‘Sajan More Ghar Aaye’… Raag Jog resonates as Swastika’s little fingers dance on the strings

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Haldwani

The 12-year-old violinist Swastika Joshi captivated the audience at the Pandit Chandrashekhar Pant Memorial Classical Music Evening, organised by Devbhoomi Shastriya Sangeet Manch in Haldwani.

Swastika presented Raag Jog, beginning with an alaap followed by the bandish ‘Sajan More Ghar Aaye…’ with intricate taans and concluded with a vibrant jhala. Her tiny fingers danced gracefully on the violin strings as if playing with the notes themselves — a performance that signalled she could become the torchbearer of violin in Uttarakhand. The renowned tabla maestro Anand Singh Bisht provided accompaniment, adding depth to the recital.

Swastika received her initial training under Pandit Harish Chandra Pant and is currently training in the Guru-Shishya Parampara under Pandit Ravi Shankar Prasanna of the Benaras Gharana. A class VII student of St Theresa’s School, she is also a skilled Bharatanatyam dancer. She has been honoured with the Uttarakhand Bal Gaurav Samman, Shashi Kala Praveen Samman and CCRT Scholarship by the Ministry of Culture and has performed on many stages nationwide