Praashekh Borkar
Praashekh Borkar is rapidly gaining recognition as one of India’s finest young sarod players. His father Pandit Shekhar Borkar is a renowned maestro of the instrument who also invented the surtarang, a combination of sarod and veena. He trained his sons Abhishek and Praashekh in his own tarankaar baaz playing style, which mixes the Maihar gharana of Ustad Allauddin Khan with ideas from khayal vocal music, notably including intricate ornamentation of taans (melodic lines).
The brothers grew up steeped in his unique musical fusion, and now tour the world with it while also exploring in their own directions. Praashekh, the elder, has won numerous classical awards and collaborated widely including with musicians from Spanish Andalucia and North Africa. He has written for ballet and TV and recently invented the esarod, an electric sarod that allows him to play music from the Western guitar repertoire.
Praashekh Borkar performed at Darbar Festival 2019, showcasing his mastery of the sarod alongside his brother Abhisek Borkar. Accompanied by Pandit Parimal Chakraborty on tabla, their performance highlighted a seamless blend of tradition and innovation, bringing forth the rich melodic and rhythmic intricacies of Hindustani classical music.
“The limitations of the sarod can be surpassed because music comes from the heart, and the heart never ceases to sing”
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