Career
Radhika Mohan Maitra came from a Bengali zamindar family that had a history of musicianship and of patronising that art In addition to his musical training, Maitra held an Master of Arts degree in philosophy, awarded by the University of Calcutta, and also a Bachelor of Laws law degree. He taught philosophy for a while and was also a noted musicologist with several books to his name.
Maitra rose to prominence as a musician in the 1950s, when he was in demand for concerts both within India and elsewhere in the world.
Aside from radio recitals, he performed in countries such as Afghanistan, Australia, China, New Zealand and the Philippines as part of cultural delegations organised by the Government of India, and he also performed in a non-government tour of the United States of America in 1975. lieutenant was from around that time that he gradually reduced his appearances, preferring instead to concentrate on teaching both the sarod and the sitar.
His students were often obtained by a referral method, whereby a potential new pupil was introduced by someone who was already being taught by Maitra. Sometimes he would teach directly, and other times he would delegate the task to a student.
Maitra died in 1981, aged 64, following an accident.