An evening of Hip Hop meets Hindustani classical music.
By Surekha Vijh
WASHINGTON, DC: It was a special musical evening with five Washingtonians combining diverse musical styles performing and showcasing their versatile talents in a Hindustani music-meets-Hip Hop music program.
The musical artists came from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, but they were in wonderful harmony of melody, beat and creativity. The room buzzed with intensity.
Organized by the Indian Embassy here on May 20, a full house of invitees appreciated the musical talent. Their loud applause was a testament of how much they liked this new fusion. The international audience, a true representation of DC, sang along.
The Minister of Press Information& Culture, Sridharan Madhusudhanan, said although he saw each group perform in advance of selection, the outcome was well beyond his expectation.
When asked what was the name of their band, Drew Kid, one of the artists on piano smiled and said, “cultural fusion.”
It truly was a cultural mix, Bhairavi Beatbox or a cultural combo as they also called it.
Violinist Nishta Raj, the main force behind the brilliant enthralling music combo, blended Indian Classical Music with Hip Hop by Grammy nominee Christylez Bacon on djembe, guitar and spoons, Elijah Jamal Balbed on saxophone and flute, Drew Kid on piano and Anirudh Alva Changkakoti on tabla. Anirudh has been learning from the maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Indian American Nishta, trained in Hindustani classical music, combined Raag Shivranjani with Hip Hop and tabla combo and Raag Bhairavi with beatbox. She also played the evergreen Hindi film song ‘Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai’.
(With inputs by SS Manku)