The classical way

Mahesh Vinayakram was about 13 when he performed his first solo concert. “I felt like I was chosen for the vocal art form,” says Vinayakram,whose father T H Vikku Vinayakram,the percussionist,is both a Padma Shri and a Grammy awardee. Vinayakram’s own quest for music led him to collaborate with several renowned artistes in countries as far flung as France,Germany,Italy,Mauritius,Ghana,Kenya,London and Sweden,to name a few. “I consider myself really lucky to have performed with eminent personalities that include Ustad Zakir Hussain,American drummer Steve Eliott Smith,percussionist Pete Lockett and British Indian musician Nitin Sawhney,” he says. But it’s flautist Bikramjit Singh he’s looking forward to performing with on Sunday,a day when the duo comes together for the first time at Osho International Meditation Resort. “I love Bikramjit’s soulful approach to music. He is amazingly talented and quite open-minded,” he says.

Singh,a flute maestro from Manipur,has been playing the instrument since childhood. “I love blending Indian classical with western tunes,” says Singh,who has also travelled the globe,collaborating with artistes such as Karunesh,Prem Joshua,Benise,Chinamaya Dunster,Leslie Lewis,Jorgon Ohnemus amongst others. Singh,who has performed in more than 250 international albums,has already marked his diary with dates for his next international performances. “I will be performing in Dubai this Diwali,and at the Cannes Music Festival in January,” he says.

Vinayakram’s future projects include a performance in Mumbai,as well as a concert in Belgium in October,during the Europalia International festival. He is also planning a new project which will incorporate a digital dimension to Carnatic music. Hailing from a musically inclined family,and having studied music under vocalist and classical dancer Radha Viswanathan,he wanted to do something unique with the traditional form of Carnatic music. “I did not want to limit myself to classical music,” he says.

The performance will take place from 9.30 pm at the Osho International Meditation Resort