PANDIT SANJEEV ABHYANKAR ON HIS MUSICAL JOURNEY AND CONCERT IN LONDON by ASJAD NAZIR Britain has a rich decades-long history of classical musical maestros delivering mesmerising performances for multicultural audiences at prestigious venues. A standout performance this month sees award-winning Hindustani vocalist Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar headline a classical concert at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room in London. He hails from the Mewati Gharana and has performed in over 200 cities around the world. The naturally-gifted vocalist has been surrounded by classical music since childhood and has had a prolific career. This particular performance is a part of the Monsoon Raga Festival and sees him offer his rich repertoire of music. Eastern Eye caught up with Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar to talk about his amazing journey in music, the UK concert and inspirations. What first connected you to classical music? My mother was a musician. She had a doctorate in music and was my first guru (teacher). I used to listen to her practise and that led me to learn from her since I was eight years old. How would you describe your journey in music? I am a child prodigy who gave his first professional stage performance at the age of 12. During that time, many legendary artists from my field advised my parents to put me in a full-time career in classical music. I was very fortunate to be accepted as a disciple by none other than the legendary Pandit Jasraj ji with a condition that I take this up as a full-time career. So, I have been breathing classical music for the past 40 years. I have performed in over 200 different cities around the world and classical music lovers worldwide adore my singing. What more can I expect or ask for? How much does live performance mean to you? It…
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