Namaskar!
Parashuram (pronounced pa-ra-shu-ram) is a Nepali master of the sarangi, an artist known for his brilliant form and rhythmic power. The sarangi, whose name means "hundred-colored," is a strange and ancient relative of the violin. The sarangi is an instrument with a cello-like timbre, bowed on three melody strings, with thirty-six sympathetic strings underneath, giving it a haunting resonance.
At age nineteen, Parashuram was captivated by the exquisite sound of the sarangi. Determined to become a North Indian Classical musician, he traveled from his home in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal to Varanasi, India, to study with his guru, the late Pandit Baccha Lal Misra. Returning to Nepal, he continued his training under Senior Musician Gopal Nath Yogi. He received his Master's Degree in Music from Prayag Sangit Samiti.
Parashuram is the only sarangi musician in Nepal to play in the North Indian Classical style. He plays Nepali music on the country's traditional sarangi. The Nepali sarangi is a small hand-carved version of the classical sarangi, an instrument equivalent to the traditional American fiddle.
For twelve years Parashuram toured the US and Asia with Om Shringara
Nepal, a trio well-known for Indian Classical music as well as Nepali traditional music and folk tunes. When home in the Kathmandu Valley, Parashuram performs in Nepal television, radio, and theatre productions. Parashuram teaches privately, and he has written the only textbook on how to play the sarangi.
Parashuram is the Indian Classical Music Circle of Hawaii Artist-in-Residence.
To sample Parashuram's music, with Pt. Shantilal Shah on tabla, click an audio link at right.
