Music, for us, is an emotion and we have raagas for every one of them. Indian classical music has a vast collection of musical notes dedicated to celebrate everything including the weather! With the rain pelting down, it is time for the 22nd edition of Banyan Tree’s annual festival, Barkha Ritu, with santoor player Rahul Sharma and vocalist Sanjeev Abhyankar.
Rahul, the son of the legendary musician the late Pandit Shivkumar Sharma speaks from his home in Mumbai about music, monsoons and performing in Bengaluru.
Barkha Ritu, he says, “is not a musical collaboration or a jugalbandi between me and Sanjeev. We perform independently at the festival. Our classical music repertoire has seasonal ragas as well as ragas that are played from sunrise to sunset. Barkha Ritu is a time to depict monsoon moods. We have ragas such as Megh Malhar and Miya Malhar, which are normally sung during these months. At this particular festival, I will be presenting some of my own compositions, which are all, again, rain connected.”
Rahul will be accompanied by Ramkumar Mishra on the tabla. Rahul, who has been performing for over two decades, gives all credit to his father. “I started with the keyboard and the harmonium and my father saw this passion and introduced me to santoor. I was fortunate to have a mentor and a guide right at home. My father was not only a pioneer of the santoor, but was also liberal enough to let me go ahead with my own musical explorations,” explains Rahul, who has collaborated with musicians including Kenny G, Electronica and more.
Santoor, Rahul says, was an instrument that was close to his sub-conscious mind. “I love the sound this instrument creates.”
Composing music, Rahul says, is a knack that is within you. “You cannot learn it. You can be inspired by nature, beauty. It is about imagination and inspiration.” Rahul has composed music for Hindi films such as Mujhse Dosti Karoge. “ For films, music is situational. The emotion, mood and the director’s perspectives come into play.”
In reply to a question whether there is an audience for a 90-minute concert given the short attention spans, Rahul says, “Many things have changed with time. Even cricket has a shorter version. A classical concert cannot be presented in 20 minutes in reaction to this trend! This kind of music is for people who come seeking it of their own volition, people who are passionate about this kind of music. Classical music is thriving. Look at wellness centres across the globe, this is the music they use as their mainstream mood elevator and one that provides peace and calm to the mind.”
Barkha Ritu, will be held in eight cities — Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
The concert in Bengaluru, is on July 14, 7pm at Chowdiah Memorial Hall. Tickets, ₹500, available on BookMyShow.
