Anupam Shobhakar: Bridging Worlds with Kali Maa

Anupam Shobhakar brought a contemporary vision to Indian classical music at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, performing with his unique double-neck guitar-sarod, Kali Maa. This custom instrument, designed to bridge musical traditions, symbolized Shobhakar's own eclectic artistic path. He trained in the revered Maihar tradition after an early career in rock music.

Shobhakar found the Kala Ghoda festival’s environment particularly inspiring, describing it as a global platform that places heritage and modernity side by side. Presenting raga in such an open, contemporary setting felt ‘alive rather than nostalgic.’ The performance also included a cross-cultural dialogue with Israeli musician Tal Kravitz, highlighting shared roots between Indian ragas and Middle Eastern modal systems, focusing on improvisation and microtones.

Tabla exponent Amit Mishra added rhythmic depth, shaping the emotional arc of the performance. Shobhakar, who also serves as a Grammy Awards jury member, advocates for recognizing depth in music amidst a fast-paced digital world. He believes the global future of raga lies in confident cultural articulation, embracing the inherent freedom within its structured grammar.