The Tung turns five, and Milap is marking the occasion with music. Vocalist Debapriya Adhikary and sitarist Samanwaya Sarkar are joined by tabla player Kousic Sen, a familiar and much-loved presence at Milap concerts.

Debapriya and Samanwaya share a musical lineage. Both studied with Padma Vibhushan Girija Devi, the “Queen of Thumri”, whose tradition is known for its lyrical, expressive style. Together they co-directed the award-winning film Girija: A Lifetime In Music (2018), a portrait of their teacher’s life in music. Debapriya first learnt music from his mother and is currently training in Dhrupad, one of the oldest forms of Hindustani vocal music, with Pandit Uday Bhawalkar. Samanwaya trained with Pandit Shyamal Chatterjee and Pandit Kumar Prasad Mukherji, and is a Gandabandh disciple of Girija Devi.

On stage, one sings, one answers on the sitar, and Kousic’s tabla gives their conversation its pulse and momentum. Hindustani music is largely improvised, so what you hear will exist only on this night, in this room. An evening to discover this music, or to return to it.