Hindustani Fusion Ensemble

Music is Bliss. I was lucky to attend a Hindustani Fusion Ensemble at the Esplanade theatre on Thursday. It featured :

Ustad Shujaat Khan -- Sitar , Debashish Bhattacharya (Slide Guitar), Tarun Bhattacharya (Santoor), Ustad Sabir Khan (Tabla), Guruvayur Dorai (Mridangam).

The Concert started with a detailed Alaap in Raag " Vaachaspati" , followed by a bengali folk song and ended with the touching " Vaishnava Janatho" piece (Based loosely on Raag Khamaj). The artistes complimented each other wonderfully . Shujaat Khan (Son of the Legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan) was excellent . I was hearing a Slide Guitar for the first time and Debashish seemed to be working wonders out of it. My favorite instrument turned out to be the Santoor. It was as if a Hundred Waterfalls were descending with a sonorous rhythm. Sabir Khan and Dorai gave able support.

Though it was a short concert ( 90 minutes) , it was an awesome experience. The acoustics were excellent in Esplanade & due to the strict discipline there were no cell phones buzzing or people chatting.

A welcome change from dreary B-school cases and textbooks.