The sisters now in their early 30s have fond memories of their early training with Chaurasia. "When we were teenagers we would go to Panditji on weekends. He would make us feel special," recalls Suchismita. "Even today we are under his shadow," she adds.
"Panditji said the more he understood music, the greater he realised that there was much more to achieve. You can imagine where that places us. He is like an oak tree and we, mere saplings," says Debopriya on a lyrical note.
Both sisters assert that there is no competition between them when they take the stage. As Debopriya says, "We complement each other."
The undoubted harmony between the siblings was apparent at the recent concert. Suchismita and Debopriya began the evening with Raga Yaman which the former describes as a "Sampuran or complete raga. It is like a woman -- beautiful, simple and complete." The concluding piece was Raga Pahari, the signature tune of Chaurasia which he always plays at the end of a concert. "Pahari raga is a very popular folk tune and the audience always calls for Panditji to play it," says Suchismita.