Tabla Recital by Deeksha Vaidyanathan and Shreesh Nalatwad

On a warm Sunday morning on the 7th of August 2022,  patrons from across New England gathered at the Sri Lakshmi Temple in Ashland, MA to experience the Tabla Vaividhya Pradarshan of the talented young artists, Deeksha Vaidyanathan and Shreesh Nalatwad.

Tabla is one of the primary percussion instruments in Hindustani classical music, with the origins of the modern tabla tracing back to 18th century North India. It is a pair of two drums that can be played solo, in accompaniment, or as part of an ensemble.

The event, attended by close to 200 guests, was the culmination of 10 years of training for both Shreesh and Deeksha under the esteemed teacher Shri Rajesh Pai. Rajesh Pai learned tabla from Udupi, Karnataka under his gurus Shri Shrihari Marate and Shri Vittaldas Bhat and has performed at several classical, light classical, and fusion concerts while being an active member of the New England music community.

The Vaividhya Pradarshan was the perfect event for both Shreesh and Deeksha to showcase their exceptional skill with the tabla, as they took the audience through a medley of different artists and styles.

The duo opened the day accompanying the much regarded harmonium player Shri Hirak Modi, from Mumbai.  The duo displayed excellent control and elegance as they complemented Shri Modi’s harmonium through the various changes in tempo throughout. They began with Vilambit Teen Taal, Peshkar, Kayadas and Relas set to a sixteen beat rhythm cycle and concluded with oral recitations followed by presentations of Ganesh Paran, Gath and Chakradhar.  Both Deeksha and Shreesh showcased their ability to play tabla simultaneously without obstructing each other and also hold the audience when playing solo.

The duo then took the audience through a series of mesmerizing bhajan and ghazal by M Rama Rao Ji, an All India Radio and  Doordarshan artist in Bhopal. In perfect cohesion with Rama Rao Ji’s divine voice, Deeksha and Shreesh demonstrated their maturity in tabla in supporting a senior artist with melodious rhythm patterns of keharava and dadra taal enjoyable in their own right.

Shreesh and Deeksha then accompanied Kumari Selina Banerjee, an outstanding local Hindustani vocalist, and Shri Hirak Modi with the harmonium. Kumari Banerjee took hold of the audience with her enchanting vocals by singing Bada khayal, Chota khayal and Tarana in Raag Brindavani Sarang and concluded with a beautiful thumri in raag Charukeshi.  Deeksha and Shreesh highlighted their range as they seamlessly shifted from a slower paced Vilambit Ek taal to Madhyalaya Teen Taal followed by combinations of tempos in Dadra taal and yet showed no change in confidence in their striking of the tabla.

After a short break, the duo continued to accompany another instrument, the Veena, played by Deeksha’s elder sister, Kumari Pratima Vaidyanathan. The audience was delighted to see the Vaidyanathan sisters perform together on stage, as the tabla duo beautifully embellished by playing various keharava bhajan theka patterns to the divine song Mahaganapathim manasa smarami played by Pratima.

Next, Shreesh and Deeksha performed with sitar player Shri Jason Marino. The sitar-tabla combination brought a new life to the room with an energetic beat delivered by Deeksha and Shreesh in Madhya -Drut laya Teen taal and Shri Marino’s prowess with the sitar who played deeply touching Bandish in Raag todi.

And for the grand finale, a Sawal Jawab by Kathak Dancer Smt. Meenakshi Verma-Agarwal, with Shreesh and Deeksha on the tabla, Kumari Maya Koorapaty on Kathak bol recital and Shri Jason Marino on the sitar. The duo showed their technical finesse with the tabla as they engaged in a back and forth matching tabla parans to the dancer’s kathak bol patterns followed by intricate tihayis and chakradhars, and exhibited their virtuosity as they delivered a performance that kept the audience on the edge of their seats throughout. The electrifying finale was a fitting conclusion to the musical journey the duo took the audience through.

The recital truly represented Deeksha’s and Shreesh’s great dedication over the years in learning Indian classical music, and how they’ve grown throughout the process. They showcased their variety in skills and flexibility in playing with other instruments comfortably and adapting to the styles of other artists but also introducing their own flavors into the music.

The success of the event was the product of hours of hard work put in by the families and friends of Shreesh and Deeksha to handle the logistics and preparations, as well as the Sri Lakshmi temple staff for providing the beautiful auditorium and sumptuous meals to the attendees.

The Vaividhya Pradarshan was a major milestone for the musical journeys of Deeksha and Shreesh, who both graduated from high school and will be attending college in the fall. We hope that they continue their musical journeys and can’t wait to see what they’ll do!

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