Music For A Cause - Fund-Raising Concert With pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt, Salil Bhatt & Pandit Ramkumar Mishra: Events in Hyderabad

Here's a concert to help the blind. Pitch in - you have more to gain than lose.

In order to raise funds for the construction of a hostel building for Shri Manik Prabhu School For The Blind at Maniknagar, a fund-raising concert is being organised on 24th April, at Sri Satya Sai Nigamagamam Hall. The concert features Grammy-winner and versatile slide guitar (Mohan Veena) player Padmasri Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt in a jugalbandi with Mohan Veena exponent Salil Bhatt and tabla player Pandit Ramkumar Mishra.

Born on 27th July 1952, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt hails from the 500-year-old Bhatt heredity of musicians. He had his initial training from his elder brother, Shashi Mohan Bhatt.

Vishwa Mohan has successfully Indianised the Western guitar by changing the original strings and adding 'Chikari' and 8 'Tarabs' (sympathetic strings), and has developed his own style of playing Indian classical music. The style is a combination of 'Gayaki Ang' (vocal style) and 'Tantrakari Ang' (instrumental style).

He is one of India's leading artistes, and has given performances all over the country, and abroad too. He has performed in the US, Canada, the UK, France and Switzerland. An A-grade artist of the All-India Radio and Doordarshan, he has also participated in the national program of the All-India Radio.

Sur Singar Samsad (Mumbai) and Pracheen Kala Kendra (Chandigarh) have conferred the titles "Sur Mani" and "Tantree Shringar" respectively upon him. He has also won a Grammy as well as the Padmasri.

Salil Bhatt, son of Vishwa Mohan, represents the 10th generation of the Bhatt lineage. Salil has been mastering the Mohan Veena for over 20 years. With a masters degree in music, and as an A-graded artiste of All India Radio, Salil has performed throughout the country as well as abroad. He is a regular performer for the AIR & the national television network, as also for other prime television channels. Salil's music albums include Legendary Legacy, Revival Of Gavti, In Harmony and Swar Shikhar.

Banaras-born Pandit Ramkumar Mishra is a tabla exponent, who accompanies some illustrious musicians that include Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Dr. N Rajam and Pandit Chhannulal Mishra.

Entry tickets are priced at Rs. 1,000, Rs. 500 & Rs. 300 per head, and can be booked online.