Pandit Shivnath Mishra, Sitar Maestro

Our last evening in Varanasi, our guide Naveen took us to the home of an internationally known Classical sitar player. As usual, we had no idea of what to expect.

 I think I mentioned that Varanasi is a bit of a chaotic city filled with construction, open sewers, cows, pigs, etc.  Well, we got out of our van and began walking through some very narrow alleys.  Suddenly, Varanasi seemed more organized, clean and comfortable.  Don't get me wrong, we did have to pick our way through cow droppings and around cows.  But we also walked through groups of children playing and people coming and going.

This sight is such a surprise after being on the main streets.

The door we entered is to the right of the photo.

We entered the house and were directed to the basement, where chairs were set up in front of a platform.  We sipped massala chai and listened to a musician playing classical Indian violin accompanied by a tabla player.  The tabla looks a bit like bongo drums.  Then we heard another musician play the harmonium and sing with the tabla player.  Both were very enjoyable.

But then, the two musician's uncle appeared, took the stage and we were transfixed.  Sitar is now my favorite. Pandit Shivnath Mishra is older than he was when this photo was taken, and quite frail.  However, he can still play and travels around the world sharing his music.  We were delighted that he shared it with us.