Recorded at Darbar Festival 2015, at the Southbank Centre, London.

Musician:
- Abhisek Lahiri (sarod)

Raag Bhimpalasi; Thaat: Kafi; Samay: Afternoon

Strumming up a melodious alap on Raag Bhimpalasi, sarod player Abhisek Lahiri talks to Darbar about his childhood, his musical values and why he does cross-over work. He is a gharana-blending musician who fuses the three major traditions of sarod -the Rampur Shahjahanpur, the Maihar, and the Senia Bangash gharanas. Lahiri was born in a household surrounded by music. Early training began under his father Pandit Alok Lahiri, also an eminent musician based in Kolkata, India. Lahiri was handed a baby sarod at the age of five after which, he started playing the instrument. Lahiri belongs to a family rooted in traditions and yet maintains a liberal outlook towards music. He believes ‘gharana’ is an identity and emulating other styles, a step towards quality musicianship.This interview is a revelation of all the other talents that this young musician possesses and yet remains rooted to traditions as a manner of fulfilling his responsibilities towards the art form.Interspersed with a stunning alap, jor and jhalla, this short and sweet tete-a-tete offers an insight into what shapes Lahiri’s mind and choices as a musician.