An Evening of Indian Classical Music

This programme brings together Dhrupad, Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam, offering an interesting combination of North and South Indian classical traditions, with artists currently based in Scotland.
Hardeep Deerhe, known as Sodhi, is a Scotland-based Tabla player, composer, educator, and current producer of the Glasgow Mela. Deeply rooted in traditional learning whilst engaging with contemporary and cross-cultural performance, his work spans solo performance, accompaniment, composition and collaborative projects. Alongside performing internationally, Sodhi is also a lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the founder of Talking Tabla Scotland, an organisation dedicated to the promotion and development of Indian Classical Music and rhythm-based arts across Scotland.
Arfan Iqbal is a musician specialising in the Rudra Veena, a rare and ancient instrument closely associated with the Dhrupad tradition of North Indian Classical Music. He has trained within the Dagar tradition and is a student of the renowned Rudra Veena master Ustad Bahauddin Dagar.
Shankari Subramaniam is an Edinburgh-based Carnatic vocalist with over two decades of performance experience. Trained by her mother, Dr Vijayalakshmy Subramaniam, she has performed extensively across India and internationally. Her work explores connections between Carnatic music and other artistic traditions, including collaborations with Indian and Scottish musicians and dancers.
Oxana Banshikova is an Edinburgh-based Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and educator with over 20 years of experience. A graduate of Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts in Chennai, she is the founder of Cosmic Dance. Her work combines traditional Bharatanatyam with contemporary movement and cross-cultural collaboration, exploring themes of identity, belonging and human connection.