Dartington Ragas Festival: Strings, Voices & Rhythms

Spend a day wrapped in Indian music and dance at the Dartington Trust Hall. Its ancient stone walls have echoed plainsong and baroque string bands for centuries; on this September day, they'll vibrate to India's living classical heartbeat. We are calling it the Dartington Ragas: Strings, Voices & Rhythms Festival, a full-day invitation to wander in and out of music that stretches from meditative stillness to foot-stamping jubilation.

Each program set is linked like beads on a single thread, so you can listen without needing to keep track of the time. We have bright footwork and jingling ankle bells as Kathak dancer Jaymini Sahai paints stories in motion. Her rhythm partners are the singing bow of Vinayak Sahai's Sarangi and the light-fingered tabla support of Pundit Sanju Sahai.

In another session, experience Dhrupad, one of India's oldest and purest vocal traditions, known for its contemplative style and deeply meditative quality. Vocalist Amit Sharma is a dedicated practitioner and respected exponent of this art form. He is visiting us from Zurich to deliver this uniquely planned, soulful performance. Sarabjit Singh from the UK, on Jodi (Tabla), a grassroots artist, will accompany him. On Tanpura, we will have Ishtar Doblar from Zurich. These instruments will create a deeply immersive musical atmosphere, and together, they will transport us to the world deep within ourselves through this ancient form of music genre.

Jonathan Mayer's sitar meets Pundit Debasis Chakroborty's Indian slide guitar in a radiant duet. Their strings talk back and forth, plucked notes answering gliding slides like a friendly debate. Ustad Akram Khan anchors the conversation, his tabla shifting from a soft heartbeat to bursts of joy. Some passages rest as still as moonlight; others race like rain on a rooftop.

Local sitar voice Tommy Khosla opens with Nirmal Chohan's steady tabla, every phrase knowing this Dartington home. His solo lines rise and wander while the drumbeats keep them dancing forward. Next, Raaga pianist Deepak Shah, back for his second visit, takes the keys beside him. Sitar and piano share one tune in two colours, flowing like sunlight on water. Together with Nirmal, they shift from calm hush to bright rush, blending hometown roots with a returning friend's spark.

Ustad Akram Khan (seventh-generation Ajrara maestro) joins Pundit Sanju Sahai (sixth-generation Benares stalwart) for a rare tabla face-to-face. Their drums trade soft taps and rolling thunder while Vinayak Sahai's Sarangi sings a steady lahra underneath. Sanju-ji has shared his beats with Dartington audiences for over thirty years, and the hall greets him like an old friend. Visiting artist Akram-ji's crisp, playful phrases meet that long history, turning the set into a joyful crossing of two great families of rhythm at this iconic Dartington Trust Hall.

These are not just concerts; it's a chance for our community to experience something unique. Bring friends, make a day of it, and add another memorable day to our rich local culture.