India, Aug. 30 -- Strings and percussion unite to honour unrecognised soldiers while celebrating a pioneering tabla maestro's centenary

Music carries a rare ability to remember those whom history easily forgets. That quiet ache filled Kamani Auditorium during the 29th Amar Jyoti concert. It brought strings and percussion together to honour the unrecognised soldiers of the nation, while also celebrating a full century since the birth of Pandit Chatur Lal. He was the pioneering tabla genius whose work helped take Indian classical music and the tabla to audiences beyond India.

The sheer weight of musical history settled over the crowd the very second Grammy winner Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt ran his slide over the Mohan Veena. He played a st...