A musical event was held on 24 March at Tarangini, the open-air theatre as part of IIIT Hyderabad’s 25th-anniversary celebrations.

The event began with a folk music performance by the famous Hirawal troupe from Bihar, followed by two classical music performances. Pt. Anindya Banerjee  played the sarod, and Pt. Ramprapanna Bhattacharya played the sitar and Thakur Harjit Singh  accompanied them on tabla. Pt Banerjee is from the Senia Maihar gharana and is a disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Pt Bhattacharya is from the Etawah gharana and one of India’s talented young sitar players. 

The Hirawal troupe – Inspired by the farmers’ movement in Bihar’s villages and small towns, the music and drama troupe was founded in 1981 by theatre artist Maheshwar. Based in Patna the team has been singing folk songs for the last 40 years with performances in several cities of the country and villages of Bihar.

Pt. Anindya Banerjee represents the Senia Maihar Gharana and is one of the most scholarly and leading sarode players of India.

Recognised for his “delicacy mixed with dexterity” Anindya brings a “distinctive touch and refreshing approach to his music”. Anindya Banerjee’s style of presentation is heavily influenced by traditional styles of sarod playing. He has successfully integrated Rabab, Sursrinagar and Beena elements into his style. He prefers to play rare ragas and compositions. He has made a special effort to collect old compositions and has done research in the repertories of many old masters of instrumental music.

Pt. Ramprapanna Bhattacharya is an Indian classical sitarist of the Etawah Gharana. He began his sitar training at the age of six from his father in Kolkata. He also received musical training from Kashinath Mukherjee and Arvind Parikh, both senior disciples of Vilayat Khan. 

March 2023