The Bhagalpur's Mishra gharana's three scions - Pandit Raj Kumar Nahar (tabla player), Pandit Santosh Kumar Nahar (violinist) and Pandit Sahitya Kumar Nahar (sitarist) - have clinched a chance to showcase their art on the international platform this month.

The Nahar brothers will perform in the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) programmes to be organised between January 21 and February 4 in Columbia, Mexico and Venezuela.

The gharana is reputable for its khayal gayaki for over seven generations, and has been involved in various forms of music.

Pandit Raj Kumar Nahar, who also happens to be the assistant director (programme) in Patna Doordarshan, said: "This is a big opportunity for us because ICCR has invited only the three of us to perform in all the three countries. The ICCR programme will be different because it would be a jugalbandi of sitar, violin and tabla. We have worked on a 25-minute piece, Naadtrayi, which we plan to perform in all the three countries. That will definitely be a treat for musical lovers because this kind of jugalbandi has not taken place till now."

Divulging details of the ICCR programme, Raj said: "While we will perform in Venezuela from January 21 to January 24, in Mexico, our dates are from January 25 to January 30 and in Columbia, from January 31 to February 4. We will leave for the Venezuela leg of the concert on January 19."

Pandit Sahitya Kumar Nahar said the trio would present a fusion of classical and folk music in the international concerts. "There would be a fusion of various ragas and folk music. We have tried to capture the essence of every raga in our short piece," said Sahitya, who also happens to be the head of the music department in Allahabad University.##