About this Event
MHCMS is proud to present its ongoing local artists recitals, featuring Melbourne's top local Hindustani Classical artists. The first one for 2026 will host Hindustani Classical Vocal by Ranjitha Suresh, Sitar by Saikat Bhattacharya, and an exciting tabla jugalbandi by Jay Dabgar and Mansa Singh Namdhari.
Artist bios:
Ranjitha Suresh's (Vocal) classical renditions were recognised in Melbourne, Australia when she moved in March 2019 and her first international concert was organised by MHCMS in May of the same year. Her elaborated Raag presentation with subtle nuances, vibrant aesthetics, and intricate taans was appreciated and acknowledged by the audience. This was followed by a string of performances including at the prestigious Melbourne International Festival of Hindustani Classical Music in March 2020 where Ranjitha had the opportunity to perform alongside great maestros Vd. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Pt. Sugato Nag, Pt. Abhijeet Banerjee and Pt Rajendra Prasanna. Ranjitha has also given a number of virtual performances including for the New Zealand based Mohan Nadkarni Foundation and Nataraj Sangeet Vidyalaya - Bagalkot (India) and she runs her own music school, Naadasonic, as well.
Ranjitha will be accompanied by Pandurang Torvi on Tabla. Pandurang was born in a family of musicians in Dharwad, India. He started playing Tabla at the age of 8. Initially he learnt from Shri Rajaguru Kallurkar and then pursued rigorous training under the legendary Tabla player Pt. Basavaraj Bendigeri of Dharwad for 10 years. Pandurang is a graded artist of All India Radio and has accompanied Hindustani musicians including Pt Vinayak Torvi, Pt Venkatesh Kumar, Ustad Rais Khan, Pt Sri Krishna Haldankar. He also teaches the Tabla in Melbourne.
Prasad Karve will be accompanying Ranjitha on harmonium. Prasad is a highly regarded Melbourne-based Harmonium accompanist for classical vocalists. Since retiring from his profession as a chef, he has pursued his lifelong passion of music. He hails from a music-loving family and learnt classical vocal from Melbourne's beloved teacher, Smt. Deepika Shome.
---------
Saikat Bhattacharya (Sitar) is currently the disciple of Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan. He was initiated into sitar over 25 years ago under the supervision of Pandit Pandit Manilal Nag of Calcutta, an exponent of the Vishnupur gharana of dhrupad. Saikat ji has performed widely in India and Australia, including the Woodford Folk Festival, Queensland Multicultural Music Festival, Queensland Conservatorium, and at programs by Melbourne University, MHCMS and Multicultural Affairs Victoria. Having spent 12 years in Brisbane, he is now based in Melbourne. On tabla accompaniment is Simranjeet Singh.
Accompanying Saikat on tabla will be Pranav Ramji. Pranav started playing the tabla at the age of 8, with his initial training and advancement under the watchful eye of Ustad Gulfam Sabri and Ustad Sarwar Sabri. He is currently learning the intricacies of the Punjab Gharana of tabla playing from Pt Aditya Kalyanpur, a student of Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain. Pranav is an Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) empanelled Tabla player and has traveled across India, Europe and Australia performing solo Tabla recitals, accompanying senior musicians in their travels and taking workshops to promote Hindustani Classical Music.
---------
Jay Dabgar (Tabla) has been taking systematic training of the Tabla since the age of 4, initially learning the Ajraadaa style of Tabla under the guidance of Sri Divyang Vakil (a disciple of Ustad Allahrakha Khan). At the age of 9, he started learning the Banaaras style of Tabla under the tutelage of Pt. Nandan Mehta and Pt. Pooran Maharaj, both disciples of the maestro Pt. Kishan Maharaj, Padma Vibhushan.
Jay has won numerous awards in percussion in India and has performed with respected artists such as the Grammy Award winner Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Smt. Manju Mehta, both disciples of Pt. Ravi Shankar. He has performed at prestigious Indian classical music concerts including Saptak Festival, Pt.Jasraj Concert and the Pt. Omkarnath Thakur Competition. With 23 years of dedication behind him, Jay moved to Adelaide, where he has become one of Australia’s leading exponents of Indian percussion, mainly the Tabla.
Mansa Singh Namdhari (Tabla) stands as one of the more recent additions to the vibrant community of Melbourne-based Tabla players. He has received extensive guidance in Tabla from Shri Ramakant and Shri Rajesh Malviya and holds a Masters degree in Arts from Punjab University in Jalandhar. Mansa ran the Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Tabla Academy in India and has participated in major music festivals like Harvallabh Festival as both a soloist as well as an accompanist. Mansa also featured in the 2023 edition of Melbourne International Festival of Hindustani Classical Music.
Accompanying Jay and Mansa on Harmonium will be Bhargav Sridhar. Bhargav is a talented classical Harmonium player. Having been a student of music from the age of 9, Bhargav has over the past decade, focused on developing Hindustani classical music on both the Harmonium and the Saxophone. He is currently under the tutelage of Surmani Pt. Prabhakar Dhakde, a violin maestro and composer from the Patiala Gharana.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Kew Court House, 188 High Street, Kew, Australia
AUD 30.00
