Hariprasad Chaurasia, Flautist
Flautist

Hariprasad Chaurasia

Born 1 July 1938 · Uttar Pradesh

Popularizing the bansuri flute in Hindustani classical music and composing for Indian cinema.

Hariprasad Chaurasia is an Indian music director and classical flautist, who plays the bansuri, in the Hindustani classical tradition.

✨

A detail that
surprised us

“

Annapurna Devi only agreed to teach Hariprasad Chaurasia after he committed to playing the bansuri left-handed, a technique he still uses decades later.

The Story

1
In 1957, Hariprasad Chaurasia joined All India Radio in Cuttack, Odisha, marking the start of his professional career as a composer and performer in Hindustani classical music.
2
🎵 Between 1960 and 1968, he studied under the reclusive Annapurna Devi, who demanded he unlearn all previous flute techniques and switch to playing left-handed as proof of commitment; he retains this left-handed style today.
3In the 1980s, Chaurasia collaborated with sitar virtuoso Shivkumar Sharma to form the duo 'Shiv-Hari', composing the soundtracks for iconic Bollywood films like Silsila (1981) and Chandni (1989).
4🌿 In 2006 and 2010, he established the Vrindavan Gurukul schools in Mumbai and Bhubaneswar, dedicated to teaching the bansuri through the traditional Guru-shishya parampara without charging students for accommodation.

🏅 Awards & Honours

1992
Padma Bhushan
2000
Padma Vibhushan

🔍 One thing most people don't know

“

Despite his father's wish for him to become a wrestler, Hariprasad secretly learned music at a friend's house from the age of six, after his mother passed away.

🖼️

Through the Years

5 photographs from the archives
Hariprasad Chaurasia playing the bansuri, the North Indian bamboo flute (1988).
Hariprasad Chaurasia playing the bansuri, the North Indian bamboo flute (1988).
1988
Indian flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia with vocalist Neyyattinkara Vasudevan (2011).
Hariprasad Chaurasia at Bhubaneswar, Odisha during a musical event (2011).
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia playing the flute at Rajarani Music Festival in Bhubaneswar (2015).
Hariprasad Chaurasia and Bhavani Shankar performing at Bharat Bhavan Bhopal during Uttar Pradesh Mahotsav (2015).

🗓️ A Life in Moments

🕊️
Birth
Born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
Hariprasad Chaurasia was born in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), beginning the life of a future bansuri maestro.
1938
⚡
Career
Joined All India Radio, Cuttack
Started working as a composer and performer, marking his entry into professional music.
1957
📚
Education
Began tutelage under Annapurna Devi
Started rigorous training with Annapurna Devi, changing his flute technique to left-handed playing.
c.1960
⚡
Career
Composed for film Silsila with Shiv-Hari
Collaborated with Shivkumar Sharma to compose music for the Bollywood film Silsila.
1981
⚡
Career
Founded Vrindavan Gurukul, Mumbai
Established a traditional music school focused on bansuri training using the Guru-shishya parampara.
2006
⚡
Career
Opened Vrindavan Gurukul, Bhubaneswar
Expanded his teaching legacy by founding another Gurukul dedicated to bansuri in Odisha.
2010
More moments to come...
+ Add a moment

🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 04
🔍LESSER KNOWN

He switched to playing the bansuri left-handed only after Annapurna Devi agreed to teach him, a rare example of a musician fundamentally changing technique mid-career.

02 / 04
🌍HISTORICAL IMPACT

Chaurasia played bansuri on The Beatles' 1968 track 'The Inner Light', connecting Indian classical music with Western rock at a pivotal moment.

03 / 04
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

His Vrindavan Gurukul schools provide free accommodation to students, supported by patrons who fund the traditional Guru-shishya parampara teaching method.

“

"I was not any good at wrestling. I went there only to please my father. But maybe because of the strength and stamina I built up then, I'm able to play the bansuri even to this day."

— Hariprasad Chaurasia

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons
Interview With Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia | Indian flutist | Hindustani Classical Music
More from this archive
Interview With Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia | Indian flutist | Hindustani Classical Music
01
Interview With Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia | Indian flutist | Hindustani Classical Music
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Exclusive Interview | FLUTE | Odisha 365
02
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Exclusive Interview | FLUTE | Odisha 365
Shakhsiyat with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
03
Shakhsiyat with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Padma Vibhushan & Classical Flautist Hari Prasad Chaurasia & His Odisha Connection
04
Padma Vibhushan & Classical Flautist Hari Prasad Chaurasia & His Odisha Connection
I still feel I am a student of music: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
05
I still feel I am a student of music: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia - Talking about his guru, Annapurna Devi
06
Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia - Talking about his guru, Annapurna Devi
INTERVIEW WITH PT HARIPRASAD CHAURASIA | @DDBanglaTV #ddbangla
07
INTERVIEW WITH PT HARIPRASAD CHAURASIA | @DDBanglaTV #ddbangla
Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia talks about music in India @ Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida
08
Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia talks about music in India @ Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida
Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia Explaining | HISTORY of Flute/ Bansuri | Making of Flute/ Bansuri
09
Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia Explaining | HISTORY of Flute/ Bansuri | Making of Flute/ Bansuri
Interview with Pt.Hariprasad Chaurasia
10
Interview with Pt.Hariprasad Chaurasia

🌱 What changed because of them

Hariprasad Chaurasia revitalized the art of the bansuri within Hindustani classical music, influencing generations through his Vrindavan Gurukul institutions in Mumbai and Bhubaneswar. His collaborations with Bollywood and Western musicians introduced the bansuri to international audiences, expanding its musical contexts beyond traditional classical performances. His pedagogical approach preserves the Guru-shishya parampara, ensuring authentic transmission of flute technique and musical philosophy.

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