ISHMAEL N. DARO
Arts Writer

The internationally renowned musician Vikas Gupta will soon bring the sweet sounds of the sitar to Saskatoon.

Gupta, a University of Saskatchewan alumnus, is well known for mastering the meend technique — pulling strings across the frets of the sitar to vary the pitch of the note. Gupta plays traditional north Indian classical music, which is different from India’s popular music.

Students and Saskatoon residents will get a chance to see Gupta in action at the St. Thomas More auditorium on Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. The event is presented by the Hindu Society of Saskatchewan and co-sponsored by India-Canada Shastri Committee, the dean’s office at the College of Arts and Science, the U of S Department of Music and the Department of Religion and Culture.

“Vikas is very excited to get the opportunity to return to his alma mater,” said Satya Sharma, associate professor in the Department of Religion and Culture. “He is looking forward to meeting his teachers and colleagues.”

Sharma spearheaded the effort to get Gupta to play on campus. He approached Peter Stoicheff, vice dean of humanities and fine arts, about a possible concert and convinced him the college should host the event.

“It will be a thrilling concert, the likes of which the campus population has not listened to in many years,” Sharma said. “Vikas is an outstanding artist.”

Gupta was born in Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. He started his musical journey at five years old. When Gupta was 10, he studied with famous Indian artist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, whose experimental style has led him to invent a new stringed instrument called the Mohan veena.

“It will be a thrilling concert, the likes of which the campus population has not listened to in many years”
-Prof. Satya Sharma
event organizer

In his youth, Gupta left India to study at the U of S, where he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1985. Gupta subsequently earned a PhD in India and became a professor of electrical engineering in his hometown of Jaipur at the University of Rajasthan.

Throughout his academic career, however, Gupta never gave up on his passion for music. In recent years, he has established himself as one of the world’s foremost sitar players, playing in major Indian festivals as well as internationally.

“Even if the listener is not familiar with the nuances of Indian classical music,” said Sharma, “one can appreciate the notes, the compositions, the mood of the Raga and the dialog and complementarity between the sitar and the tabla (drums).”

Although not confirmed, Gupta may also give a presentation to the music department on the link between music and spirituality.

The organizers have high hopes for Gupta’s concert and expect it to be a full house at the STM auditorium.

“It will be a culturally and musically rich experience,” said Sharma.

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image Danni Siemens