Bansuri flute player Deepak Ram’s grandparents were brought to South Africa to work on plantations. He was born in South Africa to second generation immigrants during the apartheid era in the 60s. A few weeks after his birth, the family home was bulldozed under Group Areas Act for effecting racial segregation. The family thereafter settled in Sophiatown, a racially mixed area. His earliest influences were the Jazz records his brothers listened to and the Bollywood and Indian music his parents listened to. His first flute was fashioned out of a drainpipe with six holes drilled arbitrarily on the sides. Deepak is an incredibly versatile artist who is well known for his evocative performances in traditional North Indian Classical Music. He is a senior disciple of world renowned bansuri maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Deepak’s many collaborations with musicians of other genres, his innovative compositions and his excellence as a teacher have given him an international reputation.