Sunanda Sharma + Ustad Shahbaz Hussain (tabla solo)

Banaras gharana tabla meets Himachali khayal: two distinct Hindustani traditions in one evening 

A double bill pairing two forms that sit at opposite poles of Hindustani music. The first half is pure percussion: Ustad Shahbaz Hussain, rooted in a Punjabi musical lineage and trained across stages in the UK and internationally, performs a tabla solo — the instrument as lead voice, not accompanist. Farooque Latif Khan’s sarangi provides the melodic thread (nagma) that anchors the rhythmic exploration. 

The second half shifts to voice. Sunanda Sharma sings khayal steeped in the Banaras gharana tradition, learned at the feet of the legendary Girija Devi. Her music carries the folk inflections and emotional directness of Himachal’s village storytelling, given shape through rigorous classical technique. Joglekar (harmonium), Khan (sarangi), and Bhattacharjee (tabla) form the ensemble. Two halves, two entirely different ways of understanding rhythm, melody, and expression within the same tradition. 

FIRST HALF 

Shahbaz Hussain – tabla

Farooque Latif Khan – sarangi nagma

Interval: 20 minutes

SECOND HALF 

Sunanda Sharma – khayal vocalist

Ajay Joglekar – harmonium

Farooque Latif Khan – sarangi

Rupak Bhattacharjee – tabla