Dr. Kaberi Sen, Pt. Arup Chattopadhyay, Anjan Saha and Phil Scarf presented a unique collaborative presentation where Odissi, Indian instrumental music blended seamlessly with Saxophone to create a delightful evening of music and dance. The event was held on Oct 28, 2023 at the Chinmaya Auditorium. 

In addition to having been trained extensively under Master Odissi teachers, Dr. Sen also has a Ph.D in the field of classical dance from the Rabindra Bharati University. Pt. Arup Chattopadhyay is a Table Maestro par excellence and is a Visiting Music Faculty at UC San Diego. Anjan Saha, a leading Sitar Maestro is also a faculty at Rabindra Bharati University. Their academic inclination motivated them to think out of the box and produce a unique collaboration with New England’s Phil Scarf, who is a brilliant Saxophone player with deep Indian Musical knowledge. 

The program started with a dance performance by Dr. Sen. After offering a traditional Namaskar to Jaganatha Swami with the Jai Jaganatha Swami, Nayana Path Gami, Avathu Mam, she went on to present a Surya Vandana set to Diwakara Namastubyam. Her  beautiful depiction of the brilliance of the Sun and His splendor was wonderful . She then moved to present a pure dance number in Pallavi. Her command over “Lay and Taal” was clearly displayed in the Pallavi along with a wonderful use of hand gestures and even eye movements in a way that was rather unique. She then moved on to present Bhavai Dharani, a piece on Devi. The piece was a Hindustani piece and not in the  traditional Odissi style. She beautifully adapted her movements to suit this piece thus showing how one can go beyond the boundaries of the traditional art form while staying true to the form. 

In the second half Anjan Saha, Phil Scarf and Pt. Arun Chakraborthy presented Rag Poorvi Kalyani. Anjan and Phil were able to perfectly support and take off from each other's presentations of the Raga. They made it seem as though the Saxophone and Sitar were meant to be played together. Pt. Arun Chakraborthy’s mastery on the Tabla made for a brilliant presentation amongst the trio. 

The last presentation was a wonderful combination of dance and music where Kaberi danced to a Hamsadhwani composition by Anjan Saha which seems to be a take on Vatapi Ganapathim. It was wonderful to see the mastery of all the artists shine in a supportive manner enhancing each presentation. 

Dr. Shashi Dwaraknath and Dr. Dwarkanath were the chief guests for the evening and applauded the presentation. Chinmaya Maruti and Dr. Megha Joshi must be thanked for bringing such a unique presentation to us. We look forward to such future presentations.