Sitar recital 'Shubhodayam' held in Hussain Sagar

Hyderabad: For the first in the history of Hyderabad city, a morning public concert 'Shubhodayam' was held in Hussain Sagar, near the Buddha statue, on Sunday to give the city's music lovers a unique experience.

The sitar recital was performed by Ramprapanna Bhattacharya who was accompanied by Thakur Harijit Singh on the tabla.

Bhattacharya enthralled the audience with his 70-minute performance that started at 7:30 a.m. He began with Raag Ahir Bhairav and ended with Raag Magdham Bhairavi.

"I am very proud to perform here at the Buddha statue. It is a proud moment for me. It is a great opportunity bestowed on me," said Mr. Bhattacharya.

Over 230 music lovers came to watch the concert, including Jayesh Ranjan, Telangana principal secretary, and his wife and Anjaneyulu, the general manager of tourism.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ranjan said, "There are no words to describe my experience. It was a wonderful experience. It is a different kind of event that will leave a lasting impression on me. I have witnessed hundreds of concerts but nothing created such memorable moments as this. I hope this tradition of morning concerts will continue here at this historic monument for a very long time so that music lovers will continue to be entertained and it will also promote classical music as well as our great culture."

A couple of visitors from Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Mumbai, and Gurgaon who happened to be in the city and came to know about the concert attended. The entry to the concert was free but Rs. 100 per head was collected to cover the boat ride that would ferry music lovers to the venue.

The morning concerts are a new concept and the brainchild of Akhilesh Washikar, art connoisseur, and Gajendra Shewanker, tabla guru - the duo behind Style Tatva.

Tatva Arts in association with the state department of language and culture are organizing the Music Unlock Series once a month for a year.