Bhairav

Sitarist Ankush N Nayak leads an eight-member ensemble, featuring Siddartha Belmannu, in a spirited fusion of Indian ragas, jazz and global rhythms, from meditative melodies to high-energy improvisation.

Rooted in Indian ragas, ‘Bhairav’ brings classical traditions into dialogue with jazz and contemporary global sounds. Sitar, bansuri and Hindustani vocals meet Indian tala, world percussion, bass and atmospheric keyboards, creating a soundscape that shifts from meditative passages to exhilarating improvisation. Each musician contributes to an evolving musical exchange, responding to the others and taking familiar melodic ideas in unexpected directions.

Leading the ensemble is sitarist Ankush N Nayak, a disciple of Ustad Rafique Khan and Pt. Buddhadev Das Gupta. He is joined by Hindustani vocalist Siddharth Belmannu, whose classical training and experience in playback singing inform his versatility, and third-generation flautist Shadaj Godkhindi, who carries his family’s musical legacy into classical and fusion performances.

World percussionist Karthik Mani brings his experience across Indian classical music, jazz and funk to the drums, alongside Rajesh Bhagvath on tabla and percussion and Anoor Vinod Shyam on mridangam. Their rhythmic interplay is complemented by keyboardist and composer Vishak Ramaprasad, whose musical grounding spans Indian and Western classical music and jazz, and bassist Haripriya Narasimhan, whose current explorations include jazz and bebop.

Moving between intricate ragas, layered rhythms and spontaneous improvisation, ‘Bhairav’ creates space for the musicians to challenge, complement and inspire one another, allowing each performance to unfold through the chemistry of the ensemble.

This performance is supported by Reliance Foundation.