Sura Susso & Debasmita Bhattacharya

Master musicians Sura Susso and Debasmita Bhattacharya come together for a rare duo performance, playing traditional instruments and weaving melodies inspired by West African and Northern Indian music, and everywhere in between. Bhattacharya is heralded as one of India’s most celebrated performers, while Sura Susso has earned an equivalent accolade within West African music. They bring together ancient and modern harmonies, interlinking the symbolic cultural connections of the instruments and their traditions.

Sura Susso & Debasmita Bhattacharya present Melodies across Continents – This magical duo enthrals listeners with their traditional instruments (West African kora, Indian Sarod and vocals) and improvised melodies, as they lead audiences on a journey across continents, melding sounds from West Africa to Northern India and everywhere in between.

Debasmita Bhattacharya, a virtuoso sarod player, is heralded as one of India’s most celebrated performers in the world of Indian classical music, while Sura Susso attracts an equivalent accolade within West African music for his exquisite talent and memorising performances on the West African harp – the kora.

The creative journey for Melodies Across Continents has been a very special one. Debasmita approached Sura, having watched him perform solo at Darbar Festival, UK via the online stream from India and their first in person meeting was in Delhi in 2019. Sura – sensing a special musical connection from a few brief conversations and online content of Debasmita’s beautiful voice and incredible talents on the sarod – invited Debasmita to perform with him at the Gambian High Commission in Delhi. From here, they spent seven months composing and performing together on the world stage in Dubai at Expo 2020, where this musical exploration blossomed.

Sura and Debasmita blend ancient and modern harmonies seamlessly together, interlinking the symbolic cultural connections of the instruments and their traditions. This collaboration acts as a catalyst in growing and strengthening the cultural landscape of the visible ecology of world music and promoting harmony, inclusivity and diversity.