Mehfil-e Honar Concert Series

Mehfil-e Honär: A Celebration of Art and Artists

Arshad Khan

Arshad Khan is the Indian classical musician of his generation. He belongs to the Delhi gharana. His style known as the gayaki ang.Arshad Khan is the son and disciple of masteros of Esraj Ustad Allauddin khan.

At the age of six Arshad began practicing on a specially made small Esraj, and by the time he was 10, the child prodigy started giving public performances. Arshad Khan has developed his own unique style of playing Indian classical music. His approach to rhythm is largely intuitive, fresh and spontaneous, always astonishing his audiences. He is also known for his exceptional voice, which he uses for singing folk songs and poetry.

On the occasion of India's 50th anniversary of Independence, a music festival was held in the Europe. In this Arshad Khan was a featured artist and accompanied with ustad Allauddin khan other locations performed at the All in the Europe.

Arshad has performed in solo classical Esraj at many confrences and festival including The Baba hari ballabh festival(punjab) he has high Grade from All India Radio and Doordarshan.

he has also performed in USA CANADA GERMANY, ROME, BOSNIA, DENMARK, DUBAI MUSCAT ABU DABI TURKEY CHINA and many more.He has worked with all the legendary music directors of india Shankar mahadevan Pritam Ajay Atul AR Rahman

He has also accompanied with the eminent the great mestro of ghazal USTAD GHULAM ALI KHAN SHAFQAT ALI KHAN SHARAFAT ALI KHAN SHANKAR MAHADEVAN USTAD TARI KHAN and many more.

KAVITA SETH

HARI HARAN

SURESH WADKAR TALAT AZIZ

Arshad has played for movie also like

MY NAME IS KHAN

I HATE LUV STORY 

BHAG MILKHA BHAG 

AURANGZEB

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Mohit Lal 

Mohit Lal hails from an illustrious family of dancers and musicians of Rajasthan. His grandfather, Shri Onkar Lal, was a renowned vocalist of Rajasthan. His uncle, Pandit Devi Lal, a renowned Tabla player and Kathak dancer, while his father late Pandit Durga Lal was the legendary kathak dancer of the Jaipur Gharana. He was also an accomplished pakhawaj player, having learnt the art of pakhawaj playing from Pt. Puroshattam Das of the Nathdwara Temple. 

The Gurus

Mohit was initiated in the art of tabla playing at the tender age of seven, by none other than his own father. Later, he came under the guidance of Ustad Chaand Khan of the Delhi gharana and Sri Fateh Singh Gangani of the Jaipur gharana. 

Later he came under the tutelage of Late Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan and Ustad Akram Khan of the Ajrada gharana. 

He has thus imbibed the baj (playing style) of the Delhi gharana which is the oldest and known for its clarity of sound, and the Ajrada gharana that is famous for its complicated bol-patterns.

Jaipur being a famous dance gharana where tabla is a vital accompanying instrument, he learnt from his father Pt. Durga Lal, and then from Guru Fateh Singh Gangani, both of the Jaipur gharana, the aesthetics of accompaniment, where the percussionist not only supports, but also enhances the performance, while retaining his own identity and style.

Mohit is a part of the fusion band Advaita as tabla player and percussionist.

With Advaita he was featured on Mtv Coke Studio,Mtv Unplugged,The Dewarits, Sound Trek On fox channel.

Mohit has also collaborated with Hungarian,Austrian,Polish,Iranian and African Musicians.

Performances

Mohit has participated in major festivals both as a solo artiste as well as an accompanist.

As a soloist he has performed at the Jhankar Festival, organized by Sahitya Kala Parishad in 1991 in New Delhi.

Pandit Durga Lal festival organized by Pandit Durga Lal Memorial Cultural Society in 1992 in New Delhi.

Smriti Mahotsava organized by Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt in Jan 1993, in Jaipur.

He has also accompanied the Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the well known sitarist Gaurav Mazumdar in a number of performances, and has done a tour of Rajasthan as a part of Viraasat 2004 (Spic Macay). 

He has been on an ICCR tour to South East Asia, where he accompanied kathak duo Mangala Kulkarni and Raghav Raj Bhatt.

Mohit has played with Brian(first African kathak dancer) organized by ICCR in December. He has performed solo for Pt.Chaturlal memorial cultural society in the year 2005.

He has also played for Jazz Utsav 2007 along with Babanga and Wanarayan Angerer.

He has also toured and performed in Singapore,United kingdom,Maldives,South Africa,Egypt with his fusion band Advaita.

Mohit’s song “Mo-funk” from Advaita’s second album The Silent Sea has been featured in Amitabh Bacchhan, Farhan Akhtar starrer movie “Wazir”.

He has collaborated with Japanese Jazz band “Fonte” in March’16 organized by Japan Foundation along with well known Sitarist Gaurav Mazumdar