My musical journey started in kindergarten when I began playing the piano. While I was no prodigy, I started exploring music and enjoyed the time I played it. I developed a musical foundation through the piano and an appreciation for all the music, no matter what genre. Unfortunately, my piano teacher retired during secondary grade, and I stopped the piano. Fortunately, one day before school in 2nd grade, my science teacher played an Indian Hindustani classical instrument I had never heard of: Sitar. He was teaching one of my classmates, who learned from him for fun in the mornings before school started. Intrigued by this new instrument and how beautiful it sounded, I joined the daily early-morning music sessions to learn more. I loved playing the sitar, and it became an enormous passion of mine. Then, I started attending weekly classes with my teacher, Ms. Sampada Bhalerao, where I learned new ragas, the basics of sitar, and how to play in different taals (beat cycles). I’ve been playing sitar for approximately seven years and enjoy every moment. Throughout my sitar journey, I’ve learned an array of ragas (Bhimpilasi, Bageshri, Kaafi, Yaman, Des, Bharavi, Kamaj, Malkauns, Hamsadawni, and many more), the different types of tools, and the rhythmic sense behind them (trental – 16, Ektal – 12, Rupak – 7, Chapter – 10, Dadra – 6, Keherwa – 8, and more). I’ve also played in various music festivals and local concerts in the Pacific Northwest. I plan to continue learning and expanding my Hindustani music and sitar knowledge.
You can find Hamsini’s 2024 Spring Music Competition sitar performance here.