Nilan Chaudhuri - Interview w/ the Artists of 'Invoking the River'

Nilan Chaudhuri is a brilliant, young musician in Indian classical music, and the son and disciple of iconic tabla Maestro Swapan Chaudhuri. He is the Tabla artist in "Invoking the River" and Director of Percussion at the Chitresh Das Institute.

Shreya: What does Invoking the River mean to you?

Nilan: To me, the river is symbolic of the rich tradition of Indian classical tradition and dance that flows like a river from generation to generation. Invoking the River is metaphoric for tapping into the tradition, and the approach to learning and performing.

Shreya: Thinking more deeply about that music and dance tradition, where would you say your personal journey in music began?

Nilan: My introduction to Indian classical music was from birth. My father is a practitioner of Indian classical music, and as early as infancy, I was surrounded by the music. My great uncle is also a tabla maestro from India from the generation prior to my father so I come from a lineage of classical musicians and that’s how I was introduced to it. 

Shreya: Through this performance and more, how do you see your relationship with music and the arts transforming?

Nilan: With each performance I am presented with a unique opportunity to cultivate a deeper relationship with the music. Having this concert be with a different arrangement of musicians – specifically piano and tabla – is an experience that I haven't encountered before and it’s definitely given me a new perspective. 

Shreya: You’ve obviously collaborated with Kathak and dancers before – what makes this performance different from the others?

Nilan: What’s most unique about this performance is the musical arrangement and the lineup. Piano is also a form of percussion, and so is Kathak, so having this percussive lineup makes things really unique. Utsav and I haven’t performed or rehearsed together before, up until a few weekends ago when we had our first rehearsal. We were both chatting about how seamlessly everything has come together. I think that just has to do with our foundations and background in Indian classical music, playing in taal and understanding the rhythm cycles, and things like that, whereas if I was collaborating with a Jazz pianist, there would be a lot more groundwork from the beginning. But because we were both familiar with that, it’s like we’ve been playing together for many years. 

Shreya: What was the most challenging part about preparing for this performance? 

Nilan: There was nothing challenging about it; it’s been very straightforward. We’ve been texting audio clips back and forth, and then we got to the rehearsal studio, and it just came together.

Shreya: And what are you most excited about in the lead up to the performance?

Nilan: I’m excited to premiere this production that incorporates music and dance, multimedia, and environmental activism. It’s going to be amazing to see these elements of artistic expression come together to form one very evocative piece of artwork. I’m happy for Charlotte Di and the students who have been working really hard, and I think it’s exciting for the organization. 

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Featuring choreography by Charlotte Moraga, music by Utsav Lal, multimedia & poetry by Alka Raghuram. Performances by Chitresh Das Dance Vanita Mundhra, Shruti Pai, Mayuka Sarukkai & Kritika Sharma and live music by Utsav Lal (piano) and Nilan Chaudhuri (tabla).

Shreya Khandewale is a Chitresh Das Youth Company alumni. She started studying Kathak at Pandit Chitresh Das’ institution as a child and continued to study for over a decade. She performed her graduating Youth Company Showcase in 2018 and is now a CDI Community Communications Contributor.