Sitar Riyaz Sessions & Classical Music Insights

This vilambit gat, a slow composition in Raag Malhar, embodies the essence of a rainy season afternoon for me. I can play this laidback tune endlessly without any improvisation and never get bored.

I wanted to play something for the turmoil we were going through, and this gat in Raag Kaunsi Kanhra seemed appropriate. It has elements of Veer rasa (heroism) but also the melancholy of loss. It is a difficult raga, but here is my humble take.

My Gurus say Raag Tilak Kamod is not for Taankari, or fast melodic runs, but a little show-off doesn't hurt, does it? The challenge is to maintain the raga's sweet form while not compromising on the boldness of strokes. It's a long road.

The only yellow thing I had to wear for this Basant Panchami recording was this sweatshirt. Here is a small piece in Raag Basant to mark the occasion of Saraswati Puja.

Good morning. I found this old recording of Jor in Raag Ahir Bhairav, a beautiful morning raga. This was recorded a while ago when I was staying in Bhiwadi.

I am trying the taan patterns of my Guru, Vidushi Sahana Banerjee Didi, in Raag Miyan ki Todi. These are fast melodic passages that require a lot of practice and precision.

Sharing music will not be the same again. This was recorded in Sankt Augustin, Germany, during a time of great loss in the music world. When a great banyan tree falls, even small blades of grass like me feel the emptiness.

An apparently easy raga, Nat Bhairav, presents a challenge in balancing both the Nat and Bhairav aspects. I feel my interpretation has a Bhairav bias, so I need to delve more into Nat to bring out its true essence.

As we approach the birthday of my Guruji, the Late Prof. Santosh Banerjee, here is my humble attempt to play Raag Abhogi, one of his favorite ragas.