Gayathri Kallukaran is a Junior Journalist with Eastern Eye. She has a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from St. Paul’s College, Bengaluru, and brings over five years of experience in content creation, including two years in digital journalism. She covers stories across culture, lifestyle, travel, health, and technology, with a creative yet fact-driven approach to reporting. Known for her sensitivity towards human interest narratives, Gayathri’s storytelling often aims to inform, inspire, and empower. Her journey began as a layout designer and reporter for her college’s daily newsletter, where she also contributed short films and editorial features. Since then, she has worked with platforms like FWD Media, Pepper Content, and Petrons.com, where several of her interviews and features have gained spotlight recognition. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi, she writes in English and Malayalam, continuing to explore inclusive, people-focused storytelling in the digital space.
The exhibition Swara Raga Chitra by HN Suresh, Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bengaluru, was inaugurated on 14 June by Supreme Court advocate Sri Santhana Krishnan. Open daily until 22 June, the exhibition runs from 11 am to 7 pm at The Bhavan.
Artworks grounded in cosmology and music
The 50 digital paintings showcase a blend of cosmology and Indian classical music, with a focus on their scientific and metaphysical links. Featured works include Navagraha Mandala (nine planets) and Rashi Mandala (twelve zodiacs), grounded in astronomy and astrology.
Inspired by tradition, enriched by research
Each painting is visually vivid and scientifically supported, resulting from Suresh’s collaborations with leading scientists in India and abroad. Central themes of time and space tie the exhibition to deeper philosophical ideas.
The 50 digital paintings showcase a blend of cosmology and Indian classical musicThe Bhavan
The compositions accompanying the artworks were created by scholar-musician Dr. T. S. Sathyavathi, drawing inspiration from the Sri-Tatva-Nidhi of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III.
At a time when more and more of us are feeling the overload of restlessness, stress, and anxiety – caused by work, family, and mass media – Rishab Sharma’s Sitar for Mental Health is just what is needed.
His show isn’t just a performance – independent of the audience – but an interactive movement that explores the intersection of sound, consciousness, and wellbeing. From the outset, the audience become part of the music and its hypnotic qualities.
To create this effect, Sharma draws upon the ancient raga system to tap into the therapeutic essence of Indian music, using tone, rhythm, and resonance to restore balance to the audience’s psyche.
In effect, the concert is – in parts - a trace-like meditation to the inner consciousness, a dialogue between the body and the soul. In other parts, it’s a raucous fusion of classic ragas and hits from popular culture – there’s even a quick nod to The Game of Thrones. It’s this modern fusion with just the right mix of spirituality and pop that makes the show an extraordinary blend that is soothing, serene, and tranquil.
Glimpses from Rishab Sharma's concert
The show opens with a short biographical film that highlights Sharma’s own battle with anxiety and depression, and the way the sitar has helped him to fight those mental demons. Sharma (a fourth generation of satarists) refers to his music guru, the late Ravi Shanker, his isolation during the lockdown, and the numerous international accolades he has received over the last few years (he’s still only 27).
After a light-hearted introduction, Sharma begins with a short pranayama (breathing exercise) to prepare the audience for the transcendental experience. The show is clearly a focus on mental health and wellbeing aspects which in recent years, have highlighted in social policies.
It’s no hyperbole to say that Sharma’s ragas unfold with astonishing grace and artistry. Though they are all beautifully composed, some of the pieces are particularly moving. For instance, Kailashon Ke Vaasiis a powerful work inspired by Lord Shiva’s cosmic abode. The slow-burning tune is spiritually rich, and as the other instruments joined in, the performance lifted into another realm. Every pluck and pause of the sitar is measured as if Sharma knows what the audience is feeling. With some members brimming with tears, the auditorium becomes a collective experience of shared memory. It’s as if the music and his strumming of the sitar is like a wormhole into our deep consciousness.
Other pieces seem more delicately composed – quiet and personal. Roslyn for instance, has a certain restraint, melancholy, and vulnerability. The silence between the notes speak as loudly as the notes themselves.
The sitar, with its shimmering overtones and elastic glides, becomes a tool for emotional release. The interplay between sitar and tabla creates a pulsating energy that gently realigns the listener’s attention inward, offering an experience that is simultaneously grounding and transcendent.
Glimpses from Rishab Sharma's concert
The finale ShivTaandav is, of course, a beautiful and emotional tribute to Sharma’s Hindu roots and the audience – all standing – felt a certain religious and cultural pride in seeing the passion with which this was delivered. Sheer poetry in motion.
In the end, Sharma’s performance leaves the listener not just musically enriched, but spiritually and emotionally renewed. This is entertainment and therapy at its finest – a rare and beautiful gift in our restless age of modernity and cacophony of life. If you are to see one classical performance this year, this is it.
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