Deepak Ram, Nistha Raj, Anoushka Pant perform at embassy premises.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: Spring might be playing hide and seek here in this city and many parts of the United States this year, but the Embassy of India earlier this week welcomed the season of Holi, Sankranti, Pongal and Nowrouz, with a cultural show featuring three artists from the region.
“Basant: Spring with Music and Dance” held on Tuesday, featured three artists from the area: flutist Deepak Ram, violinist Nistha Raj and emerging dancing talent Anoushka Pant. The event was part of the embassy’s ‘Performing India’ series that highlights performing arts from the country.
“We are starting this season with dance and music,” M. Sridharan, Counsellor (Press, Information & Culture), at the embassy said, presenting the artists. “In India spring is not merely a season, it is a culture thing. That was reason we [are curating] this event.”
The three artists did not disappoint the audience, putting together a remarkable 90-minute musical and dance show.
Ram, a disciple of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, is a well-known teacher and artist who has performed all over the world. Originally from South Africa, Ram traveled to India at just 17 years of age to learn music from the renowned Pandit, and spent several years learning how to play the flute. To date, he has six solo albums to his name, and has given live performances all over the world.
During his performance at the Embassy, he played a number of memorable ragas, including Mishra Piloo and Raga Charukeshi, and was accompanied on tabla by Baltimore-based Enayet Hossain.
Raj, who recently released her album “Exit 1,” is the current Strathmore Artist in Residence. She plays both western classical violin and Hindustani violin. She is also well-read, as she earned her bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, and her master’s degree in Arts Management from George Mason University, in northern Virginia. In addition to playing violin, she is an accomplished sarod player, and was trained by Prattyush Banerjee.
Raj was accompanied by two other local artists: Nita Chawla on keyboard and Ajay Ravichandran on mridangam.
Pant performed twice, the first a fusion of Bharatnatyam, Manipuri and folk dances at the beginning and then a Bollywood medley in the end. Originally from West Bengal, Pant is a versatile dancer who performs Bharatnatyam, Bollywood dance and Flamenco. She began learning Bharatanatyam at four years of age, and even performed at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010. Pant currently studies at Winston Churchill High School in southern Maryland.