Two generations of music come together for a cause

He was an officer in All India Radio and one fine day, realised that his heart belongs elsewhere — music. After quitting his job in 1991, he went on to pursue his passion and today, he is one of the most sought after artiste of the Kirana Gharana and is also a prime disciple of the Bharat Ratna recipient, Bhimsen Joshi. Meet Nagaraj Rao Havaldar, musician, founder and president of Sunaada Art Foundation, Bengaluru. City Express caught up with the artiste, and his sons Omkarnath Havaldar and Kedarnath Havaldar, ahead of a fund-raiser music concert in the city, organised by Vidya Sagar. “For a musician, along with his skill, comes an enormous socio-cultural responsibility. We are blessed to be a part of an event which is for the greater good of the society,” says Nagaraj, who has performed for several such concerts in the past. “We gave a similar concert in the USA and raised $8000, which was used for the welfare of a rural school in Odisha,” he recalls.

Nagaraj will be accompanied by his two sons — Omkarnath (vocals), Kedarnath (tabla) and his nephew Sameer Havaldar (harmonium). “When it comes to music, there’s no bias towards family. On stage, I am a singer. But to achieve and enjoy this professional-family relation, we discuss, contemplate and enjoy the moment. It’s nice to see them carry the tradition forward,” shares the recipient of the Nirman Purandara Sangeeta Ratna Award. Omkarnath, the elder son, will be accompanying his father on vocals and it’ll be an evening of jugalbandhi. “I started learning music when I was four and I have been practicing and performing for over 20 years,” says the 31-year-old who has been extensively globe-trotting. Omkarnath has visited Afghanistan as one among the three musicians selected from all over the world to propagate peace and communal harmony through music. “For me music is about striking a balance between traditions and today’s relevance. Though I stick to tradition, I improvise. Keeping the tradition alive is a responsibility,” shares the psychology graduate who is also the recipient of the Kishora Pratibha Puraskar award. The youngest in the family, Kedarnath’s musical journey began with vocal training from his first guru — his father, at a young age. But Kedar was fascinated by the possibilities of rhythm and Tabla. “One of my neighbours was practicing tabla and I was intrigued by the rhythm of the instrument. I am learning from internationally renowned Tabla maestro, Samir Chatterjee,” says Kedarnath who has been part of recordings such as Nayangalu, Samarpan and Abhangavani. So, what type of music does he enjoy? “Any music that’s good, but, I love Hindustani. I am very happy to be performing along with my family here. There is nothing more satisfying than reaching out and helping others through what we do,” he adds.