BIO

NATHULAL SOLANKI AND BAND

 

 

NATHULAL SOLANKI IS A WELL KNOWN NAGARA PLAYER FROM “PUSHKAR”SANGEET GHARANA”.

HAVING BEEN NURTURED IN THIS PARTICULAR MUSICAL ENVIRONMENT SINCE CHILDHOOD.

HE BEGAN LEARNING NAGARA AT A VERY EARLY AGE FROM HIS ELDER BROTHER LATE “RAMAKISHAN SOLANKI”, WHO WON AN IMPORTANT MUSICAL AWARD FROM A PROMINENT INDIAN PRESIDENT.THIS EXCLUSIVE LEARNING WAS TAUGHT TO HIM BY HIS ESTEEMED BROTHER, “RAMAKISHAN SOLANKI”

DURING HIS FORMATIVE YEARS LEARNING THIS EXCLUSIVE INSTRUMENT, HE HAS BEEN PLAYING SINCE AN EARLY AGE AT IMPORTANT TEMPLES AND ON THE GHATS OF THE HOLY LAKE PUSHKAR WHERE MANY PEOPLE HAVE GATHERED TO LISTEN TO THIS SACRED SOUND.

LATER ON KUCHAMANI KHAYAL AND RAMLILAS WERE PERFORMED AS THEATRE PLAYS FOR MANY YEARS ALL OVER RAJASTHAN.

HIS MANY EXPERIENCES HAVE ALSO INCLUDED WORKING WITHIN THE RAJASTHANI POLICE FORCE BUT THIS WAS NOT HIS CHOSEN PROFESSION SO HE RETURNED TO THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, TO PLAY HIS PREFERRED INSTRUMENT, THE NAGARA.

HE HAS PERFORMED THROUGHOUT INDIA INCORPORATING HIS TALENT AT VARIOUS FESTIVALS AND FAIRS.

HE HAS BEEN CURRENTLY PERFORMING AT THE JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL SINCE 2006.

 BEFORE HE RETURNED TO PERFORM AT THE FESTIVAL HE HAD VISITED VARIOUS PARTS OF THE  WESTERN WORLD (U.S.A,U.K.JAPAN, FRANCE, ITALY, GERMANY, SOUTH AMERICA, SPAIN, NETHERLANDS, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND PLUS MANY MORE) THESE VISITS HAVE ALL BEEN THROUGH SPECIAL INVITATION FROM MANY OF THE WORLDS GREATEST PERFORMERS. THE PERFORMERS INCLUDE, SUSHEELA RAMAN, INDIAN OCEAN, SIVAMANI, MICKY HART, PABAN DAS BAUL AND MIMLU SEN,THIERRY ROBIN, SHYE BEN TZUR, PREM JOSHUA,MASALA DOSA, YORAN GONNE, THE GREATFUL DEAD, ONE GIANT LEAP, NATASHA ATLAS, JUNOON, D.J.CHEB I SABBAH, VISHWA MOHAN BHATT.KAILASH KHER.PAPPON.SHIVAMANI.JONNY GREENWOOD. AND MANY OTHERS.

HIS PERFORMANCE WITH INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED AUTHOR WILLIAM DALRYMPLE IN USA AT THE LINCOLN CENTER AND AT THE BARBICAN CENTER UK HAD EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT IMPORTANCE.

TWO MAJOR PLAYERS WHO HAVE CHAMPIONED HIS WORK HAVE BEEN THE RENOWN “SANJAY ROY”AND “JAIPUR VIRASAT”.

HE HAS BEEN GIVEN MANY ESTEEMED AWARDS IN INDIA BY MORARI BAPU, PANDIT JASRAJ, JODHPUR MAHARAJA GAJ SINGH, PADMSHREE KOMAL KOTHARI AND BY EKLAVYA THEATRE.

HE CONTINUES UNTIL THIS DAY TO BE ONE OF INDIAS MOST IMPORTANT MASTERS OF THE RAJASTHANI DRUMS.

HE AWARDED BY RAJASTHAN GOVERNER AND CHIEF MINISTER

THE NAME OF THIS SPECIAL DRUM IS CALLED “NAGARA”.