Charudatta Phadke

Charudatta Phadke began learning tabla in Kolhapur with Majgaokar and Rajaram Jadhav. He then moved on to study with Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, with whom he continues to refine his playing and whom he accompanies in concert. Talwalkar's own biography lists him with Vijay Ghate, Ramdas Palsule and Satyajit Talwalkar as the students "always quoted" among the leading tabla players he has trained.

He performs as both a soloist and an accompanist, in India and abroad. He took part in Taal Yatra, a project conceived by Talwalkar, including a performance in Bangkok. He has worked on a Kathak–flamenco exchange between India and Spain since 2000, and has played in cross-cultural concerts with Chinese and Japanese groups. Among his awards, the Rithwik Foundation lists the V. D. Paluskar award and the Taalmani award.

Accompaniment is central to his career. He has played for Kathak programmes, including the dancers at the Rithwik Foundation's Arpit 2023, and for vocalists and instrumentalists. As early as 2009 he accompanied a bansuri and mridangam programme at Hunter College in New York. He also has a long partnership with the singer Milind Date, with whom he has recorded and performed. His own recordings include solos in less common tals such as Dhamar (14 beats) and Rudra (11 beats).