An Iconic evening filled with captivating sounds of Indian fusion music, charming sitar and array of your favorite songs, this is a glimpse of enchantment awaiting you. Get ready to be floored by the expertise of 3,5 octaves vocal range vocalist, who has received numerous awards. Mehandi Hasan, well known for his virtuoso style of playing sitar was the first sitar player who started to use a sitar
standing with a wrap. He is a Sufi musician, and has received various awards throughout the course of his musical career. He is idely known in India, both for his very powerful 3.5 octave vocal range, and his unique style of playing sitar. Talking about his life and achievements, Mehandi Hasan was born to a reputed Sufi family where music has been a part since 17th century. Famous sarangi player, Ustad Mahboob Khan was his grandfather. Just like multiple renowned musicians in their time, Ustad Mahboob Khan created his own house of music called Sikar Gharana. Various famous artists like Pandit Ram Narayan, came to study and play music there. Mehandi Hasan’s grandfather also shared a special friendship with Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan. Mehandi has studied music from toddler’s age of three. The classes guided by his grandfather allowed him to realize his passion for music, and accept that music would be a part of his life from then on. Mehandi graduated with a master’s degree in Indian Classical Music from The University of Rajasthan in Jaipur. He has participated in various Indian festivals such as The International Festival of India, The International Film Festival of India (Goa 2006), The Festival of Devotional Music of India, Virasat Utsav, and many others. Mehandi Hasan was invited to play in Europe in 1999 for the very first time. He performed numerous successful concerts in France, Switzerland, Germany and Poland. During the years he toured Europe, Mehandi played Sufi music, Rajasthani folk, Punjabi and sang Ghazals. This was also the time when he dedicated himself to a variety of new songs too. In 2003 he started to play sitar in modern way. Mehandi was the first sitarist who began playing the sitar, fixed in a standing position. In the same year, he received an award from Mr. Kedar Nath Sahni, the governor of Goa, and was invited to play at Governor House in front of politicians and ministers. Once per year, from 2003 until 2008, he performed Sufi concerts at the Kala Academy. Post that in 2009 he went back to Europe to tour Germany and Switzerland. After his return and numerous concerts and festivals Mehandi got an invite to Russia in 2013. Multiple successful concerts and a classical music concert at Moscow Conservatory were an appreciation of different kind. In 2015 Mehandi Hasan received an award from the District Minister of Sikar for his outstanding contribution to Rajasthani music. In the summer of 2016, along with Karina Tsvetaeva, he was invited to play at the British Embassy in Moscow. Karina Tsvetaeva is a Well known Russian DJ and musician from Moscow. She writes Sufi fusion, Arabic fusion, Indian fusion and house music. For her events that happen in India she plays Bollywood and commercial house that leaves her audience enthralled. Karina likes to come to Goa for the past nine years. She has also performed at British, Russian and Indian embassies in Moscow in 2015 and 2016. She has even been invited to play as a headliner for the Royal ball in Bangalore this year. Karina was born to the family of Irina Vladimirovna Tsvetaeva and Alexander Alexandrovich Medvedev in the year 1991. Karina has been a performer ever since she was 6. Be it drawing, singing or dancing, she has tasted creativity of all spheres. Her parents had sent her to a private school, with a tradition to participate in a theatrical performance twice per year based on the best classic literature of Alexander Pushkin, William Shakespeare, Clive Staples Lewis, Alan Milne etc. Her real big love for music came at 11 years of age while Karina started to take lessons in classical Spanish guitar. After finishing school she had fallen for electronic music, and she discovered more possibilities for music; soon after Karina started to build her own music collection. Karina as a Musician has had various Collaborations, styles and influences to capture the interest of everyone. She completed her economics study at the university in 2012, and went ahead for a long journey. It started with India and continued with Thailand and Sri-Lanka. However India always held a special place. In Goa Karina met Indian singer and sitar player Mehandi Hasan. From there on they started working together. In April 2013 Karina came back to Russia, where she participated in big events in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. After Karina organized concerts for Mehandi Hasan in Russia, involving different artists and participation in these events. The concerts were a huge success, and Russian audience enjoyed the taste of Sufi music. Later that autumn Karina travelled back to Goa where she continue her expedition of shows and concerts with Mehandi Hasan. Summer 2015, Karina charmed the audience at the Indian Embassy in Moscow. As the year ended she was invited to play as a headliner for a Royal Ball in Bangalore and as a headliner for first Snow Park in Goa. Karina along with Mehandi took over the stage at the British Embassy in Moscow earlier this year. With such performances and taste Karina and Mehandi are the duo to look forward to. Flavors of Sufi music blended with music from Arab and Bollywood is bound to cast a spell. The DJ, the musicians who have taken a different genre of music to the stage and dance floor are offering a fusion treat. And just like Karina says, “The great beauty of electronic music is found when it’s mixed with live instruments, like sitar, tabla, sax, violin and of course, vocals.”
