Pune-based multi-instrumentalist Bhrigu Sahni on his new EP Tanpura jam

Bhrigu Sahni at the NH7 Weekender. Pic Courtesy/Prashin Jagger

Healing is an oft-overused term when it comes to music. As an art form, it is naturally calming, but it takes a rare simplicity for music to truly transform into a healing experience. For Bhrigu Sahni, the tanpura was the source of this simplicity. With his EP Tanpura jam that was released in October, the musician turns to the simplest melodies for a quiet respite from fast-paced rhythms.

"As a young boy, I remember listening to an audio cassette tape of Ali Akbar Khan Sahab playing a couple of ragas. It was just him with the tanpura and the regular alaap," explains Sahni, over a phone call from Goa. The EP began as an exercise in music during the pandemic.

Pic Courtesy/Naina Panemanglor

"The guitar is slightly alien to the tanpura, in that it has certain Western tendencies. But there is a surprisingly high degree of consonance when it comes to playing ragas," he explains. The three tracks, Peace, Tranquility and Serenity define this. It takes a little while to settle into the music from the EP, but it slowly pulls you in. It is also a refreshing change from the fast-paced tracks and the absence of synth and other elements.

Sahni remarks that he chose to keep it limited to just the guitar and the tanpura for a reason. "I want to ensure it is pure where the listener really feels it. Adding another element would be that of too much, too soon," he observes. The third track, Serenity, builds on the raga Malkauns. He points out, "In Indian mythology, every raga has a story. Malkauns was often played as a calming music. It is said that Lord Shiva, after his frenzied destruction of the universe, would often be in a rage. To calm him, goddess Parvati would play the Malkauns, after which creation would begin anew."

It has certainly been a creative year for Sahni who was the co-composer on the Coke Studio track, Das main ki pyaar vicchon khatteya, alongside Tajdar Junaid. He recently composed another track, If I could fly with Mumbai-based Tejas Menon in April this year. The gig in Goa, will also see him perform with multiple musicians, including a possible appearance by Karsh Kale. "I am happy to be where I am," he concludes.

Log on to Tanpura jams on Soundcloud