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Mystic Meera
A Journey of Devotion Through Song
Artist
Meerabai, one of the most celebrated Bhakti saints of the 16th century, renounced her world of comfort and royalty to be one with Lord Krishna. It is in her fervent poetry that she conveyed both her devotion and passion for Krishna. To date, that poetry resonates in the hearts of her admirers, who keep her memory alive by singing and listening to Meera bhajans. Importantly, in the true spirit of tradition, today devotees of Lord Krishna still lean on these very same bhajans while pursuing their individual spiritual quests.
The performance aims to showcase this mystic poetry, wrapped in music. A selection from the vast repertoire of Meera’s bhajans will be presented, including some well-known compositions such as “Mere To Giridhar Gopal” and “Paga Ghungaroo Baandh”. The presentation will also be interspersed by a narration of some major milestones in Meerabai’s life, the people who inspired her, and the philosophy that fuelled her devotion.
In this performance, Priya Kanungo is accompanied by Gaurav Gadiyar on Harmonium and Karthik Krishna on the Tabla.
Supported by:
Artist
Priya Kanungo
A vocalist, Priya Kanungo has been a disciple of Pundit Amarnath of the Indore Gharana, Pundit Deepak Chatterjee of the Seheswan Gharana, and Pandit Rajan Misra of the Banaras Gharana. At present, she is under the guidance of Pt Vidyadhar Vyas of the Gwalior Gharana.
Apart from having trained under these stalwarts, she has an M.A., M.Phil, and Ph.D in Hindustani Vocal Music from Delhi University. She has been awarded the National Talent Scholarship by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and has been Advisor, DD Bharati, a television channel dedicated to art and culture. She has also taught introductory courses in Hindustani Music at Yale University, USA (in 2010), and at Ashoka University, Haryana, in 2014. At present, she is Professor, Performing Arts at O P Jindal Global University, in Sonipat, Haryana.
Priya sings khayal, thumris, bhakti/devotional, ghazals, and film songs. She is happy to experiment with different genres of music, and to collaborate with artistes from varied fields.
She is also an empaneled artist of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
Apart from her interest in music, Priya has a degree in Commerce from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, and has worked as a journalist with The Financial Express, The Economic Times, Business Standard and Hindustan Times.
Karthik N. Krishna
Karthik Krishna began learning tabla in 2004 under Guruji Pandith Rajgopal Kallurkar and later trained in the Farukhabad Gharana under Pandith Subhankar Banerjee. In 2011, he expanded his practice to include Carnatic rhythmic concepts under Vidwan K. U. Jayachandra Rao. In 2018, he was awarded a “B-High” grade in Hindustani Classical Music (Tabla) by All India Radio, Bangalore.
Renowned for his left-right balance and accompaniment skills, Karthik has performed with numerous legends across Hindustani, Carnatic, light classical, fusion, and dance forms, including Shankar Mahadevan, Vidwan Mysore Manjunath, and the Malladi Brothers. He has appeared on major TV channels and performed at prestigious festivals and venues across India and abroad.
Karthik co-founded Layaatma with Mridangam artist Vidwan Anirudha Bhat, presenting Percussion Conversation—a unique dialogue between tabla and mridangam. Their collaboration received a standing ovation at the Bharat–Sri Lanka Maitri Utsava in Colombo.
Gaurav Gadiyar
Gaurav Gadiyar is a harmonium artist based in Bangalore, known for his nuanced and expressive accompaniment. With a growing body of work available online, he continues to contribute to the Indian classical music scene through performances and collaborations.
