prathama nada

Shahana's sharing of music is presently less about teaching a craft and more about facilitating the awakening the original 'voice' and musical vibrations in every human being, for alignment in Self. Her understanding is that Raga is a natural harmonic of Nature and Dhrupad practice is the perfect way for naturally attuning the human body's vibrations. She is often able to 'transmit' what's remembered in her, and even very young children become quickly attuned. This approach notwithstanding, Shahana does have formal training in the basics of Indian classical music. Beginning with Carnatic vocal at age 3, she transitioned to Hindustani at 7, and trained until a college and university education in architecture took over. Later in the U.S. she was blessed to be associated for many years with the Pandit Jasraj Institute of Music, learning with Pandita Tripti Mukherjee, and also receiving guidance from Pandit Jasraj. By 2015, a sustained abiding in Self beckoned a shift in direction toward purely meditative sound and whole-body alignment, and 2017 saw her beginning all over again in Dhrupad music, with the Gundecha Brothers, and since 2019 with their senior disciple Smt Amita Sinha Mahapatra. Shahana has been facilitating students in the Seattle area since 2008, and in 2015-16, created and performed her first collection of compositions on 11 poems of the Saint Kabir.