Mastering the sitar and the tabla

Here's one classical musician who can play both the sitar and tabla with equal ease and perfection

Maestro Nayan Ghosh, who just performed at the Morning Raga Concert last Sunday and is looking forward to a show with Mallika Sarabhai on March 26 at NCPA, talks to CS about his music:

Concert time
The Sunday concert was special because I performed at 6.30am. The show had me on the sitar along with two artists on the tabla. A lot of classical music lovers were present and I played some ragas like Bhatiyar, Lalit, forms of Bhairav, Todi and Asavari. Now I am really looking forward to the programme with Mallika, as it will feature both Mallika and her son Revantha. They will perform a unique duet and I will play for them.

Juggling the two
Many ask me why I choose to play both the sitar and the tabla. Well, my upbringing was such. My father, Padmabhushan Nikhil Ghosh, was a great tabla player, while my granddad Akshay Kumar Ghosh was a sitarist. As a child, I learned both the instruments. I feel that the two complement each other. The melody of the sitar brings musicality to my tabla and the complex rhythmic structure of the tabla brings dynamism to my sitar. I remember playing with Ustad Vilayat Khan just before he passed away. He had finished his recital and rose up to a standing ovation. He took the microphone and said that my accompaniment on the tabla reminded him of my father. That really made my day!

Rooting for classical music
Our government and corporate world should step in with constructive steps to protect classical music. They should subsidise and organise a far greater number of music festivals across India. The government must compel every TV channel to telecast performances and hold discussions on classical music at prime time slot, at least once a week. Last but not the least, music should be made an integral part of school curriculum, right from nursery level.