The globally acclaimed santoor legend Tarun Bhattacharya says he is utilising the isolation most creatively. "I have my Santoor Ashram in the US and I take online classes from my studio in Kolkata which are in full swing. Apart from them, my students from India too participate in these classes. I have never spent so much quality time on social media interacting and giving my opinion on matters and watching television news. Apart from helping my wife with chores, I am watching performances and musical shows of Indian music legends on YouTube," tells the maestro.
Bhattacharya is also composing his second Raaga but one major initiative that he has been associated with is the three-minute presentation as a part of the Positive Harmonies’ series of MyGov India social hub, an initiative of the Union government, under MyGov’s ‘India Fights Corona’ initiative.
As part of this initiative, performers create at home a three-minute video in which they present composition and a message urging Indians to stay at home, follow social distancing and proper hand washing techniques, and to have confidence that the country will overcome this hardship.
Some of the featured artistes apart from Pandit Bhattacharya are Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on Mohan Veena, violinist N. Rajam, Sitar maestro Pandit Nayan Ghosh, Baul folk singer Parvathy Baul from Bengal, the Tetseo Sisters from Nagaland, tabla maestros Pandit Bickram Ghosh and Ustad Taufiq Qureshi, flautist Pandit Ronu Majumdar, singer Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramaniam, violin maestro L. Subramaniam, among others.
"We have so many positive things to do which we don't do usually for the lack of time please do all those things from home. Please don't cause harm to yourselves and others and follow the government's advice of social distancing and home isolation," tells the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner.