Virasat Foundation

#205-8388 128^th St. Surrey, B.C. V3W 2G2, Canada

Phone: 604 543 0156 Fax: 604 590 5808

For Immediate Release:

Vancouver, B.C., August 12^th 2002 - Virasat Foundation is proud to be presenting Ustad Lachhman Singh Seen, a music legend and scholar from Punjab, India in a special concert of Indian Classical Music to be held at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby on Saturday 14^th September, 2002, at 7:15pm. Ustad Ji’s distinguished sons Kinnar Kumar Seen and Manu Kumar Seen will also be performing on sitar during the concert and will be accompanied by the well-known tabla player Talvin Singh. Virasat will be honouring the musicians on the night for their dedication and service in promoting the Punjab Gharana of music and maintaining it’s rich traditions.

Ustad Lachhman Singh Seen is an eminent musician and scholar from Punjab, India. He was born on December 3^rd, 1927 in Punjab and was encouraged to play music by his father Thakur Mangat Singh and his mother Shrimati Ishwari Devi. Although his parents werenrajt classical musicians themselves they had a deep affection for music and very much encouraged their son so that he could devote himself, mind and body to music. This was in the days when music was not considered a respectable profession in India and his family had even received threats to be excommunicated from the community. Despite this, his father braved the threats and after initially letting him spend time with folk musicians he sent him to the Durga Music Academy in Jammu to begin his music education. It was here that he received his training in tabla from Pandit Jagdish Dutt. After this he was sent to Lahore were he received further training from the great Mian Kadir Baksh, the torch-bearer of the famous Punjab Gharana. Mian Kadir Baksh was a legend among tabla players of India and had several disciples of great repute including Ustad Alla Rakha, Ustad Shaukat Hussain aswell as Ustad Lachhman Singh Seen. It was Mian Kadir Baksh’s forefathers who founded the Punjab Gharana of tabla playing. While in Lahore, Ustad Lachhman Singh Seen also started learning sitar from Pandit Jiya Lal Basant. Before the partition of India in 1948, Ustad Ji came back to Jammu and was appointed as a tabla teacher at the Maharani Mahilla College. Later he joined All India Radio as a staff artiste, first in Delhi and then in Jalandhar. During this time his Guru, Mian Kadir Baksh came to India and honoured him with the title of "Ustad". He also formalised his training by studying for and obtaining several degrees and certificates in tabla, sitar and vocal music. In 1962 he was appointed as a lecturer in music at HMV College - a prominent music institution in Jalandhar - where he served for 25 years eventually serving as the head of the music department. He taught M.A. and M.Phil classes and during this time he prepared several teams for various music competitions, composed many orchestras and imparted his vast knowledge of music to thousands of students. He is a member of the faculty board of study of Music and Fine Arts at the Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar.

Apart from teaching, Ustad Ji has also played in many concerts all over India and accompanied many famous musicians including Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Amir Khan, D. V. Paluskar, Pandit Onkar Nath Thakur, Master Rattan, Begum Akhtar, Pandit V.G. Jog and Pandit Ravi Shankar to name a few. He has received many awards and honours and has always been proud to represent Punjab wherever he goes. His "gurubhai" Ustad Alla Rakha tried to persuade him to leave Punjab and go to Bombay, but being a proud Punjabi he refused saying that he wanted to serve Punjab where he was born and that he is indebted to this great land of Sufi, Saints and Gurus. As a result he has become a musical legend in Punjab and everyone takes his name with the utmost respect. In a prestigious competition in Calcutta, his playing was so impressive that the audience aswell as giving him a standing ovation also chanted "Long live Punjab, Long live Punjab". Many of his students have achieved distinction in the world of music like Pawan Kumar Verma, Talvin Singh, Avirbhav Verma and his distinguished sons Manu Kumar Seen and Kinnar Kumar Seen. His tabla solos have been recorded and preserved in the National Music Archives as musical treasures. He possesses a deep and vast knowledge of Indian music which he has passed onto his many students including his own children. He still teaches students today and is also busy writing some books on music. Virasat Foundation is proud to bring Ustad Ji to Canada for the first time and in this concert he will be presenting a traditional tabla solo of the Punjab Gharana.

Kinnar Kumar Seen is the eldest son of Ustad Lachhman Singh Seen. He started learning music from an early age from his father who taught him both tabla and sitar. Since his first radio performance of tabla at the age of 14, he has accompanied many great artists including Ustad Salamat Ali, Laxmi Shankar, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and Pandit Rajan and Sajan Misra. Kinnar has Masters degrees in both tabla and sitar and has received several gold medals and awards for his performances. Wanting to spread music to other parts of the world, Kinnar came to the USA in 1984 and settled in New York. Here he opened a branch of Sangeet Vilas - an institution founded by his father in Jalandhar in 1950. He lectures regularly in schools and universities and has performed at many prestigious concerts and music festivals throughout Europe and North America. Kinnar will be performing a special sitar duet with his brother Manu.

Manu Kumar Seen, son of Ustad Lachhman Singh Seen and younger brother of Kinnar Kumar Seen is one of the top ranking sitar players in India amongst the younger generation. Having been given a thorough grounding in sitar and tabla by his father, Manu has won many prestigious medals and awards in India. He successfully completed Master Degrees in both English Literature and Music. At the age of seventeen he was given the proud privilege of performing at the Harvallabh Sangeet Festival which is one of the top music festivals in India. Since then Manu has been appearing in concerts all over India and in countries abroad. Many music directors have chosen Manu to enhance their compositions with his sitar. He has also played background music in musical plays, educational programs and television and radio programs. Manu has been invited to appear on national radio and television several times to present his solo sitar. Manu has been well received by the critics who have described his music as soulful and passionate. Manu is presently working as a grade "A" artiste for All India Radio, Jalandhar. Wherever Manu has performed his love and dedication has shined through his music to great acknowledgement from his audiences. The famous sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez accepted him as his disciple and has taught Manu the subtle techniques of the "Etawa Gharana". Manu has recorded several CD’s which have been well received by music lovers. He will be playing both solo and duet sitar with his brother Kinnar in this concert.

Talvin Singh is a well-known tabla player based in the UK whose name needs little introduction in the West. He has shone as a top artist amongst Western born Asian musicians and has created a large following for tabla music. Talvin grew up in the East End of London and went to India at the age of 15 to learn tabla. He was fortunate to meet Ustad Lachhman Singh who accepted him as his disciple. After two years he came back to London and finished his studies. At the age of 18 his career began to take off after a successful tour with Courtney Pine. After playing with several other well-known musicians Talvin created his own record label and recorded the groundbreaking "Anokha" CD. In 1999 he won the celebrated Mercury Music Prize for Popular Music. Despite making his name in the "Asian Underground" music he has always remained close to tradition and has made frequent trips to India to be with and learn from his respected Guru, Ustad Lachhman Singh. He has played with many well-known Indian Classical musicians including Ustad Sultan Khan, L. Subramaniam and the Late Ustad Salamat Ali Khan. Talvin is honoured to be playing tabla with his Guru in this concert and to also be accompanying Manu and Kinnar Kumar Seen.

Virasat Foundation is honoured to be able to bring these outstanding musicians to Vancouver for this special concert. Ustad Lachhman Singh Seen and his sons will be available for media interviews prior to the concert. Virasat Foundation is also planning to hold some masterclasses of sitar and tabla with Ustad Lachhman Singh Seen and Manu Kumar Seen during the month of September. Please contact Virasat Foundation for further information.

Virasat Foundation is an organisation dedicated to preserve and promote the rich culture, traditions and heritage of India. Virasat means what belongs to all of us, what has been handed over to us by earlier generations and that which we have to hold on to and pass on to the next generations. It is this Virasat, that makes us what we are and will contribute to our next generation what they are. Our mission is to preserve, promote and develop what is best in Virasat in its full grandeur and hand over to our coming generations a treasure greater than what our last generations handed over to us. This includes providing a climate for holding concerts and various social activities, perpetuating the cultural aspects such as Indian classical music, folk music, fine arts, etc., conducting educational programs, promoting Indian languages and traditional medicines and other services to the people. Last year Virasat Foundation presented a concert of World Renowned Sarangi Maestro Ustad Sultan Khan which received great reviews.

For Further Information:

Bhupinder S. Malhi 604 765 3063 or Jaspal S. Randhawa 604 897 4512