If you’ve ever heard Rahul Sharma perform, then you know how easily he can mesmerise his audience. But it’s not just his music that is enchanting; his stage presence and mastery over the santoor make him an exciting watch. The Indian classical and world music performer was in the City for a 2-day music festival called ‘Swara Zankar’, which took place at Chowdiah Memorial Hall over the weekend.
‘Swara Zankar’ was hosted to celebrate the silver jubilee of Violin Academy and the 10th year of ‘Sapthak’ music academy. Many well-known names were seen at the festival and they brought out a melodious confluence of various styles.
Rahul kicked off the event with a beautiful vilambit, where he paced himself and eased the audience into his music. Even those who hadn’t seen him perform before were left excited. Maitri, who was listening to him for the first time, enjoyed his performance for its nuances. A trained Hindustani vocalist, she said, “I hadn’t heard a solo santoor recital before this and I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I walked out with a smile on my face after this. I enjoyed the raag Pahadi piece the most because it allows for all kinds of experimentation.”
After the vilambit laya he moved on to the madhya laya and was accompanied by the tabla. And as soon as he reached the drut, he showcased his flair for musical notes and didn’t hesitate to reach for his bag of tricks. Although set in one raag, Rahul used his quick hands and ear for music to experiment with notes.
When the insatiable audience wanted more, he gave them a taste of Kashmir when a small piece in raag Pahadi. An own composition, it spoke of the mountains and cool breezes.
Kalapini Komkali took the stage next with her deep voice that resonated through the auditorium. Her powerful voice was accompanied by 2 tanpuras, a tabla and a harmonium.
The only downside to the performance was the sound system — the sounds clashed against each other and found no room to merge.
The second day of the music festival saw a jugalbandhi between violinist Atulkumar Upadhye and flautist Pravin Godkhindi.
Again, neither of them are new to the Indian music scene so it wasn’t surprising when they produced exciting music. Pravin, who has never left a music aficionado disappointed, intricately wove the sounds of his music with the stringed instrument.
Begum Parveen Sultana, accompanied by Mukhesh Jadhav, Vishwanath Nakod, Udayaraj Karpoor, Srinivasa Acharya and Guruprasad Hegde, brought the festival to a close with her vocals.