The eighth Raag Rang

Living up to its aim of promoting the art,culture and traditions of India,Spandan Communications presented the eighth evening of Raag Rang- the series of Indian classical music on June 20. Held at The India Habitat Centre,New Delhi,the concert showcased the performance of renowned sarod player Mukesh Sharma,accompanied by Arshad Khan on the tabla and Savitri Sharma on the tanpura.
The show began with Raag Jog,followed by Raag Rageshri with alaap and ended with Mishrit Dhun in Raag Bhairavi. Sharma blended the elements of Gaayaki or vocal rendering with layakaari or instrumental rhythmic patterns..His father,the late Pandit Rasik Behari Lal,was an eminent sarod artiste and a disciple of the great sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan. Mukesh Sharma had his initial training from Pandit Suprabhat Paul,Dr. Ramaballabh Mishra and Pandit Birju Maharaj and has also received guidance from sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

Bhoomi to cut Durga Puja albums
Hailed as one of the biggest bands from Bengal,Bhoomi has signed a landmark three-album deal with Universal Music. This would be a one-of-a-kind exclusive deal in which Bhoomi will release an album every Durga Puja for three successive years. Their last Puja album released in November last year reached record sales across stores in Bengal.
Bhoomis journey began in Kolkata in 1999 and it is the only Bangla band that has conquered urban Bengal as well as the remotest villages of the state. Credited by the media as the group responsible for reviving Bengali folk music and infusing new life to it with various music forms,Bhoomi has cut albums that have won numerous accolades.
Gaanbahan (2007),Lokogeetir Deshe (2008) and Amraa Notun Jouboner Doot (2009) have been all-time bestsellers in the band circuit. Surojit,lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist from Bhoomi,says,It is indeed a great honour to have an association with a mega- international brand like Universal Music. For Bengalis,Durga Puja is the time when the audience and listeners gear up for the festive season wanting to include music as part of their festivities. The band is expected to come out with something unique with eclectic sounds and instruments,as with every release of theirs. Their songs have broken the generation barrier and from children to old people,everyone enjoys the music of this band.

Singer Soumya Raoh hosts music show
Sun Television Network and Saibaba Telefilms launched the Kannada version of the music reality show Music Ka Maha Muqabla titled Sangeeta Mahayuddha,claimed to be the biggest such reality show in Karnataka. The show will have six prominent singers and music directors from the Kannada film industry along with their team of young singers competing for the top spot. Being aired across 28 shows in 14 weeks on Udaya TV from June 26,it will be hosted by playback singer Soumya Raoh,the singer from Bengalooru who was introduced by Ram Gopal Varma and Sandeep Chowta.
Raoh has sung in several Hindi films and her biggest hits include Laila Laila (Samay),the title-track of Welcome,Le le mazaa le from Wanted,Roundhe hai from Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya and Dilbara from Dhoom.