Surprise in a musical evening

Sometime, about 3 to 4 months back, while Rajesh was going through his illness period, I had seen a Wah Taj! ad of Pandit Rahul Sharma playing a Kashmiri music piece on Santoor. The music lingered in my mind long after the ad. I tried to search on line but couldn't find it on You tube. In the interim period Rajesh got critical and I forgot all about this.

Last Friday, my friend invited me for a vocal recital by Kishori Amonkar, the Gaan Saraswati of India. I was very thrilled to see her perform live that too at 86 years of her age. I reached late and missed most of the other performers but since I was there only to hear Kishori Tai, it didn't matter. As I was waiting for my friend to get me an access inside at the gate , I could hear the beautiful strains to Santoor floating and filling up the space with magic.

I walked into the open air venue, my heart skipped a beat, there was Pandit Rahul  Sharma playing the Santoor. He was just finishing the last piece that he was playing...and I was shocked. In a daze I settled on the plastic chair. Then as I barely sat down, he asked"Kashmir ki dhun sunoge" my heart just skipped a beat...imagine my delight that next piece he played was the Kashmiri dhun that I was searching.

It was the most soulful and mesmerising tune that made that evening an ethereal experience for me. Music has the powers to reach to the inner most recesses of mind and heal.I sat there spell bound soaking in the night queen flowers aroma filling the winter evening.

Listening to Kishori Tai was of course all together another treat.