Seventeen-year-old Koustav Roy, a student of DAV Public School, Kolkata, is a gifted sarod player whose musical journey began at the age of four under the guidance of Atanu Chatterjee. Today, he is the youngest senior scholar at the prestigious ITC Sangeet Research Academy, where he continues his training under sarod maestro Abir Hossain.
Koustav’s exceptional talent was recently recognised with The Telegraph Online Edugraph 18 Under 18 Awards 2025. Reflecting on the honour, he shared, “Winning the award was an honorable and memorable moment for me. I felt a wave of joy while taking the award representing myself, my Guruji, my parents and my school. I feel like it's just the beginning of my musical journey where there's yet miles to unfold. I would really like to express my gratitude to the judges for giving me this great honour.”
Koustav has performed at some of the country’s most esteemed classical music platforms, including the Malhar Festival and ITC Sangeet Sammelan, earning admiration for his depth, maturity and command over the instrument. His talent has been recognised with numerous accolades, most notably the Sri Shanmukhananda Bharat Ratna Dr MS Subbulakshmi Fellowship, alongside several gold medals in national-level competitions.
Koustav’s aspirations go beyond national acclaim. Sharing his future goals, Koustav said, “As an Indian Classical Sarod player, my future aspiration is to take my contributions to the Indian Classical Music at a global stage. I wish to take my music to all of the people of the world and try my best to make them aware and love the pure melodies of Indian Classical Music.”
One of the standout moments of the 18 Under 18 Awards for Koustav was meeting Dr. Shashi Tharoor, whom he calls one of his idols.
“It was such an honour to meet one of the idols of my life, Dr. Sashi Tharoor.. which was truly a moment I would cherish throughout my life. Another memorable moment of the ceremony was getting to meet and know my fellow awardees and finalists. My interactions with them made me aspire even more to work hard and achieve the goals of my life when I heard their stories too.”
What sets Koustav apart is not just his musical brilliance, but also his ability to balance it with academics, scoring an impressive 92 percent in his CBSE Class X exams. With dedication, discipline, and a deep passion for Indian classical music, Koustav Roy is emerging as one of the most promising young instrumentalists of his generation.