Music composer Rahul Sharma started October with a Barkha Ritu concert in Hyderabad. Before his show with Mukundraj Dev on tabla, he recounts his association with the city. “I have been coming to Hyderabad for the last 20 years; The audience here is nice and warm. Though I am a vegetarian, I enjoy biryani,” shared Rahul over phone.
It has been a busy month for them with live concerts. He is back from America after a Hindustani concert with Rakesh Chaurasia and Pt. Abhijit Banerjee at the Irwin Barkley Theater in Los Angeles. “We had our first concert which was after two years at the Barclay Theatre. It’s good to see that things are back to normal all over the world. In India we have been giving live concerts for the last six months.”
hard years
Rahul Sharma | photo credit: special arrangement
While it is exciting that live concerts are back, it has been a tough year for the musician on a personal level, as his father Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma passed away in May. It took her a month to recover from the shock and realized that the only way to recover was to get back on stage. Every time he plays on stage he is now special, as he connects with his father on a spiritual level. “He is not there physically, but when I am going to perform, I can feel his presence around the santoor and my music room. It is difficult, but at such times you have to be tough, take responsibility and so forth. Teach me to grow. His music lives on through me.”
While Rahul has fan clubs on Instagram and Facebook, he is not a huge fan of social media. Describing it as a big distraction, he says, “I personally do not enjoy being on it as it is like a public place where one can say anything as they have the freedom to write whatever they want. After a while, it puts a strain on your mind and your entire existence as to how to handle that aspect.” He adds, “There is life beyond aspirations to fulfill career and ambitions,” he adds and clarifies. are, “I’m okay with people putting stuff on my music or reaching out to me; I don’t like to be on this (social media) every day.
Rahul Sharma | photo credit: special arrangement
But with the social network getting the most attention among Gen Z, does he miss out on not joining them? “My music is available on digital media and it’s fairly easy to follow a person’s music these days. Beyond that, I believe there must be a certain element of mystery about the person; absolutely everything. cannot disclose.”
He leads a disciplined life with exercise, travel and is also a caricature artist. A family man, he spends time with his wife Barkha and eight-year-old son Abhinav who is learning to play the santoor from him. Is Abhinav a good student? Rahul laughs and says, “Initially he learned from his grandfather, but let’s see where the future lies. These days children are under academic pressure because the education system in India is a bit rigid. I wish they could just chase their dreams but He is not oriented yet. Having said that, he is interested in music and also learns.”
Barkha Tree presents Barkha Ritu featuring Santoor concert by Rahul Sharma. This was followed by a Hindustani concert by Manjusha Patil at Taramati Baradari on October 1, 7 pm; Ticket: ₹300; Bookmyshow.com