Teaching Indian Music in USA

Most of my sitar students are children, born and being brought up in America. They came with their parents when they were very young. They had never heard sitar before or had no clue about Sa Re Ga Ma. Actually most of the parents hadn't heard me play sitar or sing before they trusted me to teach their children! Thank you friends!

When these children picked up sitar for the very first time they didn't realize how difficult this instrument is or how rare it is to play Indian Classical Music in today's pop World.

They enjoyed playing it to the point that later they stopped their piano lessons and gave that time to sitar!! Thank you my young friends!!

Akshay Belur playing Raga Yaman on Sitar, Nov. 2011

Pround of my students!!! Akshay Belur playing Raga Yaman, Nov.2011

Nikhil and Sahil's Sitar Performance

Proud of my students!!! Nikhil Shridhar and Sahil Shridhar, performing Raga Bageshri, Nov. 2011 :

Raga Malgunji

Ascend : S G m D n S'
Descend : S' n D P m G, R G m g R S or S' n D P m G, M g R S

Here are a few YouTube samples of Raga Malgunji :

Legendary Pndit Gajananbuwa Joshi singing raga Malgunji :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkPi6IfMJB8

Raga Malgunji on sitar by Kartik Sheshadri :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwf72qvPT74

The ever-popular hindi song based on raga Malgunji ,' Na jiya lagena', music by Salil Chowdhary :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f75u1oLXzVM


I came across this comparatively new (2009) song by Shubha Mudgal, I believe it is based on raga Malgunji.
Seekho na nainoki bhasha piya.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5YXeIJN5qk

Short excerpt of my BMM 2011 Sitar concert in Chicago

Here is a small excerpt of my Sitar performance ("Swar Zankar") at the BMM 2011 Chicago conference.

Raga: Ahir Bhairav. Accompanying me on tabla: Anil Datar.

Enjoy!

My upcoming Sitar performance at BMM 2011, Chicago

I will be giving a Sitar performance during the BMM 2011 Conference in Chicago coming up in 2 weeks! This will be a traditional North Indian classical solo Sitar recital. 

The conference will be held at the McCormick Place (Lakeside Center), Chicago, from July 21st to July 24th, 2011. The title of my performance is 'Swar Zankar'. The actual time slot for the performance is still being finalized. I will post it as soon as it is.

You are invited! Here is the link to BMM 2011 Conference:

http://bmm2011chicago.org/programs_napc.php

Norhtwest Folklife Festival 2011

Here is a link to the YouTube video recording of my performance at Northwest Folklife Festival, May 28th,2011

Raga Hemant :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jOU2gXMUgU

Folk song :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaEPEtQ-1BU