Barkha Ritu music fest to feature 4 famous pundits

Hyderabad: Barkha Ritu, a festival conceived and produced by Banyan Tree, is dedicated solely to monsoon ragas, and it's that time of the year to listen to the rhythm of the rain. The monsoons have always been a favorite subject of interpretation for the creative minds.

Barkha Ritu each year brings to the city some of the greatest maestros to present their Musical interpretation of the monsoons. The heart-warming renditions by almost all the stalwarts of Indian Classical music at Barkha Ritu have been making monsoons memorable over the past 18 years.

It is one of the most looked for events of year in all the cities it travels to. This year Barkha Ritu began its journey in Bangalore and will travel to Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and will conclude in Chennai.

In each city Banyan Tree has planned to feature an interesting combination of maestros creating a perfect blend of traditional monsoon raagas and instrumental fusion mixes for the benefit of music lovers of all age groups. Barkha Ritu (Hyderabad), to be held on July 26 at Ravindra Bharathi Auditorium,

will feature the eminent vocalist Sanjeev Abhyankar and first ever unique jazz collaboration by Rakesh Chaurasia, S Shashank and Ben Van Den Dungen.

Sanjeev Abhyankar, the maestro from the Mewati Gharana, is an artist of international acclaim in the field of Hindustani classical and devotional music. With his magical singing, he has attracted the young generation towards the Indian classical music.

Rakesh Chaurasia, the nephew and child prodigy of flute maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, has carved a niche for himself, as an accomplished flautist. Incorporating the tradition of his renowned uncle and infusing his personal style, he has evolved a form of music which while maintaining the purity of the flute manages to capture the attention of the young listeners too.

Shashank Subramanyam is a Grammy nominated renowned exponent of the Bamboo Flute from India and specialises in Indian classical music. He was a child prodigy and began performing from his age of 6 in 1984 and has performed in the top concert circuit for over three decades.

Ben van den Dungen has been a professional musician since 1982 and has since given more than 5500 concerts in around 70 countries. He has received a scholarship for post-conservatory studies in New York, Cuba and Colombia. From 2000, Ben studied classical Indian music in Mumbai (India) with Dhanashree Pandit Rai for a number of years.