Rhitom Sarkar’s successful Canadian musical sojourn

The highlight of the tour was three Indo Canadian Slide project performances in Peterborough, Hugh's Room and Faith Presebryian Committee Church.

The concerts were the result of Michael Oesch gathering several of Canada’s greatest slide players including two-time finger-style guitar champion Don Ross, Juno-nominated blues player Sean Pinchin, Dan Walsh (formerly of Fred Eaglesmith's band “Flying Squirrels"), renowned bluegrass Dobro player Ivan Rosenberg, blues man David West, Dobro dueling Guy Westbrook of the “Kil” Billys,”, Michael Oesch himself on the lap steel guitar.

They played the 15 tracks in the three concerts.
 

One of the highlights of the tour was an Indo Pak duet with Sitar when Rhitom teamed up with Rakae Jamil from Pakistan at the Small World Festival a proclamation of the unifying spirit of music across geographical boundaries.
 
Rhitom’s also had solo programs were spread across Guelph, Iskon Temple, Waterford and Brampton Sahaja Yoga Centre for Meditation. Apart from the traditional Hindustani Classical Ragas a notable trend was the constant demand for Bollywood music which is a rage among the young population as well as the immigrants.

Though the comparative elder connoisseurs loved the classical Indian ragas Nanda Kauns, Kirwani, Charukeshi, Saraswati, Sugrahi Kanada, Madhuwanti and more, midway through the concerts there was invariably demand for Bollywood hit numbers of the 80’s and 90’s including Anu Malik, A.R Rehman, Jatin Lalit.