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Shailaja Khanna

Cover photo of 'Prahar: The Singing Clock 'by Pravin Godkhindi. (Photo by arrangement)

Book Review | A refreshingly original fiction on power of ragas

The short easy read is a mere 137 pages, but laudably, refreshingly original.

04 Jun 2023 12:41 AM

The audience at a concert in Lucknow on May 22 — Rajesh Bharadwaj

Shailaja Khanna | Surprise! Indian classical music now has young ears

The new listener gives standing ovations with alacrity; but is not hesitant to walk out if the performance does not arrest his attention

28 May 2023 12:05 AM

Zakir Hussain performs at the Kolkata stage. Credit: Shiladitya Chattoraj

Shailaja Khanna | Are musicians today losing confidence in desi sounds?

The young seem unable to fully relate to music that is solely authentically indigenous, whether Thai, Cambodian or Indian

15 Jan 2023 12:00 AM

Sadly, over the years, celebrating Diwali with fervour has become more about an extravagant display of wealth. (Photo: ANI)

Shailaja Khanna | The many moods & myths of Diwali

Whatever be the reason of, the way to celebrate it is to reunite with one’s dear ones and make it an excuse of visiting friends, family

30 Oct 2022 12:10 AM

Cover photo of 'The Shoemaker’s Stitch: Mochi Embroideries of Gujarat in the TAPI Collection' By Shilpa Shah and Rosemary Crill (Photo By Arrangement)

Book Review | The cobbler’s contribution

Review of 'The Shoemaker’s Stitch: Mochi Embroideries of Gujarat in the TAPI Collection' By Shilpa Shah and Rosemary Crill

25 Sep 2022 1:39 AM

Shailaja Khanna | Abhangs, ‘secular’ food for the soul

Sadly, the emotive element in musical genres linked to devotion seems to be taking a back seat nowadays

30 Jul 2022 11:42 PM

The Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple in Kashi, said to have been established by Goswami Tulsidas himself in the sixteenth century, maintains the tradition of pleasing Lord Hanuman through music. (Twitter)

Shailaja Khanna | What makes this festival in Kashi a treat for the soul

Performing at the temple is not easy — the recitals are interrupted by temple rituals at midnight and the break of dawn

15 May 2022 12:12 AM

Shailaja Khanna | Timeless ebullience and other musical secrets

This is the fascinating story of the origins of dance; a story that was preserved in stone and text over the centuries

10 Apr 2022 1:44 AM

Truly, the inspiration a musician gets seeing another listening intently makes for an inspired rendition. (Representational image/ Twitter)

Shailaja Khanna | My first brush with magical Marghazi

Realising that literally life stops for several hundred musicians of all types during these 30 days was awe inspiring

27 Feb 2022 1:14 AM

A Sacred Journey: The Kedara Kalpa Series of Pahari paintings & the Painter Purkhu of Kangra By B.N. Goswamy and Karuna Goswamy. (Amazon)

Book Review | A family of talented Pahari painters memorialised

The book is not merely about the paintings, (painted between 1800-1825 in Guler, or Kangra) but equally about the text that inspired them

29 Jan 2022 6:46 PM

Crafting a Future: Stories of Indian Textiles and Sustainable Practices By Archana Shah. (By Arrangement)

Book review | Scholarly tribute to our artisans and their textiles

The section on fashion links the relevance of the hand crafted tradition to environmental concerns and sustainability

02 Jan 2022 11:50 AM

Shailaja Khanna | Thank you, Mother, for the clarity and the music

Listening to musicians with her was a unique experience as she pointed out aspects of the music that no one else did

12 Dec 2021 3:05 AM

Tabla Solo by Pt. Sanju Sahai. (DC Photo)

Shailaja Khanna | What ‘democracy’ looks like in the world of classical music

With the lockdown, everything changed. This cosy circuit took no time to disintegrate

03 Oct 2021 12:30 AM

Interestingly, there were several famous female musicians in this category, including Gauhar Jaan, followed by Kesarbai, and still later by Begum Akhtar, who commanded huge fees, sometimes exceeding those of their male counterparts. Gauhar Jaan. (DC Image)

Shailaja Khanna | Temples, AIR, YouTube: Music’s long evolution

In north India prior to 1950, the main patrons of the arts were the rulers

15 Aug 2021 2:08 AM

Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar. (Photo: Geetali Tare)

Shailaja Khanna | What kept the maestros going during pandemic

All the musicians have made the best of the pandemic, taken the restrictions imposed on them in their stride

04 Jul 2021 12:15 AM

Girija Devi singing in the intimate baithak style at Sankat Mochan temple, Banaras. — RAKESH SINHA

Shailaja Khanna | Old-world musicians need a helping hand

The passing away of several senior musicians due to the virus is another cause of depression in the community

23 May 2021 12:05 AM

Banks worked mainly for R.D. Burman, (Banks terms him the “Mozart of India”) Laxmikant Pyarelal, then Bappi Lahiri, till around the early 1990s. — By arrangement

Chronicled, the incredible journey of India’s shy, wry jazz king

Born in 1941 in war-torn Calcutta, Dambar Bahadur Budaprithi was re named “Louiz” to fit into the anglicised world of nightclubs

28 Mar 2021 9:48 AM

Padma Talwalkar (Photo: AVINASH PASRICHA)

Ragas in the morning, with the slowly emerging winter sun

The recent concert by Vidushi Padma Talwalkar was a true eye opener.

17 Feb 2020 2:07 AM

Nirmala Rajasekar at the concert (Photo: AVINASH PASRICHA)

A sublime saraswati veena baithak by Nirmala Rajasekar

Nirmala Rajasekar started her concert with a “varnam” in Raga Sahana, in Telugu, seeking divine grace.

12 Feb 2020 2:45 AM

Apparently, 20th generation representative Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar’s ancestors had received musical training from a disciple of Swami Haridas.

Of dhrupads and the musical tradition of Swami Haridas and Mian Tansen

Tansen’s daughter Saraswati whom he taught, married a musician prince of repute — Raja Misri Chand, of the Chandravanshi Rajput lineage.

22 Jan 2020 7:12 AM

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Sanjeev Ahluwalia