With Just a Guitar & a Dream, This 15-YO Is Turning Kolkata’s Park Street Into His First Stage
On a breezy afternoon in Kolkata, where café chatter blends with honking yellow taxis and the scent of old books and fresh kathi rolls lingers in the air, a heartwarming scene was spotted on Park Street few weeks ago. A boy with a guitar stood still amid the bustle. He wasn’t busking for fame or spectacle. He played because it was the one thing that made him feel alive and the one thing that brought him closer to his dream of studying at the Berklee College of Music in the United States
As his fingers moved across the strings and his voice wove through the street noise, people slowed down. Some paused. One filmed. The video travelled far, and with it, the name of 15-year-old Debraj Bhattacharya. But behind the calm exterior of the now-viral busker lies a story shaped by personal loss, quiet grit, and the unwavering love between a father and son.
Holding on to music after loss
Debraj grew up in a home where music was ever-present. His mother, a singer herself, filled their small home with songs — until cancer took her away. Debraj was young when she passed, but the memory of her voice and love for music stayed on. It became a lifeline. A way to hold on to something that loss had almost taken away.
For Debraj, music became a lifeline after he lost his mother.
His father, Debashish Bhattacharya, once worked with a major production house but left it all to raise his son alone. “The transition was hard, but I made sure I stood by him and his dreams. We only have each other, and that’s enough for me,” tells The Better India
Their home was not just about survival. It was about nurturing a dream. “People may think it’s hard for a middle-class person to do such things,” Debashish says, “but I believe anything is possible if one has belief, grit, and passion.”
It was during the lockdown in 2020 that Debraj first picked up the guitar. With no formal background in music production, he began learning the instrument through online tutorials and by ear. It didn’t take long for him to realise that music was not just an outlet, but his calling.
Why Debraj took his music to the street
The decision to busk came after watching several YouTube videos of street performers around the world. Debraj was fascinated by the idea that anyone could create a space for themselves in the middle of a bustling city — without a stage, spotlight, or studio.
“My dad also suggested it,” he shares with The Better India. “He thought it would help me express myself and show the public my purpose.”
So, with a borrowed amp and his well-worn guitar, Debraj began busking on Park Street — Kolkata’s cultural corridor, where old jazz clubs once hummed with life and Christmas lights still dazzle in December. He didn’t know what to expect. Would anyone stop? Would they care?
They did.
That one performance, earnest, hopeful, and unpolished most beautifully, struck a chord far beyond the city. The video spread quickly. But unlike most viral stories, this wasn’t about spectacle. It was about sincerity. About a teenager who wasn’t just performing, but speaking from somewhere deeper.
The viral clip reached thousands and began a wave of support and recognition. “I try to follow people like Sourav Ganguly,” he tells The Better India. “They balanced their careers and studies. I’m trying to do the same.”
Debraj is now a student who juggles academics and his music practice, aspiring to create compositions in both Eastern and Western classical genres. He has a deep admiration for artists like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Rashid Khan, Papon and Shankar Mahadevan. He also dreams of building fusion tracks that bring together the traditional with the modern.
He recently received an invitation to perform at the Tata Institute of Social Science in Mumbai, marking one of his first big steps into the wider world of live performance.
A special moment at Deshaj Cafe
One of the most heartwarming invitations Debraj received came from Deshaj Café, a venture of Moram Earth — a community-driven initiative based near Santiniketan that works with tribal artisans and emerging artists. Debraj has been invited to perform alongside singer Lagnajita Chakraborty during Deshaj’s eighth anniversary celebration.
For the young musician who once sang to strangers on the street, being invited to Deshaj is both a milestone and a powerful affirmation of his journey.
Sonali Chakraborty, co-founder of Moram Earth, shares her thoughts with The Better India: “On the day of the 8th anniversary of Deshaj store and café, we proudly continue our journey of nurturing dreams and giving voice to the unheard. This celebration is not just a milestone — it’s a movement. Honouring the talent of young artists like Debraj is at the heart of who we are. Deshaj has always been committed to uplifting disadvantaged young, talented artists from across the country, giving them the platform, voice, and visibility they truly deserve.”
As Debraj prepares for this performance, it becomes clear that opportunities like these are not just gigs; they are bridges. Between art and audience, city and soul, potential and possibility. He may have started on a footpath, but his journey continues to open up in spaces that recognise his gift and honour his sincerity.
A journey fuelled by love and belief
Despite the sudden fame, nothing about Debraj is hurried. His goals are not shaped by metrics but by meaning. He doesn’t chase virality; he chases truth in sound. With every note he plays, he honours his mother’s memory and his father’s unshakeable faith in him.
“Morally and emotionally, we are stronger because of music,” Debashish says. “It holds us together. And now, we see that it has the power to bring others closer too.”
Debraj’s music may have started in a small room in Kolkata and spilled into the streets, but today, it echoes in spaces far beyond. It is a story of quiet determination, where a boy chose not to wait for opportunities but to create them, guitar in hand.
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