There is something inherently human about telling a story. In his magnum opus, historian Yuval Noah Harari observed that “Homo Sapiens is a storytelling animal that thinks in stories rather than numbers and graphs…” For tabla maestro Anuradha Pal, there is a need to make the new generation aware of this inherent nature.

“For me, the tabla is a melodic percussive instrument,” says the student of the late Ustad Alla Rakha Khan. This melody is a key detail that informs her narrative performance at the 7th edition of the Arpanotsav on Friday. “The festival is a tribute to my guru, Ustad Alla Rakha Khan, my grandfather, MT Vyas and my parents,” says Pal. Helmed by the Anuradha Pal Cultural Foundation (APCF), the festival is an extension of the composer’s efforts to spread wellness through music. “We first set out on this campaign just after the COVID-19 induced lockdowns were lifted. It was only then I realised how music can not only unite 
people but also heal them,” she says.