In a moment suspended between worlds — ancient China and 19th-century Vienna — a quiet spark leapt across centuries to ignite the imagination of a composer in Chennai. It was 2018, and Ganesh B Kumar, city-bred musician, stumbled upon a quote by Confucius: ‘Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every […]
Anirudh Varma Collective performing at the launch of its album Sabr | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The Anirudh Varma Collective recently launched its third album Sabr at a packed Kamani auditorium in New Delhi. The more than two-hour concert featured 12 tracks from the album, and two old favourites ‘Megh’ and ‘Tala Bop’. Weaving together […]
Band Anahatha performing in Hyderabad | Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR Band Anahatha is a rare multilingual band from Hyderabad, featuring two female lead singers. “When I founded the group in April 2022, it was uncommon to have two women as the main vocalists in music bands,” shares Ananya Bhaskar. Ananya, one of the lead singers […]
Singer Maalavika Manoj | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement After a year-long break from releasing music, Maalavika Manoj, aka Mali, has returned with a dark, esoteric concept and an arresting music video that dives into the world of cults and control. ‘Dr. Dust’, which released on April 24, is about manipulation masking as care. It starts […]
It’s 3. 45 a.m., and there’s a chill in the air. In the tender light of the morning, students line up for their daily schedule — practising the nagaswaram and thavil in the Then Tirupati Lord Srinivasa temple in Jadayampalayam, near Mettupalayam. Till 6.30 a.m., the temple echoes with the sounds of the instruments. These […]
Ashwini Bhide Deshpande performing at the festival | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Navras Slowly, literature on music/musicians is seeing an increase, and unlike a few decades ago when most of these books were in Hindi, Marathi or Bengali, English seems to be the preferred language now. Biographies on musicians are more common, with books written on […]
A scene from Jack and the Beans Talk | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement It is that time of year when the mango showers fall, bringing a welcome respite from the heat and a promise of fragrant, wholesome summer fruits. While one cannot predict the rain these days, the city’s music lovers can certainly enjoy the […]
Michael Brook | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Celebrated for her fusion of Sufi/Indian folk and contemporary music, singer-songwriter Devika recently joined forces with Grammy-nominated composer and producer Michael Brook for their new collaboration ‘Wisteria’. The poignant Punjabi ballad, with its universal themes of unrequited love and restlessness, blends Devika’s emotive vocal melodies with Michael’s timeless […]
Curated by senior dancer Geeta Chandran, the 18th edition of NATYA VRIKSHA features dance performances, workshop and lecture. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement NATYA VRIKSHA is all set to present the 18th edition of its special event, organised each year to mark World Dance Day. It is conceived and curated by senior Bharatanatyam dancer Geeta […]
Prasanna Venkatraman. | Photo Credit: RAVINDRAN R Prasanna Venkatraman’s concert for Rasika Ranjani Sabha and Gaanapriya Foundation featured the Purandaradasa composition ‘Rama Nama Payasake’ with a pallavi that reads like a divine recipe: “To the payasam of Rama’s name, add the sugar called Krishna, and mix the ghee of Vittala’s name — and savour it”. […]
