Of Evening Ragas and Rasas

A brief spell of fierce rain on the first night of Diwali ushered in the latest Under the Raintree event, a baithak for Hindustani classical concert. Our earlier choice of venue panned out, so did the second. So it was at our residence that Arshad Ali, from Kolkata, came to sing, with the home star Trilochan Kampli, playing the tabla.

Arshad Ali, accomapnied by Trilchan Kampli & Satish Kolli, photo by Subhalakshmi Roy

There was a mélange of aromas in the air – of oil diyas, sandal incense, platters of food, strands of marigold, the perfumes of elegantly attired friends and connoisseurs. As the sky segued into twilight, Arshad, dressed in pristine white, drew us into musical journey. With the opening notes of a vilambit khyal in Marwah, an evening raga, his voice reached out to clutch the hearts of the audience; from there, the powerful yet pure power of his voice held on through a dhrut khyal.

Music runs in his veins; his grandfather was the legendary sarangi maestro, Ustad Shakoor Khan. Arshad has been training from the age of six when he joined the prestigious ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata as a scholar and received taleem from his maternal uncles, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan and Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan.

a thrilling tabla solo by Trilochan Kampli, photo by Prateek Mukunda

We had heard of his reputation as a child prodigy, and seen his clips on youtube. While there were never any doubts about Arshad’s masterly technique, the mellifluous nature of his voice was as welcome as a spring of cool water. Strained nerves were magically soothed, the mind free to follow the curves of the music, and soar skyward.


A half hour later, he moved on to Bihaag, a delicately nuanced raga for the night, setting the mood for his final rendition in Bhairavi. “Kab aaoge”, he sang, the poignant longing sounding true and voicing the universal need for love. Eyes that had been closed to absorb the music deeper, opened to traces of tears that had welled up and flowed unbeknownst.

the textured scent of slowly heating oil in a clay diya

The audience was in a soporific stupor, and to gently coax them back to the gaiety of the festive night, Trilochan Kampli was urged to give us a solo performance. There were ten minutes of rousing drut teental, the unique Farukhabad gats in a sequence of increasing tempo and chakradars, to the outburst of applause that this artiste always elicits.


The bumps on the road before deciding to host the concert at home turned out to be a blessing in disguise; we had not had a house-warming after shifting into a new apartment a few weeks ago. The magic of music by the gifted young men suffused the place with peace, and the warmth of appreciative friends left us glowing.

Sound that sets you aflame

Unlike most self-styled fusion bands that create cacophony, Soular Flare’s sound is extra-ordinary and universal in its appeal. In the welter of local music groups that rely on rock, and mostly covers (with a few notable exceptions like TAAQ), Soular Flare with its original compositions, stands out like a beacon.

 This hot new sound of Bangalore defies conventional tags for music. An electro acoustic sound with an eclectic mix of peppy pop vocals, heady tabla beats, captivating strains of the electric sitar and soulful interludes of thumris and ghazals, Soular Flare aptly calls itself the musical world of an Indian soul.

Suchitra Lata

Soular Flare features Suchitra Lata on vocals and veena, Trilochan Kampli on the tabla, Paulson Joseph on the electric sitar and Srinivas Hande with Hindustani vocals.

Suchitra Lata is a versatile musician – a singer, songwriter and composer. She trained in the classical veena for several years before experimenting with her music. The results are appreciated by the international music business; Paul Simon gave her the judge’s choice award for her remix of his track, “Love is Eternal”. She licenses her tracks to films and TV, and one of her songs was recently licensed to a Cannes Atelier film. Besides composing jingles, for corporate AVs and films, she’s done three solo albums so far. Her voice is captivating – seguing from breathy ballad-style to bluesy notes and funky pop.

Trilochan Kampli, the percussionist with a devil-may-care attitude, is the catalyst in the creation of the band and its binding force.

Trilochan Kampli

A sensitive solo player and a sought after accompanist, he’s been stunning listeners, who include the President of India, from the age of 12. His fingers fly like magic over the seasoned leather of the tabla, their dexterous ease belying the complexity of the compositions.

Paulson brings to life delicate nuances on the electric sitar and a rich sense of rhythm that makes the music flow with felicity. Like Kampli, he is a whole time musician and performs extensively on radio, television and stage.

Srinivas Hande is the soulful counterpoint;  years of training as a Hindustani vocalist makes his singing cascade with meaning. When he is not singing at concerts, he has a day job as a chartered accountant.

Currently, the quartet is excited about their success in fine- tuning the sound of the Soular Flare band. Here’s a link to their music sampler: www.reverbnation.com/soularflare

Srinivas Hande

Paulson Joseph