OxKala

About OxKala

OxKala is a podcast series where members of University of Oxford's South Asian Arts Society offer in-depth explorations of the arts in South Asia. Episodes include unscripted interviews with artists around the globe, rich investigations into nuances of an art form, and discussions about creativity, spirituality, and the rich tapestry of culture and expression from South Asia. Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/oxkala

Publisher

OxSAAS

Category

arts · music

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Apr 2021

Latest episode

5 Jan 2022

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 Jan 2022

   E12: Reflections: re Season 1

   We reflect on our discussions over the course of the first season. In this pilot season, we covered many nuanced topics largely in the space of South Asian traditional music touching on concepts in theory, presentation, and art in general. In this reflections episode, we put those various, seemingly disparate ideas in perspective and try and tie it all together. Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

2. 

   24 Jul 2021

   E11: Thoughts on Performance, the Guru, and The Disciple

   With guest: Arun Dravid. We continue our discussion with Dr. Arun Dravid, a venerated musician of the Jaipur-Atrauli style of Khayal and discuss concepts and the philosophy of performance of Khayal, the role of the Guru, and the responsibilities of the Disciple, extending our discussion to his recent work in the film of the same name: The Disciple. Dr. Arun Dravid is a senior exponent of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. He began his early training under the tutelage of Abdul Majid Khan ji, a disciple of Alladiya Khan and later, became the first formal disciple of Kishori Amonkar ji. Arunji’s music is a balance of the bhaava-dominant nature of his guru’s music with the structural beauty that is characteristic of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. He is also engaged in imparting his wisdom of the gharana’s gayaki to the next generation. Recently, Dr. Dravid has also acted and sung in a supporting role for the film, The Disciple, now streaming on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81387783). Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

3. 

   18 Jul 2021

   E10: Khayal in Perspective.

   With guest: Arun Dravid. We look at the fluid concepts of raga and composition in Hindustani Classical Khayal. Keeping in perspective the goals or the higher pursuits, we discuss how the framework of Khayal is not etched in stone but rather subject to personal and social biases. We discuss these topics with Dr. Arun Dravid, a venerated musician of the Jaipur-Atrauli style of Khayal. Dr. Arun Dravid is a senior exponent of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. He began his early training under the tutelage of Abdul Majid Khan ji, a disciple of Alladiya Khan and later, became the first formal disciple of Kishori Amonkar ji. Arunji’s music is a balance of the bhaava-dominant nature of his guru’s music with the structural beauty that is characteristic of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. He is also engaged in imparting his wisdom of the gharana’s gayaki to the next generation. Recently, Dr. Dravid has also acted and sung in a supporting role for the film, The Disciple, now streaming on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81387783). Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

4. 

   7 Jul 2021

   E9: Reflections: re Physics and Pace.

   We reflect on our discussions of pace in episodes 7 and 8 with Smt. Shubhangi Sakhalkar, a Hindustani Classical musician and Guru. "Pace" being a difficult concept to get our heads around, we motivate our discussion with a setup introduced in most Physics 101 courses: a car traveling down a road with some ideas of velocity, acceleration, friction, and other classical mechanics concepts thrown in there. We look at the hypothetical car's movement as a template to discuss pace in khayal with some extensions to some other mediums of art. Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

5. 

   29 Jun 2021

   E8: Presentation and Listening.

   With guest: Shubhangi Sakhalkar. Continuing our conversation with Smt. Shubhangi Sakhalkar Ji, a Hindustani musician and Guru, we discuss internalization of material and presentation of khayal. Specifically, we look at how practice (riyaz) and presentation differ. Furthermore, we discuss how to properly listen to music in the Hindustani khayal genre. Shubhangi Ji is a Hindustani musician and guru in the Bay Area. She is a disciple of Dr. Prabha Atre and Smt. Padma Talwalkar. She is also the founder of the Intonation foundation, an organization founded in 2018 dedicated to promoting Hindustani Classical Music (https://intonationfoundation.org/ (https://intonationfoundation.org/)). Furthermore, she organizes the Amir Khan Music Festival annually. In the past few years, she has organized and taught a masterclass series for advanced vocal studies that can be found on her YouTube page. Lastly, she has recently released an album, Serenity, that can be found on Apple Music and Spotify. More information can be found on her artist profile page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sakhalkar.shubhangi/ (https://www.facebook.com/sakhalkar.shubhangi/)). Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

6. 

   20 Jun 2021

   E7: Pace in Khayal.

   With guest: Shubhangi Sakhalkar. We look at the concept of pace in Hindustani Khayal. We discuss how pace is separate from speed and rather tied to the state of mind and discuss how khayal can be an exercise in storytelling. We interview Smt. Shubhangi Sakhalkar, a Hindustani Classical musician and guru. Shubhangi Ji is a Hindustani musician and guru in the Bay Area. She is a disciple of Dr. Prabha Atre and Smt. Padma Talwalkar. She is also the founder of the Intonation foundation, an organization founded in 2018 dedicated to promoting Hindustani Classical Music (https://intonationfoundation.org/ (https://intonationfoundation.org/)). Furthermore, she organizes the Amir Khan Music Festival annually. In the past few years, she has organized and taught a masterclass series for advanced vocal studies that can be found on her YouTube page. Lastly, she has recently released an album, Serenity, that can be found on Apple Music and Spotify. More information can be found on her artist profile page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sakhalkar.shubhangi/ (https://www.facebook.com/sakhalkar.shubhangi/)). Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

7. 

   15 Jun 2021

   E6: Reflections: re Elemental creativity

   We reflect on our discussions on creativity in Indian Classical Music in episodes 4 and 5 with Sri. Ragavan Manian, a Carnatic Classical musician and Guru. We look at improvising in the raga with aalap. How does aalap serve the composition to be presented? And can our music be presented with aalap as the focus without the specter of composition? We discuss this and other topics relevant to creativity via the medium of aalap. Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

8. 

   6 Jun 2021

   E5: Elemental creativity. Part II

   With guest: Ragavan Manian. We continue our discussion of creativity in Indian Classical Music with Sri. Ragavan Manian, a Carnatic Classical musician and Guru. We discuss the purpose of aalap and lyrics in this form of art and how one uses of aalap in presentation of raga. We conclude our series on Elemental creativity by putting a pause on our discussions with Ragavan Ji, Naturally, there shall be further explorations of aalap and creativity in general in this form of classical music in the near future vis-a-vis interview or stand-alone solo video/podcast content. Please stay tuned! Ragavan Ji is a Carnatic musician and Guru residing in Chennai, India. He is a disciple of "Padma Vibhushan" Dr. Balamurali Krishna. His other Gurus are "Pallavi" T. Narasimhachari and his aunt Tenkasi P. Rajammal. Additionally, he plays over ten different musical instruments, writes, composes and is a hi-tech pro. An artist profile can be found at: www.facebook.com/RagavanMusic/ (https://www.facebook.com/RagavanMusic/) Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

9. 

   28 May 2021

   E4: Elemental creativity. Part I

   With guest: Ragavan Manian. We introduce the elements upon which one can create in Carnatic Classical Music, and generally speaking, Indian Classical Music at large. We interview Sri. Ragavan Manian, a Carnatic Classical musician and guru to explore a bit of some elemental forces in our music that drive creativity. Ragavan Ji is a Carnatic musician and guru residing in Chennai, India. He is a disciple of "Padma Vibhushan" Dr. Balamurali Krishna. His other Gurus are "Pallavi" T. Narasimhachari and his aunt Tenkasi P. Rajammal. Additionally, he plays over ten different musical instruments, writes, composes and is a hi-tech pro. An artist profile can be found at: www.facebook.com/RagavanMusic/ (https://www.facebook.com/RagavanMusic/) Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

10. 

    23 May 2021

    E3: Reflections: re Kalyan

    We reflect on our discussions of Kalyan in episodes 1 and 2 with Sri. Nachiketa Yakkundi, a Hindustani Classical musician and Guru. Looking at phrases common in some core ragas best representing Kalyan, we piece together a walk-through of the spirit of Kalyan. Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

11. 

    15 May 2021

    E2: What is Kalyan? Part II

    With guest: Nachiketa Yakkundi. We continue our discussion of Kalyan with Sri. Nachiketa Yakkundi, a Hindustani Classical musician and Guru and take a proper look at Yaman, a flagship raga of Kalyan. We discuss famous albeit more atypical renditions of Yaman, and ask the big question: "Where is Kalyan in all of this?" Of course, analyses of Kalyan cannot ever be "complete" - merely put on pause. Naturally, there shall be further explorations of Kalyan in the near future vis-a-vis interview or stand-alone solo video/podcast content. Please stay tuned! Nachiketa Ji or Nachiji is a Hindustani musician and guru in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has learned from several maestros of this glorious tradition of music, most notably Padma Bhushan Pandit Basavraj Rajguru, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Saheb, and more recently from Sri. Rajan Parrikar referred to in our episode as Rajan. Concerts, recordings, and a complete artist profile of Nachiji can be found on www.ganapriya.com. Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.

12. 

    28 Apr 2021

    E1: What is Kalyan? Part I

    With guest: Nachiketa Yakkundi. We start with a pivotal concept in Hindustani Classical music: Kalyan. Kalyan is a thaat (group or family of ragas) defined by the notes that make it up. However, it's more than just a group of notes. It's a spirit that pervades into many a raga and more generally, many a tune. We interview Sri. Nachiketa Yakkundi, a Hindustani Classical musician and Guru to explore a bit of what is behind this abstract idea, Kalyan. Nachiketa Ji or Nachiji is a Hindustani musician and guru in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has learned from several maestros of this glorious tradition of music, most notably Padma Bhushan Pandit Basavraj Rajguru, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Saheb, and more recently from Sri. Rajan Parrikar referred to in our episode as Rajan. Concerts, recordings, and a complete artist profile of Nachiji can be found on www.ganapriya.com. Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.