Roy Chowdhury was born on 12 January 1956, in Deoghar in Jharkhand state. He was initiated into music by his father Shri Ranjit Roy Chowdhury,[2] a teacher of chemistry by profession, but more importantly, a serious Sarod player who had trained under the late Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan and others. In 1978, Roy Chowdhury's talents were spotted by the Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan accepting him as a disciple. A turning point came when Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur took an interest in young Roy Chowdhury's quest in 1982. Roy Chowdhury’s tutelage with Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur was formalized in a gandha bandhan ceremony in 1985.[2] The intensive guidance and training lasted till the demise of the guru in 1992. He is perhaps the only sarod player who plays the compositions from the Jaipur-Atrauli tradition.[3]