Indo American News

Tag: KTRU

  • KTRU South Asian Concert Brings Healing in the Wake of Hurricane Harvey

    KTRU South Asian Concert Brings Healing in the Wake of Hurricane Harvey

    Swar Yatra – A Musical Journey! Celebrating 50 years of KTRU and 25 years of Navrang Show
    Swar Yatra – A Musical Journey! Celebrating 50 years of KTRU and 25 years of Navrang Show

    By Ethan Hasiuk

    HOUSTON: On Sunday, Septermber 10, a large, beautifully diverse, and attentive audience experienced Swar Yatra – A Musical Journey, a concert hosted by KTRU Rice University Radio. Varsha Vakil, who has now organized four South Asian music concerts and three KTRU Outdoor Show (ODS) Indian performances in her nine years as a DJ at KTRU, led and curated the event. This year’s concert was particularly special in that it celebrated 50 years of radio at Rice University and 25 years of the Navrang radio show.

    Pandit Suman Ghosh at KTRU’s Swar Yatra – A Musical Journey!
    Pandit Suman Ghosh at KTRU’s Swar Yatra – A Musical Journey!

    Swar Yatra – A Musical Journey was dedicated to former KTRU Station Manager Nick Schlossman, who originally invited Varsha to join Navrang and facilitated a shift in the then Bollywood-focused Navrang show to more diverse Indian music styles. Schlossman and fellow KTRU alumnus Katie Mayer were in attendance. Additional guests of honor included Dr. Shih-Hui Chen, Chair of Composition and Theory at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music; Paul English, professional composer and Shepherd School of Music alumnus; and David Leebron, President of Rice University.

    Fusion artist and rapper Gaura Karuna with Ram Das
    Fusion artist and rapper Gaura Karuna with Ram Das

    After enjoying free henna tattoos from ISKCON and free snacks from Deep Foods, the audience was treated to an energetic performance from Houston’s rapper Gaura Karuna. Gaura, accompanied by Ram Das on vocals and harmonium, presented his unique fusion of soaring, Kirtan melodies and rapped verses over electronic beats. The audience was eager to dance and clap along to his performance.

    The tone of the event then calmed significantly with a traditional sitar raaga masterfully performed by Rice University Doctor of Musical Arts student Shane Monds. Justin Lasiewicz joined Monds on tabla for the performance’s conclusion, which fully demonstrated the rhythmic and sonic capabilities of each instrument. Justin humbly shares “Sound provided was of the highest quality, the stage was perfectly created for an evening soaked in North Indian classical traditions; the food, henna, moving music and comforting chai made for a special evening.”

    Justin Laseiwicz on Tabla and Shane Monds on Sitar
    Justin Laseiwicz on Tabla and Shane Monds on Sitar

    Closing out the concert was internationally acclaimed Hindustani Classical vocalist Pandit Suman Ghosh. Pandit Ghosh rushed to the event from the airport having just returned from a performance in Minneapolis, MN, but nothing about his performance felt the least bit rushed. In fact, he presented a perfectly-paced and masterfully performed set of raaga representing the cyclical nature of each day. These raaga ranged from calm and contemplative to intense and intricate, demonstrating the full capabilities of his versatile voice.

    KTRU-in-1

    Pandit Ghosh was accompanied by Hindole Majumdar, whose innovative tabla technique guided the performance through its varied moods and beat patterns. Apurva Ghosh and Prasun Kolhe, disciples of Pandit Ghosh, also accompanied the performance, introducing recurring themes and melodies throughout and perfectly executing call-and-response vocal passages. Pandit Ghosh admirably states “The event, spearheaded by Varsha Vakil was organized and presented in an impeccable fashion and with noticeable grandeur. My heartiest congratulations to KTRU and Navrang!” Pandit Ghosh dedicated his performance, which he graciously donated to KTRU, to those affected by Hurricane Harvey and flooding events around the world.

    KTRU’s local show director, Ian Wells, was invited on the stage by Varsha to express her sincere gratitude for his unconditional support towards the Navrang show endeavors. Varsha applauded the tremendous efforts by Rice University undergraduate students and ktru’s small concert directors Ethan Hasiuk and Jeff Horowitz for their exceptional leadership and management skills. Varsha earnestly thanked sponsors Hindus of Greater Houston, South Asian Youth Alliance, ISKCON, Daya, India Culture Center, Indian American Cancer Network, Maharaja Bhog, Udipi Cafe, Govinda’s, Deep Foods, Quik Tea, Britannia, and the media partners Masala Radio, KPFT and GenerAsian Radio.

    The evening concluded with celebratory cake in addition to Indian vegetarian cuisine. It was beautiful to see artists, Rice students, and members of the Houston community gathered together in this way, brought together by music even during a time of pain and struggle.
    Ethan Hasiuk is a Rice University Undergraduate Student.

  • KTRU Makes Magnificent South Asian Percussion Accessible to All

    KTRU Makes Magnificent South Asian Percussion Accessible to All

    KTRU-in-1
    Houston’s talent showcased at the Rice radio concert “Fantasy of Exotic Drums – Tala Mahotsav”

    By Ethan Hasiuk

    HOUSTON: KTRU Rice Radio hosted “Fantasy of Exotic Drums – Tala Mahotsav” on September 24, on the Rice University campus, bringing an astonishingly comprehensive array of percussion instruments and playing styles with South Asian origins to a diverse group of Houstonians, many of whom were experiencing this art form for the first time.

    It was Varsha Vakil – the host of KTRU’s South Asian music show “Navrang” vision and diligence of a free percussion event as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of KTRU and the 24th anniversary of Navrang. The Tala Mahotsav began with Ganesha vandana with Ajay Subramanian on mridangam accompanied by Neethi Nayak’s vocals.

    Varsha congenially thanked concert attendees, the participating artists, and her sponsors for their support to make this event possible.  The event commenced with young ISKCON Houston artists drumming down the aisle that featured mridangam in an ensemble setting. Continuing with the cadenced drumming was the distinguished Chenda Melam presentation by the Panchari Arts Forum.

    Concert attendee Dr. Stephen Long shares “Varsha Vakil who organized this event, was radiant. Decked out in Indian costume she introduced the performers, naming each as though they were close acquaintances.” Dr. Long added “then a band of drummers, entering the hall, brought the audience to full attention. All of the subsequent performers, including vocalists, were outstanding.”

    KTRU-in-2
    Guests of Honor,from left: Mahtab Nadalian, Prof. Karim Al-Zand, Ali Tarkesh, Varsha Vakil, SPIKE, Krishna Sharma, Saugat Aryal and Sunit Pradhan

    Raja Banga well-known for his par excellence tabla performances set the stage for his multigenerational Essence of Prana Ensemble. This ensemble was a blissful amalgamation of Western and Indian instruments including tabla, harmonium, cajon, and violin along with melodious vocals.

    Varsha invited the guests of honor on stage – Rice University Shepherd School of Music Associate Professor Karim Al-Zand and avant-garde musician SPIKE the Percussionist. Al-Zand recalled childhood experiences and shared gratitude to recreate those memories at the concert.

    Varsha briefed the audience on the ancient percussive dumru to explain a colorful presentation by Yogina Patel and Masterij. Breaking norms of male dominated percussionists, Jasmeeta Singh represented women artists at this event accompanied with the inspiring Justin Lasiewicz. They enchanted the audience with their solo tabla pieces and an endearing duet.

    The Tala Mahotsav journey continued with the Persian music influence of the Daf by Ali Tarkesh Esfahani and Mahtab Nadalian’s santoor resembling fire and ice. Saugat Aryal, Krishna Sharma, and Sunit Prdhan presented fusion piece, combining guitar with Nepali folk and madol.

    Finally, the majestic Dholi Toki Singh filled the Grand Hall with the rhythms of the dhol creating awe amongst the audience motivating them to dance to the beats. An enthusiast Martin Chin informed “this is to the heart’s fulfillment; I truly enjoyed every minute of this concert, and can’t wait for the next one!” Jyoti Patel chimed “This concert was a unique experience not only for non-Indians but also for Indians, I applaud Varsha’s brilliant concept and her hard work, she is a trendsetter in the community to bring outstanding music concerts and that too for free.”

    Varsha encourages interested local artists to contact her through KTRU@ktru.org. Navrang show airs on Saturday from 10-12pm, on 96.1 FM on apps and online at ktru.org