Keshava (musician)

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Keshava Kaarthikeyan
Background information
Born (2003-03-01) 1 March 2003 (age 21)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
OriginIndia
GenresHindustani classical music
Occupation(s)Tabla Prodigy
Instrument(s)tabla
Years active2010–present

Keshava Kaarthikeyan (born (2003-03-01)1 March 2003) is an Indian tabla player.[1] He is a prodigy and performed at the age of seven at the Delhi Commonwealth Games.[2]

Keshava performing at Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony 2010

Early life[edit]

Keshava Kaarthikeyan was born in Chennai, India and grew up in a musical family in Pondicherry, Auroville, India [3] He is the grandson of noted artist and arts patron, Prafulla Dahanukar.[4] He started learning tabla when he was two years old.

Career[edit]

Keshava was spotted by Bharat Bala at an event, while he was conceiving Rhythms of India, the first Part of the Delhi Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in 2010. Since then he has performed extensively with his mother Gopika Dahanukar and raga-guitarist Nadaka and learnt from Amit Kavtekar a student of Ustad Allarakha. Keshava was also enrolled in the Pandit Shankar Ghosh Academy online and has also taken classes with Pt. Arup Chattopadhay and masterclasses with Ustad Zakir Hussain. Currently he is under the guidance of Pt. Yogesh Samsi from the Punjab Gharana and a long time student of Ustad Allarakha and his senior student Shekhar Gandhi.

Keshava has performed extensively in India, Europe, USA and Canada. Some of the noted bands and musicians he has played with are Portico UK in jazz improvisation for Action against Hunger, Marc Longis bass guitarist, Mahesh Vinayakaram vocalist, Pt Raja Kale vocalist.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Young tabla prodigy enthrals CWG audience". Sify. Archived from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Hindustan Times – Archive News". Archived from the original on 24 October 2010.
  3. ^ "Biggest ever Commonwealth Games begins in Delhi". The Times of India. 3 October 2010.
  4. ^ Sarkar, Urvashi (4 October 2010). "Child prodigy delights spectators". The Hindu.