Dear Friends and Family,

Our dear friend and teacher, tabla maestro Abhijit Banerjee, was recently diagnosed with and underwent surgery for glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive brain cancer.

On November 16th of last year, Abhijit sought medical evaluation after experiencing symptoms of unsteadiness and was admitted to Loma Linda University Medical Center. He was immediately diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery to remove it on November 18th. Surgeons removed a 7cm tumor and pathology reports subsequently confirmed that it was GBM.

Abhijit and his family (son Tito and wife Suparna) were understandably devastated by the news, yet are meeting this moment with remarkable strength and composure as they navigate a difficult and unfamiliar path ahead. Abhijit has already canceled a concert tour of India and several other upcoming concerts, losing his livelihood as a working musician while facing several months of radiation and chemo therapies, with additional surgeries also possible.

This will be a long and difficult journey for Abhijit, Suparna, and Tito, and we want to support them in the best way we can. No one expected this or was prepared for it. Tito is faced with a sudden responsibility at a young age, while Suparna is learning to drive for the first time so she can better support Abhijit. The family will still need additional support to cover the steep medical and therapy costs, as well as lost income. Your donation will allow the family to focus on getting the best treatment possible for his cancer and ease Abhijit’s worries about the future.

Abhijit has enriched all our lives as a friend, teacher, and master musician. He has performed all over the world and released many albums. Besides his prolific individual career, he has given so much back to the communities around him. In Kolkata, India, he established a music school for the visually challenged. In Southern California, he established and teaches at the Dhwani Academy for Percussion; he also helps bring world-class musicians to SoCal through the Global View and Next Wave series of concerts.

Thank you for your generosity and compassion. If you are able, a donation of any size will help ease the financial strain on Abhijit and his family, allowing them to focus fully on treatment and recovery. Sharing this campaign is just as meaningful, and we are deeply grateful for all forms of support. Through this campaign, we hope Abhijit and his family feel the deep love, care, and solidarity of the many students, colleagues, and friends whose lives he has touched. While Abhijit is too humble to ask for anyone’s help, we hope to show that he is loved and supported by people all over the world.