee Dutta, apart from having delightfully distinctive names, are exceptional sarod players who are gaining widespread recognition across India.

By MOHAMED KHAKI

Women are a rare breed among instrumentalists in the world of raag sangeet. But sisters Troilee and Moisilee Dutta, apart from having delightfully distinctive names, are exceptional sarod players who are gaining widespread recognition across India.

I first heard the sarodiya Troilee Dutta somewhat unexpectedly in early 2020. I had planned a trip to Shantiniketan to attend the Sarbari Roy Chaudhury Festival and was fortunate to get a ride with Vidushi Arati Ankalikar who was performing that afternoon in Burdwan – about halfway to my destination.

Facebook has long been my go-to repository for post-concert reflections. After Troilee’s recital, I posted:

“There are not many female sarodiyas, so I was really looking forward to this recital. And Troilee did not disappoint – she played a lovely bada khayal in raag Madhuvanti. This was the first time she and tabla nawaz Surojato Roy performed together on stage, yet there was excellent rapport between these young artistes.”

I also added:

“I may be generalizing, but I find that most sarodiyas tend not to engage much with the audience, focusing instead on their instruments, occasionally glancing at their tabla accompanist. Troilee, however, had a very charming stage presence, frequently interacting with both her accompanist and the audience. Such a refreshing change!”

Fast forward three years to a recital by the “Sarod Sisters” – Troilee and her younger sister Moisilee – at the Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata.

This time my Facebook post read:

“…a wonderful recital by Troilee Dutta and sister Moisilee Dutta. I had heard Troilee three years ago in Burdwan, and while that performance was impressive, I was absolutely entranced by their bada khayal in raag Tilak Kamod.”

I went on to confess:

“I’m embarrassed to admit that just last week I was telling a talented young sitarist that Tilak Kamod doesn’t really lend itself to a bada khayal. And here were these two brilliant artistes playing an absolutely beautiful Tilak Kamod! Their second and final piece, in raag Charukeshi, was equally lovely. It was wonderful to see Pandit Partho Sarathy after the concert – he must be so proud of his disciples!”

The seed for the sisters’ Raag-Mala Toronto concert, presented with the Aga Khan Museum, was planted after their Dover Lane recital.

Raag-Mala Toronto is thrilled that the sisters will launch their Canadian tour at the stunning Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium (NFFA) on May 10, accompanied on tabla by Indranil Mallick, a senior disciple of tabla maestro Padma Shri Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri.

“The NFFA is a perfect venue for concerts of raag sangeet,” says Manoshi Chatterjee, Vice President of Raag-Mala Toronto. “It seats 340 but feels intimate, with outstanding acoustics. The Aga Khan Museum has been a wonderful partner in presenting world-class raag sangeet concerts in Toronto.”

After their 2023 DLMC performance, I assumed both sisters were pursuing careers in music. Surprisingly, Moisilee is in her final year of a PhD in physics, specializing in supercapacitors.

When I mentioned to her during a phone call that it must be difficult to juggle a PhD and high-level music performances, she replied:

“Not really – I was listening to my sister play sarod before I was born, so music comes very easily to me.”

Troilee began learning the sarod at age five, on a special instrument made for a child. That same sarod was later passed on to Moisilee when she began learning at seven.

Mohamed Khaki with the Sarod Sisters.

Interestingly, though their parents are avid music lovers, neither is a musician. The sisters developed their talents under the affectionate tutelage of Pandit Kamal Mallick, followed by sitar maestro Pandit Sanjoy Bandopadhyay and sarod virtuoso Pandit Partho Sarathy – under whom they continue to train. Partho ji has performed twice before for Raag-Mala and is slated to appear again at the NFFA in 2026.

And how did the sisters get such distinctive names? Simple: the parents combined names from each side of the family.

Troilee’s name honours their grandmothers, Pavitra Rani and Shefallee, while Moisilee’s name comes from their grandfathers’ names – Murari and Shisheer.

Lovers of raag sangeet are in for a real treat with this two-hour concert of evening raags, performed by these uniquely gifted sisters.

When and Where: May 10, Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium, Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Drive, Toronto. Details and tickets: www.agakhanmuseum.org.

• Mohamed Khaki is Director of Programming for Raag-Mala Toronto.