Despite the new national lockdown restrictions, Milap’s Music for the Mind & Soul concert series is continuing to thrive in its new digital format, with a further three concerts lined up in as many months.

Starting on Saturday 30th January – and taking place thereafter on the last Saturday of each month – it’s a typically diverse programme from the Liverpool arts organistion, and includes two stunning examples of Jugalbandi – a special type of Indian Classical music performance in which artists from two very different musical traditions come together to duet.

The performance in January is a special tribute to the late Pandit Nikhil Ranjan Banerjee – an Indian classical musician, student of the legendary Baba Allauddin Khan and, along with Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan, one of the leading exponents of the sitar.

The show – broadcast from the On Air Theater Studios in Kolkata – will feature Dr Pandit Ranajit Sengupta, a sarod player who has been highly influenced by the music of Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, and one of the stars of the Indian Classical music scene. 

In this concert he will present two Ragas, both directly inspired by the late sitar master. He will be accompanied by Kousik Banerjee on the tabla and Chandrima Das on the tampura.

Saturday 30th January 2021 13:00 (UK Time) | YouTube Premiere

Next up, on Saturday 27th February, Nadaswaram maestro Enjikkudi Subramanian and violin virtuoso HN Bhaskar will come together for the first time for a Jugalbandhi in the Raga Shanmukhapriya, accompanied by the Mridangam genius Patri Satish Kumar and the internationally renowned Anirudh Athreya on the Kanjira.

Then, on Saturday 27th March, another brand new Jugalbandi performance; featuring flute J.A.Jayant and acclaimed sarod player Debasmita Bhattacharya, performing Raag ‘Sarasangi’ / ‘Nat Bhairav’.

For this brand new collaboration, they will be accompanied by Sai Giridhar on the Mridangam and the rhythmic M.T. Aditya on the Tabla. This is a live studio recording from Offbeat Music Ventures in Chennai.

All the Music for the Mind & Soul concerts can be viewed on the Milap Youtube Channel.

PLUS: Milap are up for two prizes at this year’s LCR Culture and Creativity Awards, including the People’s Choice Award! You can vote up until the 26th January here.

Established in 1985, Milap has a year round programme of Indian arts in London and Liverpool, and works both nationally and internationally to inspire, educate and entertain.

Milap also founded the National Indian Arts Awards – now in it’s fifth year –  in order to recognise the work of countless individuals, schools, teachers, performers, and art organisations, up and down the British Isles, who are working tirelessly to provide generous opportunities to learn or experience Indian arts.

Lead image: Debasmita Bhattacharya