The setting was simple and artistic – the stage curtains glowed in deep purple and rich maroon behind three white pillars carrying black urns with flames, creating an ambience of elegance and warmth. It was the evening of July 18th, 2004 and the venue was Winman Junior High School auditorium in Warwick, RI.

Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee, a Sitar artist of great acclaim, visiting from India, garlanded a statue of Lord Ganesh to mark the inaugural concert of a brand new Rhode Island based music organization named Indian Concert series. He then opened his concert with Raga Yaman Kalyan . The very first note sounded on the perfectly tuned Sitar created a promise of great music. An hour long exposition of the raga consisted of Alaap, followed by Jod , two compositions set to Madhyalaya and Drut Teental and a fast paced Jhaala. The second half of the concert featured Raga Pilu , a romantic raga played in the Thumri Ang containing a long alaap segment followed by a medium paced Teental composition. The concert concluded with a composition in Raga Bhairavi. Purity of sound, keen attention to tone and tuning, mastery on playing in the “Gayaki Ang” as well as vigorous “taankaari” were the hallmarks of Pandit Mukherjee’s performance.

Shri Nitin Mitta, excelled in providing sensitive and noteworthy accompaniment on tabla. There was a display of great understanding and cooperation between the veteran Sitarist Pandit Mukherjee and the young tabla artist Shri Mitta right from the start. They gave each other plenty of space to improvise, alternating in their creative efforts and arriving on the main beat or the “Sam” with unfailing accuracy. Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee also noted that the pindrop silence that the audience maintained helped him create the magical mood of the evening. Clearly, it was a combination of several factors that made this concert a successful one.

Nikhil Tikekar, one of the founder members of ICS (Indian Concert series) expressing his delight at Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee’s inauguration of the organization’s concert series said “I was 100% sure in my heart that I wanted Pandit Mukherjee to do the inauguration, and I am so happy my dream has come true.”

Koyel Ghosal, treasurer of Indian concert series, who plays the Sitar herself and has received guidance from Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee’s student the late Shri Chaitanya Koppikar remarked that the artist displayed great intelligence and skill in how he created sound in the Sitar. “He is an engineer and has obviously approached technique from a scientific standpoint.”

Interview with Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee.

Who has been your main inspiration in Music?

My main and only inspiration has been my father and Guru Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee. He is 78 years old and has taught many students including myself.

Besides being a musician and performer, you are also a trained engineer and you won a gold medal in engineering. Did you ever have second thoughts of going back to engineering as your main profession?

The idea of going back to engineering is forgotten forever. I have to admit that taking up music, as a profession is not easy. A musician’s career is unpredictable. If a child, who starts learning music at the age of 5, puts in rigorous practice for 20 years under the guidance of a good Guru, he arrives as a performer at age 25 with little name or fame. The next 10 years determine if he can survive as a musician depending on how he deals with the response he receives. If he can endure the stress and strain, he will last out and he will shine. This is why we have only a handful of top-notch musicians. The others give up midway.

Is there any one else in your family who plays the Sitar?

My son, Bijoyaditya Mukherjee plays the Sitar. He is also a first year student of Biotech Engineering in India.

Your Sitar style shows a good balance between forceful and vigorous taankaari as well as “mithas” or sweetness. Would you consider that one of the chief features of your style?

Vigor and sweetness cannot be separated. In a concert, when sweetness needs to be projected, it should be projected, when vigor needs to be projected, then that should be projected. There are some typical strokes that are required to bring life into a performance. An artist’s preparation or “tayyaari” must reflect them.

What is the challenge you experience when you sit on stage?

The challenge is to make my music flow unhindered, so that the joy can be experienced not only by the listener in the audience, but also by me, the artist who is at one level a listener too. The challenge for me begins right from the minute I sit on stage.

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