Bhubaneswar, July 18: Renowned musicians presented melodious renditions at a musical evening hosted by Bhubaneswar Music Circle at the Rabindra Mandap here yesterday.

Hosted in memory of veteran tabla player, Chatur Lal, the event saw Pranshu Lal, the grandson of the noted percussionist, exhibiting a number of complex rhythmic patterns with a percussion ensemble including tabla, drums and darbuka.

Accompanied by Ghulam Waris on the sarangi, the duo showcased compositions woven with many complex ragas. The co-ordination among the instrumentalists was a high-octane affair, while the variations in each and every rhythm was extremely remarkable.

The 23-year-old percussionist, who has already made a mark for himself, aims to carry forward the legacy of his family.

"Music is in my blood and I want to keep the historic compositions of my grandfather alive," said the musician, hailing from the Delhi gharana, which is touted to be the oldest in the field of tabla.

"What is different in our gharana is that we play the tabla with two fingers while others use three. But, I am open to experimentation and that is why we play compositions from other gharanas as well," said Pranshu, who has travelled across the world with his father Charanjit Lal to perform at a number of classical concerts.

"A number of people here have probably not heard my grandfather playing and that is why performing here and playing his rare compositions was a great pleasure," Pranshu said.

The second performance of the musical evening was conducted by veteran flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, accompanied by Shubhankar Banerjee on the tabla. Their renditions of Hindustani music had varied shades of classical melody.

A large number of music enthusiasts and young students from various colleges attended the event.

"The artistes performed impeccably. I am a great fan of Hariprasad Chaurasia and he never fails to please me," said Meenakshi Mohapatra, a 24-year- old college student.

The secretary of 50-year-old Bhubaneswar Music Circle, Khirod Pattnaik, said: "We will organise many such events in future to popularise veteran musicians and their compositions, so that music lovers get a great taste of varied cultures."