Flue concert with Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia , accompanied by Debopriya Chatterjee, Nicolo Melocchi on flute and Sanjay Kansa Banik on tabla in Milan, Italy

A flute concert was organized by Spicmacay in collaboration with the Milan Conservatory of Music, Italy on July 1, 2024. It was a grand occasion to see the legendary veteran Indian maestro enthrall the audience both Italian and Indian at the auditorium of the Milan Conservatory. It was attended by over two hundred people from across Italy and other parts of Europe. The evening started with Nicolo Melocchi introducing Guruji Hari Prasad Chaurasia to the audience. Nicolo has spent over five years in India under the tutelage of Panditji and now teaches Indian classical music in Milan and Bergamo. It was followed by Spicmacay conveners Yash Vyas and Raghavi Vishwanath introducing Spicmacay Italy chapter and highlighting the role of Spicmacay in promoting Indian classical arts across India and abroad. Distinguished members from the Hindu Association of Italy, welcomed Panditji, Debopriya ji and Sanjay ji with a shawl in a traditional Indian welcome. It was followed by the Consulate General of India, Mr. Atul Chauhan welcoming Panditji and the audience to this gala evening of Indian classical music.

Panditji introduced the ragas as north Indian ragas and praised the audience for its interest in classical music and followed it up with a scintillating Raga Jog, that seemed to unite the audience both European and Indian in a beautiful harmony. The performance enchanted the audience, many of whom closed their eyes to be in union with Panditji and his flute. After a roar of claps, Guruji humbly responded with folded hands and followed it with another two performances based on Raga Hamsadhwani and Raga Bhairavi. Debopriya ji joined Panditji on the flute as Sanjay ji accompanied the ragas with his table. At the climax of the performance, Sanjay ji responded to each tune of Panditji with his beats on the table. It felt as if Panditji’s Flute and Sanjay ji’s Tabla were in a harmonious dialogue with each other. The audience, enamored by the performance, gave a standing ovation to Panditji at the end. It was a very captivating moment to hear Panditji unite with the enchanting melodies with perfection. Spicmacay volunteers Abhishek Vaidyanathan, Pallavi and Tara managed the logistics of the event, while Yash Vyas, Dipon Bose and Ravi Ramesh managed the photo-videography.

written by SPICMACAY volunteer Dipon Bose at Politecnico di Milano, Italy