Classical instrumentalists Mahendra Sharma and Manik Kohli weave magic with their jugalbandi

Sheetal

On Saturday evening, happiness came in waves with musical notes written all over it as Alliance Française Chandigarh hosted an evening of Indian classical music by Mahendra Sharma (on tabla) and Manik Kohli (guitar) at its art gallery.

The jugalbandi of tabla and notes of sitar coming from a Spanish guitar left the audience spellbound. The duet between the instruments started on a simple note but as the moment went by, it got complex, which engaged the audience on a higher level. The performance was supported by melodious singers in the audience as they recited Vande Mataram and Raghupati Ragahav in conclusion.

Manik Kohli, a young lad from tricity, is the youngest Indian to have modified the Spanish guitar to play like sitar. He performed Raag Yaman along with jod, jhala and alaap followed by Raag Desh and ending the show with dhun on Raag Bhairavi. Accompanied by Mahendra Prasad Sharma on tabla, it was wonderful to see two generations bonding over creative endeavour.

Prasad is a disciple of Pt Chhote Lal Mishra, who is a well-known tabla maestro of Banaras Gharana. As for Manik, he started training at the age of four with the blessing of his father Sanjeev Kohli, a renowned guitar player in tricity.