Padmaja initially felt reluctant about having to attend classical music training. But now she feels glad to have put her dedication into learning it to become the accomplished vocalist that she is today.

Padmaja Chakraborty is a classical and semi-classical vocalist. She is a Grade A artist at All India Radio and an empanelled artist at ICCR. Padmaja is also associated with SPIC MACAY.

Recalling her childhood, Padmaja says that she was born in Shillong and remembers going on picnics with her friends and family. She shares that her father was fond of music, and her interest in music took root when she was seven years old. Her family identified her talent and took her to a music trainer, and Padmaja learned under his supervision. However, after all the fun that she used to have in her childhood, sitting for classical music sessions was something she would never look forward to, says Padmaja.

Later, Padmaja shifted to Kolkata in her 9th grade and learned under her guru, Kamala Ghoshal. It was during her graduation days that she decided to reach out to a classical artist and learn under him. Thereafter, Padmaja got in touch with Pt. Dina Nath Mishra in Banaras and learned music under his guidance. She then decided to take her music journey forward and pursue her graduation in Music from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata.

In 1993, Padmaja got married and moved to Jammu. She stayed there till 1997 and then shifted back to Kolkata. She grieves to share that she lost her father in 1997. Padmaja then moved to Delhi in 1999 and started learning music under Padma Shri Vidushi Sumitra Guha. She learned under her supervision until 2010 and kept visiting Kolkata to learn from her other music gurus.

When asked about her mistakes, Padmaja says she feels that her self-realisation to enter the music field hit her a little late. She feels that had she identified her passion early, she would have been a little ahead in the field today.

Speaking of her achievements, Padmaja says that participating in music programmes and getting trained under the supervision of several music gurus has been an achievement for her.

Describing her role models, Padmaja says she draws inspiration from her father and all the music gurus she has learned from.

Her life mantra is to work hard and stay focused.