Dolcy D’Cruz
The Pt Yograj Naik Pratisthan, in association with the Directorate of Art & Culture, Government of Goa, is set to host Swaryogi 2026, a soulful musical tribute in memory of the revered musician Pt Yograj Naik, on May 14 at 6 pm at the Multipurpose Hall, Sanskruti Bhavan, Department of Art and Culture, Patto, Panjim. Pt Ravi Chary, Goa’s first and foremost sitarist who has taken the Goan tradition of music to national and international stages will be the main performer for the evening. “I’m coming for a special classical concert, along with the maestro and great tabla player, Satyajit Harmalkar. Pt Yograj Naik and I learnt from the same teacher, Prof Abdul Karim Khan. Pt Yograj used to play the sitar and was teaching in Goa and contributed his life towards music. I have decided to play some very special and very difficult raag and some compositions from the legends of the sitar. It’s very exciting as I am waiting to perform for the Goan audience.
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Satyajit Tawalkar, is the son of legendary Padmashree Taalyogi Pt Sureshji Talwalkar,” says Pt Ravi with excitement. Grammy-nominated for his album ‘Miles from India’ and a nominated artiste for the Global Indian Music Awards, Pt Ravi is from Panjim and has been living in Mumbai for the past 40 years. But his roots are still strong. “Wherever I am, in all over the world, I was born and brought up in Goa. My father Pt Prabhakar Chari was a tabla player and contributed his whole life for every nook and corner of Goa with music. He first learnt taught me the sitar. He thought there are many table and harmonium players and legendary vocalists.
But there wasn’t any sitar player. So, he just got one sitar for Rs 75. It was beginning of 1980s. He got the sitar and then he just taught me. Then my journey started with sitar,” he reminisces. Asha Bhosle passed away recently and Pt Ravi played the sitar solo in her last video, ‘Saiyaan Bina’ featuring her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle and Asha Bhosle. He spent quality time with her during the shoot of the video. “She spoke in the press conference about me. ‘Us gaane ko aur uncha le gaye aap. Gaana jo tha aap se aur uncha ho gaya. Bohot salo ke baad aya hai ke gaanee mein itna lamba sitar ek hi sitar hai aur kuch nahi. Tune aachi hai, bajaya aacha hai aur maine bhi gaya aacha hai’. (You elevated that song to a higher level. The song itself became even higher because of you.
It’s been years since I’ve heard a song with such a long sitar, just a sitar and nothing else. The tune is good, it’s played well, and I sang it well too.) She is a legend. She gave me a Good solo which is rare,” he says. Pt Ravi Chary has shared the stage with legendary musicians and singers like Gaan Saraswati Kishori Amonkar, Padmashri Ustad Allarakha, Padmavibhushan Ustad Zakir Husain, Trilok Gurtu, Ranjit Barot, sivamani, Taufiq Qureshi, Fazal Qureshi, Louis Banks to name a few. He has his own band, and sitar symphony with 75 students.
He adds, “I founded the Swara Sanskriti Music Academy in Kandivali, Mumbai where we are teaching sitar, harmonium, and some tabla board for more than 70 students. My own students are teaching in different places in Mumbai, Pune, Gujarat and Goa. Nandini Chari, who teaches in Panjim, is my cousin sister and my student too. I am looking forward to teaching Goan children as I am ready to teach all over Goa. Whoever wants to learn to play the sitar, they can contact me. I can come once or twice a month to Goa.” Dr Pradip Sarmokadam, member secretary, Goa State Biodiversity Board, will be the chief guest, and Vivek Naik, director, Department of Art and Culture, Government of Goa, will be the guest of honour. In keeping with Pt Yograj Naik Pratisthan’s vision of nurturing the next generation of musicians, Swaryogi 2026 will honour promising young artists Devanshi Harmalkar on sitar and Kaustubh Chari on tabla, in the special Student felicitation segment.
