Pandit Manohar Chimote (27 March 1929 - 9 September 2012) was a prominent Samvadini player. It will be not be an exaggeration to say that it was Pandit Manohar Chimote who laid the foundation of solo harmonium - Samvadini playing in the field of Hindustani Classical Music. He made it his life mission to elevate harmonium – an instrument of Western import – to a level of full fledged of solo instrument on par with the sitar, the sarod. the flute and shehnai. Having Indianised harmonium, he renamed it as SAMVADINI in early seventies. 

The empress of Patiala Gayaki, Vidushi Meera Banerjee passed away on the night of June 27, 2012. Born in Meerut on 28th March 1930, Vidushi Meera Banerjee was initiated into music by her musicologist father, Shailendra Kumar Chatterjee. This was followed by a brief period of training under Pandit Chinmoy Lahiri.

Tehkikaat is a Hindi crime thriller series which became very popular when it was aired in the year 1994. It starred Vijay Anand and Saurabh Shukla as the popular detective duo playing the characters of Sam D’Silva and Gopichand. The format of the show is as such, that each episode is a new crime scene investigation and it is played out with gripping suspense, intense action and with a touch of humour. The show worked primarily because of the chemistry between the lead actors of Vijay Anand and Saurabh Shukla.

The history of music education in India dates back to the ancient period when all education was imparted in Gurukulas and Ashrams of great Saints and  Rishi-Munis. The system of modern institutionalization of education in a graded, time-bound structure was ushered in by the British rulers from the mid-nineteenth century. Indian music education was brought and structured in this system in the beginning of the twentieth century.

The Ali Akbar College of Music offers education in the classical music of North India at the highest professional level. Our primary instructors have studied with the legendary sarode master, Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, for many years and teach alongside our tabla master, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. At the college, students learn the necessary musical skills, knowledge and understanding to contribute significantly to musical life. Our international student body ranges from beginner to accomplished professional. Facilities include several practice rooms, classrooms and a concert hall.