Feast for fusion music fans

It will be fusion music all the way - a lively, melodious mix of Carnatic and Hindustani music, with Bansuri. If you have an ear for something that is off the beaten track, something different, yet soothing and pleasant, book your ticket to "Colours of Bamboo", a show presented by young Pravin Godkhindi

Pravin Godkhindi is a gifted artiste, with multi-faceted talents. He's a composer, vocalist, actor, tabla artiste, harmonium and Bansuri player. He has provided some lilting melodies to the world of Sugama Sangeet through his compositions of well-known poets like Da Ra Bendre, Kuvempu, Narsimha Swami, and M.N. Vyasa Ra.

Pravin's guru is his father, who taught him Hindustani music. His roots are essentially Hindustani, specifically in the Kirhana Kharana tradition. He proudly points out that Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, the legend of Kirhana Kharana, was his father's guru, and all of these greats, including Gangubhai Hangal, are from Dharwad and share the same style of music. "They sing, and we play," he says.

Talking about how his journey into music, Pravin Godkhindi, who has just returned from a grueling US tour where he gave 25 live concerts, recalls how he used to play jugalbandi and interact with a lot of Carnatic musicians in Bangalore. "The Layakaari in Carnatic music is very strong and sometimes we were at a loss on stage. Layakaari is not there in Hindustani music. I then learnt the art of Layakaari, the rhythmic pattern of Carnatic music, under Guru Vidwan Anoor Ananth Krishna Sharma. He blended the Hindustani and Carnatic aspects together."