I grew up in a family where music, art and culture were very important. My father was a government officer, but he was also a theatre personality. My mother was a housewife and learned vocals & sitar as well as Indian classical dance. So, we never had a choice when it came to learning music – that’s how it is in many Indian families.

Avra Banerjee. Photo supplied

I have a twin brother. He started learning sitar, and I was put into vocal lessons for about a year. Seeing my brother play sitar, I was wanted to pick up an instrument myself. At that age, I had no idea how tough these instruments are; it just looked like fun. My mother felt I should start on the sarod, and I started with a very small instrument when I was about 10 or 11.

Very soon I realised how difficult it is. The sarod is a fretless instrument – you don’t know exactly where you’re putting your fingers – and the training and learning process is very complicated. Instead of the “fun” I’d hoped for, my mother pushed me to practise for a couple of hours every day.

My own...