“My guruji had learnt the tabla from three great artists of his time — Pandit Gyanprakash Ghosh, Ustad Ameer Hussain Khan and Ustad Ahmedjan Thirakwa — and thus imbibed the styles of Farrukhabad, Ajarada and Punjab. The compositions that I played were all taught by guruji and they reflected the styles of the great artists,” said Pradhan after his performance.

Pradhan had started learning the tabla in 1971, at the tender age of six when he joined the Arun Sangitalaya, Pandit Ghosh’s residence-cum-music class in Mumbai, which later became famous as Sangeet Mahabharati. Due to his hard work and quick grasping, Pradhan was ceremoniously accepted as a disciple by Pandit Ghosh in 1983. He gave his first professional performance in 1986, and since then, he has been gaining popularity among the cognoscenti as well as laymen in India and abroad.

A hallmark of his recital on Friday was the crystal clear sound of his instrument even in a fast tempo and the fabulous variety of compositions that he played. Pradhan, who forms a very interesting musical duo with wife Shubha Mudgal, has not allowed his prodigious musical training only to rhythm, but has also successfully dabbled in composing music and has even experimented with fusion.

When asked what exactly happens in terms of music when Indian classical music is ‘fused’ with any other type of music, he said: “In most of the recordings that are referred to as ‘fusion’ today, nothing really happens in terms of widening the scope of classical music. That is because usually, the artists meet only an hour before recording or the programme and decide how they are going to go about blending their individual styles.”

He added: “What should happen is that artists should sit together, have long discussions about their musical ideas, plan the performances and then practice for many days. If that happens regularly, we can be much more hopeful about the future of fusion. I do not think that fusion is impossible, but it requires deep thought and proper execution.”

Pradhan said he is in this field because of an irresistible need for self-expression. “All humans feel this need. Some write poetry, while some others make films and so on. Through my music, I want to express my thoughts. The only difference is that others do it in concrete, while I do it in the abstract without any worldly reference,” he said.