Marching to His Own Beat:

Vivek Pandya
August 31, 2022

Vivek Pandya is a world-class tabla player who has made

appearances at venues across the United States and India. He
made his national debut performance for NYC Radio Live at
Columbia University at the age of 9.

Pandya has joined the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Class of

2026 as a biomedical engineering major and already has his first
area performance set for September 16, where he will
accompany his friend and world-class Indian flautist Chethan
Anant.

The tabla is a melodic percussion instrument belonging to the

Indian classical genre. It has the most dynamic frequency range
of any percussion instrument and is made up of a bass drum and
a treble drum. “The treble drum is tuned to an exact pitch, such
as D or E. It could be anything,” Pandya said. The bass drumʼs
pitch is adjustable by the pressure the artist applies on the drum.
While the tabla is mainly an accompanying instrument in Indian
classical music, “tabla solos have become super popular
nowadays and take audiences on a journey of enthrallment,”
Pandya said.

Pandya chose to attend Rensselaer because he felt that it would

allow him to be flexible and pursue his interests. He chose to
study biomedical engineering to aid in his goal of attending
medical school.

Pandya started playing tabla at the age of 3, and began formal

training at the age of 5 with Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, a
renowned tabla maestro who has played at venues including
Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, and more.
“Regardless of where heʼs performed, his artistry and playing
speak far more than his resume,” Pandya said.

Since making his national debut, Pandya — who grew up in

Hopewell Junction, New York — has toured and performed all
over India, the U.S., and Canada. He has been featured in
numerous Indian magazines and also in the Times of India. In
recent years, heʼs been part of several musical projects and
productions, including playing on cellist Inbal Segevʼs album 20
for 2020 and on Chidaksha, an Indian classical album, which will
be released on online platforms soon. His favorite project is
featured on YouTube, where he and fellow tabla artist Rupak
Bhattacharjee, who also studies under Chatterjee, play a
“Unique Tabla Duet” showcasing the repertoire of the tabla. The
project was conceived and mastered during the COVID-19
pandemic.

The upcoming concert — on September 16 at the Shirley Ann

Jackson, Ph.D. Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary
Studies — with Indian flautist prodigy Chethan Anant came
about serendipitously. The two friends were talking one day and
their conversation turned to school. It turns out that Anant
teaches the Indian bamboo flute to the Rensselaer School of
Engineering Dean Shekhar Garde.

“Chethan mentioned to me that he would like a young tabla

player to accompany him for the concert,” says Garde. “It
happened that this player was joining us as a freshman! What a
small and beautiful world.”

Pandyaʼs ultimate dream is to make tabla an international

household name and become a full-time musician. “However, I
do realize how important an education is and how helpful it can
be to fall back on. Hopefully, I can live up to this dream!”