Having established himself as one of the finest exponent of tabla worldwide, Dheeraj Shrestha who has performed at many international events in Australia and the UK will show his unique styles and his ability to create multiple rhythms from what he calls an instrument of his family – tabla.
Playing together with Shrestha are Sunit Kansakar on sitar from the Looza band, Rizu Tuladhar from Looza on bass guitar, Hari Maharjan in the lead, Rohit Shakya in acoustic guitar, and Binay Maharjan on flute.
Technically Shrestha is unsurpassed as a stylist and his easy flowing style of playing sets him apart from other players of international renown.
Dheeraj Shrestha and his origin
Born to a family where music was not just a passion for many but also a profession, Dheeraj Shrestha, 36, says he was born with music in his genes. He always knew that one day he would follow the footsteps of his father. He was only four when his father, tabla maestro Krishna Bhakta Shrestha, introduced tabla to him. He was never forced to play the instrument; in fact, he loved the whole musical atmosphere in his home at Machhindra Bahal in Kathmandu. He always loved looking at his elder sister Sumitra Shrestha playing tabla and in no time learnt the basics and the beats of the instrument. According to Shrestha, Sumitra is the first female tabla player in Nepal. He still loves recollecting his fond childhood memory of playing tabla in the Naranhiti Palace (now a museum) with his father.
Music career
At 16, he was already a lecturer at Kathmandu’s Fine Art College. He performed in various shows but never got a chance to show his skills in a big solo concert because in 1993 he went to Australia when invited by a friend. However, this was not the first time that he played in an international show. His career went international since 1989. But his career took a positive turn professionally after he moved to Australia and decided to settle in Brisbane. He also played in various shows in Hong Kong for sometime. His musical career formally started from the Australian Art Council. Later, he associated himself with two different universities, Griffith University and Qut University in Australia as a guest lecturer and also conducted various workshops. One of the biggest concerts Shrestha played at and cherishes is when he played solo tabla at The Royal Albert Hall, one of the most treasured buildings in the UK, opened by Queen Victoria in 1871 where the world’s leading artistes from all genres have performed.
“That was the stage where the Beatles did their gigs. My happiness broke boundaries when I got the opportunity to show my skills before Prince Charles. I still remember his face nodding to my music. Imagine 5,500 people grooving to your music. I felt like God,” he smiled recalling his past memories. “It was a wonderful opportunity to show off Nepali folk drum. I even played solo on baby madals.”
He has also played with Jeff Lang at WOMAD and at the Melbourne Commonwealth. He has also made it big in the renowned Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. Apart from playing Indian classical music, he is also skilled in complementing notes of jazz, blues and flamenco with his tabla. His current projects include Rhythm Sutra (percussion-based band), a collaboration with Afro Dizzi Act drummer Mark Henman. He is also associated with the Flamenco Indo Jazz band and is behind the establishment of a music academy – Rhythms of the World. He is also a core member of the award winning Dya Singh World Music Group. He has also shared a stage together with internationally renowned singer Harry James of The Cat Empire and Jackson Jackson fame. In fact, Shrestha has made James sing Ookali Oraliharuma while performing together in Melbourne.
In the offing
Shrestha wants to come back to Nepal in mid-February with his international band members for a big gig in the capital. In his own words, Nepali musicians have limited themselves to a certain understanding of music and are happy playing the same notes and rhythms over and again in every concert they show up at. He does not want to be known as one random tabla player of Nepal and promises to bring back his knowledge to Nepal so that people start becoming experimental.
“Showcasing is one thing, playing underneath is something else. I’ve seen many showcasing but not playing. What knowledge do you earn playing Resham Firiri and Sim Sime Panima everytime? I promise to do a concert here so that people can understand that it’s high time we came out of the box,” he concludes.
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