Sanju Sahai – Podcast
“I feel that teaching makes you learn twice. So, I teach lots. And I teach everybody who wants to learn tabla. “
– Sanju Sahai
London-based tabla exponent Sri. Sanju Sahai shares his thoughts with us in this episode. Sri Sanju is a scion of the Benares style of tabla playing, which traces its roots to the 18th century, possibly even earlier. He talks about the Hindustani music scene in London, how teaching is an indelible part of his life and how things have been different after several weeks of complete shutdown in London.
He begins his chat by reciting a Ganesh Paran composed by Padma Vibhushan Pandit Kishen Maharaj. Throughout his chat, in the background, you hear an extract from an as-yet unreleased recording by Sri. Sanju, titled Sacred Beats of Benares, dedicated to Pandit Kishen Maharaj. At the end of the talk is one full piece from that recording. Pandit Ramesh Misra is on the Sarangi.
This podcast is part of the Quarantunes series, featuring Indian Classical Musicians, recorded during the worldwide shutdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Released one by one, the full series is at https://lakshmianand.com
Sri. Sanju learned from his father Pandit Sharda Sahai and gave his first performance at age 9. He travels widely and has performed all over the world. He has played with most known artistes of the Hindustani firmament and been part of collaborations from flamenco to opera. He is a passionate teacher, as he explains in this podcast, and is a tutor with the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.
