Younger artistes are setting new rules for ragas

The modern classical music concert space in India is changing, with deliberate defiance by younger artistes making it an exciting scenario. Emerging musicians are creating a dialogue around the rising intersection of music and storytelling. The ragas are being performed not for the audience but with them, narration and storytelling now intrinsic to the concert experience.

This shift owes itself to the growing interest in intentional listening, reintroducing ancient sonic traditions and meditative soundscapes for listeners. This reflects a larger cultural movement where music is increasingly being embraced as a tool for emotional balance and well-being. Leading this change is a new wave of artistes exploring genres beyond conformity.

At this year’s edition of The Sacred Amritsar, performances by several new-generation artistes created a space for visual storytelling and conversations, making the music feel personal and accessible. Blending the structured presentation of classical compositions with real-time sounds, audio and video narratives, these sessions were a breath of fresh air and were received with empathy and applause.

Among them was Soumik Datta, who has bridged cultures through collaborations with industry legends like Beyonce, Jay-Z and Anoushka Shankar. The celebrated sarod player presented an immersive show ‘Travellers’, part of his seven-month India tour called ‘Melodies in Slow Motion’.

Sayee Rakshith (violin), Debjit Patitundi (tabla) and Sumesh Narayanan (mridangam and percussion) have been accompanying him on the tour. Soumik has been using sound design and field recordings to evoke empathy and resonance. “The show weaves live music and original music with field reporting of refugees and narrates immigrant stories. It’s a piece that speaks to our shared humanity and music connects them all.”

Having grown up as an Asian immigrant in London, Soumik found home in sarod. “It was something that made me feel safe and anchored. I want to use my music as a tool for empathy,” he said. His concerts, as he described, are ‘ear cinema’, a performance that uses all sensory experiences to make it a deeply immersive exercise.

Kartikeya Vashisht (left) and Makrand Sanon — seen here performing at The Sacred Amritsar — say conversations,

storytelling and music are now interwoven. Photo: Teamwork Arts

Another aspect of auditory storytelling came with two young experimental musicians: Kartikeya Vashisht and Makrand Sanon. Kartikeya is a flautist, a student of Indian classical music who also brings influences of jazz, contemporary and folk to his music. Makrand, who likes to call himself an experimental percussionist, is an alumnus of the AR Rahman-led KM Music Conservatory. His experience as a sound engineer reflects in his deep knowledge of percussion. He has been experimenting with several instruments using morchang, djembe and drums.

For their performance at Amritsar, they started with Raag Hindol, a raga of spring, and then played melodies of Punjab, Rajasthan and some Balochi elements using an algoza. During their performance, they used djembe, an African instrument, multiple drums, including a wooden stool that Sanon was sitting on, and flutes.

“Sounds make us curious. So, our performances rely largely on instruments that speak to us and we make sure to carry on that conversation with our audiences. Even in baithaks, conversations, storytelling and music are now interwoven, making the experience intimate yet accessible for new-generation audiences,” says Makrand, who has now been playing professionally for over a decade. He says Indian music is usually perceived to be ‘too boring’ for an uninitiated audience. “We are trying to open doors for the upcoming generation. And this journey can be very interesting and soulful.” Layering the taals, ragas and compositions with different instruments, their music is rebranding classical concerts.

Instead of treating classical music as something formal and ‘strictly for connoisseurs’, emerging musicians are offering younger audiences, seen as reluctant participants in this discourse, another entry route. If The Sacred Amritsar is anything to go by, they are happily taking it.