The 8th edition of Swaradhyay, a Baithak series organised by Rasasiddhi, featured the remarkable Shri Pratik Shrivastava Ji on Sarod, accompanied by Shri Yashwant Vaishnav Ji on Tabla. This marked the second performance of the evening on March 31, 2024.
Venue - The Pink Lotus Academia.
PRATIK SHRIVASTAVA
Pratik was initiated in to the art of playing the Sarod at the age of six by his grandfather Pandit Rabi Chakraborty, himself an eminent Sarod player of the “Maihar Gharana”, and nurtured the art form under the tutelage of his uncle Dr. Rajeeb Chakraborty ever since. Pratik has also received guidance from Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty and Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar.
● Scholarship at Anun Lund Rej Memorial Foundation1999, Norway.
● National scholarship by Govt. of India Ministry of Culture, New Delhi, 2007.
● Jnana Pravaha Foundation scholarship, 2013.
Pratik began his journey as a performing artist at the age of 12 and since then has been presenting his art at various prestigious Classical music festivals in India and abroad such as Darbar Festival (London), Swar Samrat Festival (Kolkata), Gandharva Mahavidyalay (Delhi) and many more.
Pratik’s participation in various contemporary fusion music projects and film scores reflects his versatility and an unique approach towards different genres of music. He has had the privilege of working and performing with legendary musicians and composers like Pandit Bickram Ghosh, Anoushka Shankar, A.R. Rahman, Shantanu Moitra and Arijit Singh among others. His recent collaboration with phenomenal Indo-German Pianist Jarry Singla has paved the way for numerous performances at several prestigious Jazz music events around Europe.
Pratik’s talent and achievements are a reflection of his hard work and unadulterated guidance from his family and teachers.
YASHWANT VAISHNAV:
Widely hailed as a Tabla prodigy, Master Yashwant Vaishnav was born to Shri Rajendra Vaishnav and Smt Bhagawati Vaishnav in 1993. His initial training began with his father from where he went on to learn from Shri Hemant Sachdev. To further his learning he came under the tutelage of internationally acclaimed tabla artist Pandit Mukund Bhale.
He had the fortune to study under Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata. Currently he is a disciple of legendary Tabla Maestro Pandit Yogesh Samsi. Yashwant’s Tabla playing is marked with clarity and a crisp tonality which stays uncompromised at high octane speeds as well. His creative approach to rhythmic distribution and progression is a treat to listen to in his riveting solos. His approach accompaniment on the other hand is subtle, supportive and supplementary. Yashwant takes a keen interest in collaborating with different forms of music and is influenced by different genres and assimilates all of this in his playing.
Sound Engineer - Devmitra Thakur
Video Credit - Aishwary Bajpai