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Indian band 'Jhalaa' debuts in North America, mesmerises mentor Rahman
The 12-member raga-based band blends Indian classical music with contemporary music styles.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Wed, 15, Oct 2025
- 02:46 EDT
- 42
Jhalaa on-stage with AR Rahman at Toronto / Jhalaa via Instagram
Taking Indian neoclassical music to the global stage, the AR Rahman-mentored Indian band 'Jhalaa' made its North American debut on Oct. 10 in Toronto.
Performing at 'The Promise of Music' concert, the raga-based ensemble performed in front of their mentor, Rahman, during The Glenn Gould Foundation event. The group featured as the opening performance to the concert that was headlined by Oscar winner Rahman's Sufi performance.
ALSO READ: Music transcends religion…it heals’: Rahman at IGF London
'Jhalaa' blends Indian classical music traditions with contemporary elements. It debuted at the 2025 WAVES Summit in Mumbai with 12 musicians coming together and taking Indian music to the global stage.
'Jhalaa' features 12 exceptionally gifted musicians, six women singers-dancers and six men singers & multi-instrumentalists. The ensemble includes Ambadi M. A, Mayuri Saha, Abby V, Antara Nandy, Sudeep Jaipurwale, Karamjeet Madonna, Jaydeep Vaidya, Sivasri Skandaprasad, Faiz Mustafa, Aishwarya Meenakshi, Steven Samuel Devassy and Divya Nayar.
It was formed with the dream of presenting live music with all-natural instrumentation, with no pre-recorded tracks or digital layering.
The band derives its name from Hindustani classical music, it refers to the thrilling, fast-paced, and rhythmically intense climax of a raga that builds into an exhilarating peak of sonic ecstasy. The key feature of this is the overpowering of the melodic component by the rhythmic component of the music.
The band was formed as part of Rahman's Bharat Maestro(a) Awards. The awards were set up to celebrate India’s musical heritage and to uplift the next generation of classical musicians. The members of the band were hand-picked by Rahman after a global talent search that brought together the finest young artists formally trained in Indian classical music and classical dance forms.
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