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When Nikhil Banerjee died in 1986, India didn't just lose one of its greatest sitar players, but one of its most influential classical musicians. A former child prodigy who won the All-Bengal sitar competition at the age of nine, Banerjee grew up to earn international acclaim as a highly skilled musician. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Banerjee's "technique is a phenomenon, faster than cheetahs, more secure than the dollar." Music And Musicians observed that "his improvisations always sound completely natural and spontaneous.." In an obituary published after his death, The New York Times wrote "the extraordinary fluidity and assurance of his rhythmic ideas and phrasing set a standard that would have left the more international 'stars' of Indian music behind." The son of an amateur musician, Banerjee was fascinated by his father's playing. Although he wanted to try his hand at an instrument as early as the age of four, he was discouraged by his father and grandfather. At th...