Newsletter October 2024 - February 2026
Content
- Bhava & Aarohi Harmoniums & Shruti Boxes
– Save Money & Get Extras! - New in our Assortment
– Bhava, Aarohi & Tirupati Harmoniums, Bhava Shrutibox, Tablaset SBB, Teaching for Harmonium, Tabla & Kirtan - Special Offers
– String Instruments, Harmoniums & Shrutiboxes, Drums, Wind Instruments, Media - Music as a Human Language, Inner Practice, and Prayer
– Reflexions by Hub Hildenbrand - Zakir Hussain
– Making Music - Ken Zuckerman
– The Good Spirit With the Sarod - Bandish Bandits
– Indian Raga Music in a Streaming Show - Preserve & Share Your Treasures: Saving Raga Concert Recordings!
– A Call by Günter Wick - Brief News:
Farewells - How Does (Indian) Music Actually Work? (34)
– Singing: The Mother Tongue of All People - Workshops
– February to June - Concerts
– February to April
1. Bhava & Aarohi Harmoniums & Shrutiboxen – Save Money & Get Extras!
- Limited Offer Until Feb 28 -
All harmoniums and shruti boxes from the popular brands Bhava and Aarohi will become significantly more expensive at all retailers starting March 1, 2026. BUT: If you place your order with us by Feb 28 at the latest, you’ll still get your new Bhava or Aarohi at the old price - saving up to €80! And if you enter the promo code MADHUBANI26 when ordering, you’ll also receive FREE EXTRAS – see below! 1)
Bhava Shruti Box Large Limited Edition G2 :
€ 389 € > from March1: € 449 = save € 60
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aarohi S32 :
€ 569 > from March 1: € 629 = save € 60
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aarohi S39 :
€ 669 > from March 1: € 719 = save € 50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bhava Lite Standard Edition :
€ 769 > from March 1: € 809 = save € 40
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bhava Lite Limited Edition :
€ 969 > from March 1: € 989 = save € 20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bhava Studio Standard Edition :
€ 969 > from March 1: € 989 = save € 20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bhava Studio Concert Teak :
€ 1,719 > from March 1: € 1,799 = save € 80
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bhava Mini Standard Edition :
€ 869 > from March 1: € 899 = save € 30
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bhava Classic Standard Edition :
€ 969 > from March 1: € 989 = save € 20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bhava Classic Concert Teak :
€ 1,719 > from March 1: € 1,799 = save € 80
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following FREE EXTRAS are included when you order by 28 February at the latest – please make sure to quote the promo code MADHUBANI26 when placing your order:
- DVD Playing Kirtan on Harmonium by Daniel Tucker (value € 18)
1)This offer is limited: instruments and extras are available only while current stock lasts. Orders are processed in the order they arrive.
2. Bhava, Aarohi & Tirupati Harmoniums, Bhava Shrutibox, Tablaset SBB, Teaching for Harmonium, Tabla & Kirtan
- New in our Assortment -
Harmonium Bhava Lite Limited Edition – Robust, lightweight travel harmonium of top quality. – € 969
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harmonium Aarohi S39 – Standup harmonium from the Bhava workshop at an affordable price. – € 669
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harmonium Aarohi S32 – Travel harmonium from the Bhava workshop at an affordable price. – € 569
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shrutibox Bhava Limited Edition large G2 – Elegant, deep-toned shrutibox in a cool design. –€ 389
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tabla Set Shanti Badya Bhandar Premium – Top quality at a more affordable price. –€ 580.50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vijay Krsna: Kirtan Course – Compact video course on leading kirtan. – US$ 67
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tahir Qawwal: Harmonium Mastery – Comprehensive video course for harmonium, from beginner level to professional performance. – US$ 350
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kash Qalandar: Tabla Mastery – Comprehensive video course for tabla, from beginner level to professional performance. – US$ 267
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alice Radha Hemmer: 49 Mantras for Intermediate Harmonium – eBook with lyrics, chords and video links featuring harmonium and vocals for 49 mantras from various traditions. A treasure trove for anyone looking to expand their repertoire. – € 36
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bhagavantee A. Paul: Learning to Play the Harmonium for Beginners – Systematic instructional eBook for learning the harmonium, covering basics, finger exercises, Western scales and chords, plus 23 mantras. – € 19
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tirupati Harmoniums in Matte Finish
Our partner Tirupati is gradually transitioning all harmoniums from traditional high-gloss polish to more durable and elegant satin-matte finishes. From now on, the following models are available only in matte:
* Tirupati Harinam
– especially small, lightweight, and robust, with a powerful, sharp sound - € 409
* Tirupati Kirtan Mini (natural or dark brown)
– the popular classic in a smaller, travel-friendly version - € 609
* Tirupati Kirtan Premium Mini (natural or teak)
– a travel-ready classic with an improved folding mechanism - € 629
3. String Instruments, Harmoniums & Shrutiboxes, Drums, Wind Instruments, Media
- Special Offers -
Bargains & rarities, oddities & treasures – our special offers include precious vintage pieces, 2nd hand instruments, samples, display models, discontinued items, B-stock goods, accessories, media, and spare parts. All special offers are one-of-a-kind items — if you’re interested, get in touch quickly! Here’s a selection:
PLUCKED INSTRUMENTS
- Ravi Shankar Vintage Sitar – with 8 tuning pegs @ € 1,289
- Naskar Full Deco Sitar – late 1990s @ € 1,190
- Vintage Kharaj Pancham Sitar – lightweight, old-style construction @ € 869
- Vintage Kharaj Pancham Sitar – for beginners @ € 789
- Hemen 5/8 Sitar – vintage sitar @ € 589
- Box Tanpura – very lightweight and robust @ € 349
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOWED INSTRUMENTS
- 2nd Hand Sarangi – ready to play @ € 389
- Vintage Dilruba Rikhi Ram – ready to play @ € 659
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARMONIUMS
- Bhava Classic Concert Teak Harmonium – B-stock @ € 1,389
- Monoj Kumar Sardar Scale Changer Harmonium – B-stock @ € 1,149
- Pakrashi Premium Harmonium – B-stock @ € 649
- Tirupati Kirtan Premium Harmonium – B-stock @ € 599
- Sarangg Basic Harmonium – display model @ € 319
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHRUTIBOXES
- Sarangg Large C3 Teak – display model @ € 329
- Paloma Small C3 Recon – B-stock @ € 305
- Monoj Kumar Sardar Large C3 – B-stock @ € 299
- Monoj Kumar Sardar Large C3, 432 Hz – B-stock @ € 299
- Monoj Kumar Sardar Large G2, 432 Hz – B-stock @ € 299
- Monoj Kumar Sardar Small C3 – B-stock @ € 259
- Foot pedal for shrutibox – display model @ € 69
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIND INSTRUMENTS
- Bansuri Premium SA = e' - B-stock @ € 159
- Professional bamboo flutes, musician-made – various sizes @ € 69-149
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DRUMS
- Narayan Badya Bhandar Dholak with tension straps – second-hand @ € 189
- Narayan Badya Bhandar Dholak with hooks & nuts – B-stock @ € 149
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEDIA
4. Music as Human Language, Inner Practice & Prayer
- Reflexions by Hub Hildenbrand -
My work oscillates between meticulous depth and quiet retreat – standing in sharp contrast to the world outside. While social media delivers a constant stream of stimuli and content, my practice unfolds in a completely different temporality. It demands dedication, patience, and perseverance, without striving for quick results. The flood of information on platforms like Instagram feels almost like an antagonist: offering instant dopamine kicks while numbing the very attention that in practice must grow slowly and consciously. And here it becomes clear: our attention is perhaps our most precious resource.
Over the past six weeks I have been immersed in an intense phase of practice. I devoted myself to two themes I have been working on for a very long time, but where I finally wanted to see tangible progress. I am not certain if I will ever be able to realize them as I envision them, or as I hear them inwardly. Day after day I dive in. It is uncompromising work, almost an inner struggle, and at the same time a quiet prayer. I withdraw into my music. And yet this path feels right, because it opens new spaces and depths that enrich my life.
I also find myself asking how music itself is changing in our time. With the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, music can now be generated within seconds, often indistinguishable from what humans create – and with significant commercial success. But for me, music is above all a profoundly human language, a space where we can truly encounter one another. Through the lens of technological optimism and capitalism, something deeply human risks being pushed to the margins. My phase of intensive practice stands in sharp contrast to AI-generated music. While I spend weeks working on the finest nuances, machines can produce entire songs in an instant. These works now compete with mine in the same marketplace. For someone searching for depth, the only possible response may be a complete withdrawal from that paradigm.
For me, music is not a product. It is communication, invitation, and connection – inward, into the deepest layers of being, and outward, to other human beings. In my concerts I wish to open precisely this space. My guitar, my voice, the language I created – all these are tools to make audible something greater than myself: something profoundly human.
Hub Hildenbrand is a German guitarist and composer. He studied in Boston and Rotterdam, learned classical Indian and classical Turkish music, and has been developing his own distinctive musical language with guitar and voice. The text is part of his newsletter Mysteries 09/2025. Picture by Umberto Casals.
5. Zakir Hussain – Making Music
- A Tribute by Yogendra -
After the sudden death of Zakir Hussain on December 15, 2024, countless obituaries were published, celebrating his artistry, recounting his almost unbelievable life story and anecdotes from shared times, or listing his awards and the many diverse musical partners he worked with. There is no need for me to repeat all that here. Instead, I would like to honour Zakir’s legacy by comparing him with Ravi Shankar, arguably the best-known classical Indian musician of the 20th century. Ravi Shankar’s great achievement was that from the 1960s onward, North Indian raga music came to be perceived by a broad audience outside India. Even today, I am still regularly approached about Ravi Shankar when I travel by train or bus with my sitar.
As a teenager in the 1930s, Ravi Shankar toured extensively through Europe and the United States with the dance and music ensemble of his older brother Uday Shankar. In this way, he became intimately familiar with Western languages and culture. The Second World War brought this phase to an end, and Ravi Shankar withdrew for several years to the small Indian town of Maihar to devote himself entirely to the study of classical Indian music with his master Allauddin Khan. Afterwards, he began working in India as a sitarist and composer and developed the vision of making classical Indian music known in the West. The beginnings in the 1950s were hard and arduous. But with a strong sense of mission, openness, communicative skill, creativity, virtuosity, and influential supporters, he gradually succeeded in building an ever-expanding network. And when, from the mid-1960s onward, the rigid postwar structures in Europe and the United States began to dissolve, he was ready and rode the wave. Stars from many different genres became students of Ravi Shankar, played with him, and brought him widespread public attention - for example, violinist Yehudi Menuhin in Western classical music, saxophonist John Coltrane in jazz, and Beatles guitarist George Harrison in pop music.
Zakir Hussain’s father, Alla Rakha, was Ravi Shankar’s preferred tabla accompanist in the 1960s. The two played together on worldwide tours, on numerous recordings, and at the historic performances at the Monterey Pop Festival (1967), the Woodstock Festival (1969), and the Concert for Bangladesh (1971) - media mega-events that anchored Indian music as an exotically fascinating phenomenon in global pop culture. From Alla Rakha, the young Zakir not only received his classical Indian training but also, from 1969 onward, opportunities to perform with the world star Ravi Shankar. Through this, Zakir developed a new understanding of the role of the tabla accompanist in Indian classical music, came to the United States, encountered other musical cultures - and eventually spent several years as a tabla teacher at the Ali Akbar College of Music near San Francisco, with Ali Akbar Khan as his new mentor. In the early 1970s, the San Francisco Bay Area was a bubbling hotspot of hippie culture. Mind-altering substances were as popular as Indian music and spirituality. Musicians from all over the world gathered for extended jam sessions - and Zakir was right in the middle of it all.
Ravi Shankar came to the West as a mature master with a mission. In all his projects with Western musicians, it was also about conveying an understanding of Indian music and playing together on the basis of Indian ragas and talas. The young Zakir Hussain, by contrast, was fascinated by the richness of Latin American and African percussion and by the creativity of jazz and rock musicians. He met other musicians on equal footing and as a learner. The tabla and its classical Indian repertoire remained his musical mother tongue, but with great enthusiasm he absorbed a wide variety of other musical forms and techniques, adapted them for the tabla, expanded its sonic possibilities, and thus became a true world musician. For Zakir Hussain, playing was no longer about INDIAN music, but about music AS SUCH. Of the 179 albums on which Zakir Hussain is said to have played, only one was released solely under his own name - and its title beautifully sums up his universal musical understanding: Making Music.
Jazz Talks: Vijay Iyer speaks with Zakir Hussain .
Bringing Tabla to the Global Stage - Zakir Hussain Google Talk.
Zakir Hussain: Indian Classical Music - Tradition and Beyond (2022 Kyoto Prize Laureate).
6. Ken Zuckerman - The Good Spirit With the Sarod
- Memories by Yogendra -
I first met Ken Zuckerman in 1987, and last saw him in 2024, just a few months before his death. Ken was a key figure in my life. It was he who, from 1985 to 2000, organised a seminar lasting just over a week every autumn at the Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland, with Ali Akbar Khan – the legendary master of North Indian classical raga music who played a decisive role in shaping the history of this tradition in the second half of the twentieth century.
Each year, a colourful group of several dozen music enthusiasts from all over Europe gathered in Basel to study with Khansahib – as we respectfully called Ali Akbar Khan – or with his tabla accompanist Swapan Chaudhuri, to experience their concerts, and to connect with one another. In the vocal classes, which form the foundation of raga music and were always accompanied live by tabla, everyone sat together at the feet of the venerable master, whether complete beginner or internationally touring professional. The latest gadget at the time was the Walkman, a small portable cassette recorder that allowed us to record the lessons and revisit them later while practising. Most people owned a Walkman from the market leader Sony, and so we jokingly called ourselves the Sony Gharana – a playful reference to the Seni Gharana, whose style Khan-Sahib taught.
Ken was the good spirit who made all of this possible. He looked after the participants, collected the fees, and arranged private accommodation. He organised rooms and technical equipment at the Music Academy Basel. He led the review classes and, as Khan-Sahib’s assistant, wrote down the spontaneously created music on the blackboard during his classes. He took care of the wellbeing of Khan-Sahib and Swapan Chaudhuri. At the final concert, he performed as sarod accompanist with the two of them on the main stage of the Music Academy or at the Theatre together with sitarist James Pomerantz. And through all of this, he was unfailingly helpful, friendly, competent, attentive, humorous and relaxed.
When, in his late seventies, Khan-Sahib was no longer able to travel to Basel for health reasons, Ken continued the tradition of the annual seminars and took over their direction himself. He taught Indian music and modal improvisation at the Ali Akbar College of Music Basel and at the Music Academy Basel / Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, performed regularly in Europe, India and North America, released recordings of classical Indian ragas and modal music, and received numerous awards.
Thanks to Ken, I was able to study with Ali Akbar Khan in Basel. From there, my path led me to the Ali Akbar College of Music (AACM) in San Rafael, California. There I not only learned music, but also worked in the Ali Akbar College Store through a work scholarship. At that time, there was no such specialist shop for Indian musical instruments in continental Europe – and so the Ali Akbar College Store became the blueprint for India Instruments. My connection with Norbert Klippstein, my partner at India Instruments, also began through our shared studies at the Khansahib seminars in Basel. At the AACM, I in turn met my long-standing sitar teacher Partha Chatterjee, travelled to Calcutta to study with him, and made my first contacts with Indian instrument makers. These are all other stories – but Ken gave the decisive impulses for them.
Over the years, I remained loosely in touch with Ken. On one occasion, I organised a concert for him in my home town of Braunschweig, with Zakir Hussain as tabla accompanist. From time to time we exchanged ideas about sourcing instruments and about his innovative concepts for the construction and playing of the sarod and tanpura. I was deeply moved by our last personal meeting in November 2024 in Basel. Ken was full of enthusiasm, joie de vivre and drive. He had long since passed on the demanding day-to-day teaching of beginners to his master students. Recently, together with his physiotherapist, he had developed a system of supportive cushions that allowed him, for the first time in his life, to play the sarod without pain. He was just about to set off on his next tour of India. After many frustrating experiences with sound systems in India, he had acquired an in-ear monitoring system and was full of eager anticipation to see how it would work. After the tour, he wanted to tell me all about it.
That was not to be. Due to acute health problems, he had to abandon his tour of India. Back in Basel, an inoperable brain tumour was diagnosed. He spent his final weeks in Basel with his closest relatives and friends. On 26 February 2025, after a short and severe illness, he passed away at the age of 72. It is a painful loss for the community of Indian classical music in Europe. Ken, we miss you.
Obituary and tribute by Amrita Priya.
Ken Zuckerman's YouTube-channel.
7. Bandish Bandits – Indian Raga Music in a Streaming Show
- Review by Yogendra -
In the courtyard of an old Indian town mansion, a white-haired man dressed in simple white clothes sits on a bench. In front of him on the ground, neatly arranged in rows, sit ten young men in traditional shirts, all bolt upright in the cross-legged position. To his right and left are two accompanying musicians with tanpura and tabla. The master nods, the tabla player begins the classical rhythmic cycle tintal, and the men join in unison with a well-known vocal composition in Raga Bhairava. At a signal from the master, the group falls silent and the first student attempts an improvised variation. After only a few notes the master waves him off and the next student tries. He fares no better. Nor does the one after him. Only the fourth student sings with such skill that he is allowed to complete a longer phrase and is rewarded with a slight nod from the master. His neighbour, the fifth, also sings a successful extended arc. This inspires the fourth to respond – which the fifth in turn takes up and develops further. In no time, the dialogue escalates into a vocal duel that the fourth seems to be winning by pushing his notes ever higher – until his ascent tips into the frowned-upon head voice. In the sudden silence that follows, the fourth asks forgiveness for his mistake. But the master knows no mercy and expels him from the house: “This place is for worshipping music. But if this is just another hobby for you, then we don’t need you.”
Welcome to Bandish Bandits, an ambitious Indian streaming show that portrays classical Indian music in the digital age, caught between ossifying orthodoxy and the modern Indian music industry. The twist: the male protagonist, a young up-and-coming singer from a traditional classical musician family, is set against an equally young and already fairly successful Indian pop singer. The love story that develops between the two not only provides the necessary romantic entertainment value, but also allows for unusual insights into both musical and cultural worlds. On the one hand, there is an exaggeratedly drawn effort to preserve and pass on the venerable classical raga tradition in the purest possible form: with rigid strictness, excessively ascetic practice regimes, an exclusive focus on male descendants, adherence to modes of presentation from the era of princely courts, an emphasis on status and reputation, and the highest mastery of the art – all while earning opportunities dry up and public relevance rapidly declines. On the other hand, there is today’s show business: clicks and hits, short-lived trends on social media, elaborately staged live shows to playback music – and ruthless elimination when success fails to materialise.
Season 1 lives entirely from the stark contrast between these two worlds. Only secretly and hidden behind a mask can the young classical singer collaborate with the pop singer. When this is exposed at the end of the season, it leads to a rupture and the two go their separate ways again. Season 2 introduces a new perspective. The old singing master has died and his family is bankrupt. Meanwhile, the pop singer has turned her back on show business and enrols at an elite pop academy in order to (re)invent herself. As participants in a nationally popular music casting show for bands, the two meet again as competitors. Round after round, new challenges have to be mastered. Anyone who merely brings tried-and-tested material to the stage has already lost. Only those who creatively and openly combine a wide range of genres – such as North Indian classical music, Rajasthani folk, pop or rock – and deliver a compelling performance can win over the audience. It becomes clear that the pop academy band is perfectly capable of mastering artistically demanding tasks – and that the classical Indian music family can thrill the crowd with rock elements.
Bandish Bandits is also worth watching – or listening to – because of the music by the Bollywood composer trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy. Since 2001, the three have successfully created music for more than 50 feature films and have won numerous awards for their work. Bandish Bandits is their first music production for a streaming show. For fans of classical Indian music, Shankar Mahadevan is of particular interest: he has studied both classical Hindustani music of North India and classical Carnatic music of South India, and in his own distinctive vocal style has combined both traditions and enriched them with elements of jazz. Outside India, he has most recently become known as a singer with the legendary world music group Shakti. Alongside Shankar Mahadevan, top stars of the classical Indian scene can also be heard delivering outstanding performances, including khyal master Ajoy Chakrabarty and sitar virtuoso Purbayan Chatterjee.
Ultimately, the message of Bandish Bandits is this: anyone who wants to be successful must not only command their musical craft with confidence, but also cater to current trends, stage an exciting live show, and play by the rules of an increasingly globalised entertainment industry. As far as classical Indian music traditions are concerned, however, this message somewhat misses the mark. While only very few classical Indian musicians attain pop-star status, most are not striving for that anyway. Instead, they see themselves as custodians of an ancient, venerable and at the same time very vital tradition, which they imbue with new life day after day through their practice, teaching, concerts and creativity. In fact, classical Indian musicians continue to succeed in organically developing the form and performance of these traditions according to their own ideas – thereby remaining relevant and very much in tune with the times.
Bandish Bandits is available on Amazon Prime. The soundtrack to Season 1 is available on Spotify.
Song Garaj Garaj in Raga Mian-ki-Malhar – rock version with electric sitar, playback performed by Purbayan Chatterjee.
8. Preserve & Share Your Treasures: Saving Raga Concert Recordings!
- A Call by Günter Wick -
As a lover of Indian classical music, I recorded many live concerts on cassette in India during the 1980s and 1990s. In those days, there was no YouTube. Recordings by Indian musicians were available only in larger cities – and even there in a very limited selection, on vinyl records or cassette tapes. Anyone who wanted to experience and preserve this music had to take matters into their own hands. As a result, quite a few music lovers from the West could be found in India’s concert halls with their Sony Professional cassette recorders, trying to capture these special moments for eternity. Since concert recordings were generally not permitted, many of these tapes were made “undercover”, quietly and discreetly – though occasionally there was the great good fortune of being allowed to record directly from the stage with the musicians’ consent.
When I heard of the death of the great singer Kishori Amonkar in 2017, these cassettes came back to my mind: a treasure that had lain in drawers for decades and was slowly beginning to deteriorate. I realised that these recordings were far too valuable to be forgotten. It would almost be a sacrilege to keep them locked away any longer. So I began digitising the recordings, restoring them and publishing them on YouTube. By now, this has resulted in more than 200 videos featuring recordings by a wide variety of performers from the world of Indian classical music. The channel now has almost 4,000 subscribers – and the response from around the world has been consistently positive and deeply moving.
I am convinced that there are countless recordings of extraordinary concerts still sleeping on cassette tapes in shelves and drawers somewhere. Perhaps with you. Perhaps with friends. Perhaps with people who do not even realise what a cultural treasure they possess. My appeal is this: set your recordings free! Share them with the community and with music lovers all over the world!
Here’s how you can take part: If you have concert recordings or old cassette tapes, please get in touch with me. You can send me your recordings digitally via the internet or, if they are still analogue, as cassette tapes by post. I will archive and care for the recordings with great attention, technically restore them if necessary, and publish them on my channel. Of course, your contribution will be acknowledged transparently and fairly, either in the opening credits of the videos or in the description text. You can find the videos: here. I would be delighted if, together, we could help to preserve this music and keep it alive – as an archive, as a memory, and as a gift to everyone who loves this art. Many thanks in advance! guenterwick@gmail.com
9. Brief News: Farewells
- Scene Info -
Pia Srinivasan‑Buonomo
(15 May 1931 – 8 April 2022)
Dedicated scholar and Saraswati veena performer and teacher. In Germany, she built bridges between the Carnatic music tradition and Western audiences.
Tribute to Pia Srinivasan.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Grant (5 May 1951 – 26 April 2024))
American-born, based in Geneva, Switzerland, but Oriental at heart. Devoted his life to the santoor in the musical traditions of North India, the Sufis of Kashmir, and Persia.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sankha Chatterjee (1934 – 11 October 2024)
abla guru of three gharanas (Farrukhabad, Punjab, Delhi). Taught and performed in India and Europe and influenced generations of students.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ram Narayan (25 December 1927 – 9 November 2024)
With clear vision, creativity and musical mastery, he established the sarangi as a fully recognised solo instrument in the North Indian classical tradition.
Info, Audio & Video on Ram Narayan.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aashish Khan (5 December 1939 – 14 November 2024)
Eldest son of Ali Akbar Khan. Sarod virtuoso, teacher, composer, and a traveller between tradition and innovation.
Aashish Khan YouTube Playlist.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan Reichow (6 December 1940 – 2 May 2025))
Violinist, musicologist, journalist, critic, and a key figure in the German radio landscape. Made world music and Indian classical music accessible to a broad public.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monoj Kumar Sardar (1947 – 14 September 2025)
Dealer in Indian musical instruments in Kolkata. Since 1994, one of the most important partners of India Instruments.
Monoj Kumar Sardar tells his story.
10. How to Make (Indian) Music? (34) – Singing: Mother Tongue of Human Beings
- Quote by Yehudi Menuhin -
The series "How to Make (Indian) Music?" presents thought-provoking, inspiring or controversial quotes from artists and intellectuals.
Singing is the true mother tongue of all human beings, for it is the most natural and simplest way in which we can be wholly present and communicate ourselves fully – with all our experiences, sensations and hopes. Singing is, first and foremost, the inner dance of breath and soul; yet it can also release our bodies from all rigidity, set them dancing, and teach us the rhythm of life. Singing unfolds to the extent that it grows out of listening, of attentive and mindful hearing. Through singing, we can refine our ability to truly hear our fellow human beings and the world around us.
Yehudi Menuhin was one of the most important violinists of the twentieth century. He set standards of musical depth, humanity and technical mastery, and worked as a conductor, teacher and festival director to promote music as a universal language between cultures. He united artistic excellence with a commitment to peace, education and the healing power of music. His collaboration with sitarist Ravi Shankar marked a milestone in the history of intercultural music-making.
Photo Credit: Allan warren; derivative work: Parzi
11. Workshops – February to June
- Scene-Info -
21.-22.02. DE - BERLIN: Bhakti Immersion: Mantra, Voice & Harmonium with Radha Prema
07.03. DE - BERLIN: Harmonium with Reina Berger
23.03. CH - ZÜRICH: Bhakti Yoga with Krishna Das
29.03. IE - DUBLIN: Bhakti Yoga with Krishna Das
12.04. NO - OSLO: Bhakti Yoga with Krishna Das
16.04. SE - STOCKHOLM: Bhakti Yoga with Krishna Das
18.-19.04. BERLIN: Bhakti Immersion: Mantra, Voice & Harmonium with Radha Prema
19.-23.04. GR - MANI: Bhakti Yoga with Krishna Das
03.05. DK - COPENHAGEN: Awakening Bhakti with Jai Uttal
10.05. DE - BERLIN: Awakening Bhakti with Jai Uttal
31.05.-06.06. F - ROCHE SAINT SECRET BECONNE: Bansuri with Vishal Vardhan
23.06. AT - WIEN: Bhakti Yoga with Krishna Das
For more detailed information, including venue, times and additional dates, please visit our workshop page.
12. Concerts – February to April
- Scene-Info -
17.03. ISL - REYKJAVIK: Krishna Das (Kirtan)
19.03. NL - AMSTERDAM: Shahid Parvez (Sitar), Shashank Subramanyam (Flöte)
21.03. DE - MÜNCHEN: Vasundhara Doraswamy, Shubhada Subramanyam (Bharatanatyam)
22.03. CH - ZÜRICH: Krishna Das (Kirtan)
24.03. CH - GENEVA: Krishna Das (Kirtan)
28.03. FR - PARIS: B. Chataignier (Mohiniattam), Mahina Khanum (Odissi)
28.03. IE - DUBLIN: Krishna Das (Kirtan)
06.04. DK - COPENHAGEN: Krishna Das (Kirtan)
09.04. PL - WARSAW: Snatam Kaur (Chant)
10.-12.04. DE - BERLIN: Kirtan Mela Berlin
11.04. NO - OSLO: Krishna Das (Kirtan)
12.04. FR - PARIS: Vidyà (Bharatanatyam)
16.04. AT - LINZ: Snatam Kaur (Chant)
17.04. SE - STOCKHOLM: Krishna Das (Kirtan)
21.04. GB - LONDON: Jai Uttal (Kirtan)
24.04. GB - LONDON: Jai Uttal (Kirtan)
25.04. FR - PARIS: Kalpana (Bharatanatyam), T. Vo Van Tao (Mohiniyattam)
26.04. GB - LONDON: Jai Uttal (Kirtan)
For more detailed information, including venue, times and additional dates, please visit our concert calendar.