D. K. Datar is one of the few leading senior north Indian violinists playing today. Here we find him in a vibrant duet with Shri Ratnakar Gokhle at the famous Saptak festival India.

D.K. Datar is a leading violin player and a rare one at that, as violin is seldom played in North Indian music whether as a solo or accompanying instrument. He trained, initially, with Pandit Vighneshwar Shastri and then with his uncle, the outstanding North Indian classical vocalist Dattatreya Vishnu Paluskar, from whom he learnt the gayaki-ang (voice-like) style of violin. The style has lent a tremendous fluidity to his performances of the lighter genres of dhun (a generic term for any kind of folk tune) and bhajan (Hindu devotional song).

Now considered a veteran of violin, Datar has an outstanding record as educator as well as performer. Despite having played at all the major, prestigious festivals of India leading to the Sangeet Natak Academy award in music, Datar still considers the highpoint of his career to have been the opportunity of accompanying D.V. Paluskar on stage.