Tabla player Kulamani Sahoo. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 1: More than three decades of practice and the enthusiasm to enhance his expertise has made tabla player Kulamani Sahoo a name to reckon with in the spheres of music in the state.

A disciple of many eminent gurus, Sahoo’s effortless performance and his humble persona makes him one of the leading musicians of Orissa today.

Sahoo started his journey with tabla at the age of five when he trained under Pandit Gangadhar Jena during his schooling at Choudwar.

After school he joined the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya in Bhubaneswar in 1986 and completed his graduation here.

“My father, a schoolteacher, wished to make a career in music but it remained a dream for him. However, he encouraged me at every step and despite many financial problems, I continued pursuing my education in music,” says the musician who acquired his post-graduate degree from Utkal University.

Later, he received the alankar title from Akhila Bharatiya Gandharva Mandal in Mumbai.

Sahoo also gathered knowledge in tabla, harmonium and Hindustani vocal. His gurus include prolific artistes of the state such as Umesh Kar, Kulamani Jena, Harmohan Khuntia.

The versatile musician went ahead to receive a scholarship from the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi to add finesse to his skills from Ustad Sabir Khan.

“He helped me immensely with his encouragement. I not only learnt music but also humility from him,” says Sahoo.

Sahoo is a performing artiste at present with the information and broadcasting department.

However, he finds time for stage performances as well as to compose for classical music albums such as Sakal Tirtha.

He has accompanied eminent artistes such as Padmashri Pandit Surendra Narayan (known as Singh Bandhu), flautist Ronu majumdar, Balwant Ray Bhatt, Pandit Damodar Hota as well as his gurus.

He has performed at various national festivals in Delhi, Indore, Pune, Baroda and various cities of the state. But his sadhana is far from perfect, feels Sahoo.

“Even today I practice for hours everyday. I wish to perform jugalbandis with Ustad Zakir Hussain and Ustad Hamir Jahan,” says Sahoo.

“But to get that expertise will take years,” he adds.

A teacher for many music lovers, Sahoo advises young musicians to focus on the quality of music and strive for perfection.