Sounds of India: Akash Parekar and Janan Sathiendran

The strings of the sitar have always known how to fill a sacred space. At St Martin-in-the-Fields, where centuries of collective reverence live in the walls, Darbar brings the ancient soul of Indian classical music home to one of London’s most beloved churches.

Akash Parekar is one of the most exciting voices in a new generation of British-born sitar players. Beginning his journey at just eighteen, he has since studied under a lineage of masters including the renowned Roopa Panesar, Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE, and Ustad Irshad Khan, son and disciple of Ustad Imrat Khan. Rooted in both Western classical and contemporary music, Akash brings a fresh sensibility to the sitar without losing sight of its deep spiritual core. His collaborative work spans Glastonbury to the recording studio, with artists as varied as Zak Starkey and Mayur Navekar, and he is currently completing his debut album.

Joining him is tabla player Janan Sathiendran, whose training spans both Hindustani and Carnatic traditions under Shri Sukhdeep Singh Dhanjal and Pandit Yogesh Samsi. Raised in London in a home rich with musical diversity, Janan has shared stages with Nitin Sawhney, A.R. Rahman, and Abi Sampa.

In a church built on centuries of shared reverence, these two artists bring music that has always understood the distance between the human and the divine is measured not in doctrine, but in sound.