Strings in Harmony by Lakshay Mohan and Aayush Mohan
Lakshay Mohan and Aayush Mohan
Image courtesy of the artists
Brothers Lakshay Mohan and Aayush Mohan are the only longstanding duet of the Indian instruments sitar and sarod.
Praised and promoted by legendary musician Ravi Shankar, the Mohan brothers are reviving a lost art. Pioneered by Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan in early 1950s, the sitar and sarod duet is now a rarity in Indian classical music. The Mohans were the first Indian musicians to perform at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, and were nominated for the Global Indian Music Academy Awards in 2016.
After their performance at Sawai Gandharv, the biggest classical music festival in India, the Times of India noted: “The duo flirted with their supreme talent and young age to give a double-layered performance. The lyrical beauty was ... top drawer. Showing immense craftsmanship, they won the hearts of the weekend audience.” The flagship Indian government television channel DD National recently aired a special show on how the Mohan brothers have become so popular.
For every duet concert, the Mohans choose a raga (melody). While developing it, they experiment with new phrases and carve out an intricate rendition full of musical dialogues that are improvised spontaneously.