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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JUNE 17, 2022 | The Indian Eye 24

At Mausiqui: The Story of Music,

IAAC Creates Magic

Live event is unique exploration of sound and the origin of Vedic chants featuring five

leading musicians with narration and poems by Sunayana Kachroo Bhide

Hidayat Husain Khan Abhik Mukherjee Sunayana Kachroo

OUR BUREAU vocals by Hidayat Khan, Tabla and Canada, Singapore and India. He ington D.C.; at the Metropolitan
hand percussions by Ehren Hanson, has performed in such prestigious Museum of Art in New York; at
NEW YORK, NY
Guitar by Camilla Celin, Bansuri and venues as Royal Albert Hall in Lon- the Indian Habitat Center in Delhi;
he Indo-American Arts Coun- bass guitar by Joshua Geisler and Ad- don, Kennedy Center in Washington on Doordarshan in Kolkata; and a
cil (IAAC), is presenting Mau- ditional sitar by Abhik Mukherjee. D.C, Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully summer tour of Italy, Germany and
Tsiqui: The Story of Music. This unique journey to explore Hall in New York. Switzerland. Abhik currently lives in
This live event presented in partner- the sound and the origination of He has lent his versatility in sev- New York and is a founding member
ship with Chamber Music America the Vedic chants in tune with the eral film score compositions and has of Brooklyn Raga Massive, an Indian
(CMA) and the Department of New vibration of the Earth will highlight collaborated with such illustrious classical music artists’ collective. He
York City Cultural Affairs (DCLA) deep-rooted music and traditions of musical names as: Ndugu Chancler, is the director of academic affairs at
will take place at Merkin Hall at the India through beautiful words, sto- Ronnie Woods, Alicia Keys, Ush- Chhandayan School of Music in New
Kaufman Music Center (129 West ries and instruments. er, Zakir Hussain, Pete Townshend, York City.
67th Street, New York, NY 10023) Hidayat Husain Khan is a direct Will.I.Am, Jay Z and Darryl Jones. Sunayana Kachroo is an
on Saturday, June 11. descendant and proponent of one Abhik Mukherjee is a Kol- award-winning poet, film writer, pro-
“Indian musical tradition is of the most treasured lineages of kata-born sitar player of the Et- ducer, lyricist and a columnist. Her
deeply rooted into the fabric of the eastern classical music, sitarist Hi- awah-Imdadkhani gharana. He was oeuvre has been vast and impressive,
world and has inspired artists from dayat Husain Khan has been train- initiated to sitar at the age of six by his encompassing Poetry, Films, collabo-
saxophonist John Coltrane to the ing since his youth. The youngest father, Sri Tarit Mukherjee, and Sri ration with other artists including musi-
iconic Beatles to rap artist and mogul son of the legendary sitarist, Ustad Bimal Chatterjee, while simultane- cians, dancers and poets. She has writ-
Jay-Z,” said Dr. Nirmal K. Mattoo, Vilayat Khan, he harbors a rare, cre- ously receiving vocal instruction from ten for various award-winning movies,
Chairman, IAAC. “Vedic chanting ative brilliance that effortlessly takes Sri Kaylan Bose. He has since taken which have been screened at many
connects the performer and the lis- him across all genres and nuances of talim from Pandit Arvind Parikh and prestigious film festivals like Cannes,
tener to the movement of the Earth. music. A charming transition from Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee, them- MAMI and Austin Film Festival.

These performers are truly masters the very classical to the very collo- selves disciples of the legendary Us- Sunayana expresses herself
of their craft and their works evoke a quial, from playing the intricate Et- tad Vilayat Khan. He is a gold med- through diverse styles of writing in
powerful message of peace and unity.” awa Gharana to performing with the alist in musicology from Rabindra English, Hindi and Kashmiri lan-
This first-of-its-kind event fea- Rolling Stones. Bharati University, Kolkata, and has guage. She continues to explore
tures Indian classical music with A sitar player and vocalist well- also received a scholarship from the various themes ranging from love,
touches of Sufi (or Sufism, also versed in the “Gayaki ang,” a unique Ministry of Culture, India. home, loss, nature, mythology, heal-
known as Tasawwuf, a mystic body rendition where voice blends with Abhik’s first public performance ing, women’s empowerment, preju-
of religious practice within Islam the instrument, Khan carries the was at the age of nine at the Gover- dices and much more. Sunayana has
characterized by a focus on spiritual- torch of a coveted lineage spanning nor’s House, Kolkata. He has since performed across the world through
ity, ritualism, asceticism and esoteri- seven generations of outstanding performed in ten countries on four poetry shows and recitations. She en-
cism), jazz, semi-classical and world vocal and instrumental court musi- continents. Some memorable con- gages the audience with her unique
music with narration and poetic ren- cians. Khan has performed across certs include performances for the style of expressing poems as compel-
ditions by Sunayana Kachroo Bhide. the globe, with notable performanc- inauguration of the Dr. Martin Lu- ling visual images, laced with obser-
Featured Artists are: Sitar and es in Europe, Japan, USA, Malaysia, ther King, Jr. Memorial in Wash- vations and anecdotes.

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