A Hindustani Shenai concert has been a surprise addition to the forthcoming Ganesh Chaturti Music festival from the 29th Aug08 to the 02nd of Sep08 being organized by the ‘Shri Subha Sidhivinayaka Mandhir Society, Mayur Vihar, Delhi – India, in collaboration with the music society ‘Issai Kudumbam’. Though the festival is basically organized by the South Indian Community in the East Delhi, Mr A. Balasubramanian, the Secretary of the Subha Sidhi Vinayaka Temple, has revealed the Catholic spirit and faculty of the community in relishing the grandeur of the Hindustani music as much as that of Carnatic music. This has been due to a significant demand for a Hindustani music concert from the elite audience of the area. Incidentally there has been almost a negligible presence of Hindustani music activity in the East Delhi side.
The stars going to do the honor are none other than the young Sanjeev Shankar & Ashwani Shankar. Born in a family of musicians of Banaras gharana in which shehnai & flute are played for the last 450 years and over, Sanjeev & Ashwani manifested their strong affinity towards music at the age of seven & five. Their father Pt. Daya Shankar, himself an internationally acclaimed Shehnai player boosted his sons’ blooming talent to flourish with his personal inspiration and guidance.
Sanjeev & Ashwani also had the privilege to learn Shehnai from their grandfather, the legendary Shehnai player Pt. Anant Lal. At present Sanjeev & Ashwani have been consolidating their knowledge under the able guidance of the legendry sitar maestro Pt Ravi Shankar .
The Shankar brothers have to their credit a wide spectrum of performances and have mesmerized the audiences at various music festivals like Sri Baba Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan , Magh Mahotsav,Sangeet Natak Akademi Music Festival , and also in places like Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore, Allahabad, Lucknow, Poona, Gangtok, Mumbai, Chennai, Ayodhya in India , and have represented India on many international platforms in places like France, Spain, Ireland, England, Scotland, Hungary, Slovakia, Japan, Bangladesh, USA and many more to name.
In all their performances the brother duo touched the hearts of the listeners worldwide and were critically acclaimed and praised by both, the exponents and the critics of the music world.
The venue is the Concert Hall Shri Subha Siddhi Vinayaka Mandhir. This program is open to all and all are cordially invited.
This event is co-sponsored by Technomedia Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Author: Dr. Saroja Raman
Dr. Saroja Raman is a vocalist who has been pursuing Carnatic music from the age of 7. She has a Doctorate PhD in Music from the Delhi University, India
