It is a pleasure and honour to write a letter of commendation for Dr. Krishna Kant Shukla. The Ministry of Railways, Government of India, was recently privileged to host a special concert by Dr. Shukla. The concert was held to commemorate the 600th birth anniversary of the legendary medieval Indian poet-saint, Kabir. As expected the musical renditions of the poems of Kabir by Dr. Shukla were stupendous, powerful and touched the hearts of all those present. Dr. Shukla, who has performed in several parts of this country and in the US, has an exceptional and impressive background. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the State University of New York at Buffalo, USA. While studying and teaching Physics in the US, he also studied Indian classical music as a serious hobby. Eventually, he gave up his Physics faculty position in Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York, to study music full time at Ali Akbar College of Music in California. Dr. Shukla studied with several eminent musicians – such as Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Shrimati Lakshmi Shankar. Eventually, he returned to India after 13 years in the US. Here, he extensively travelled the length and breadth of the country, studying the rural folk traditions, with an emphasis on Kabir, Tulsidas, Thyagraj and other Poet-saints.
Dr. Shukla has been studying, teaching, performing this divine music, which, incidentally is a rare and endangered art form.
I wish Dr. Shukla well and hope that his celestial music spreads far and wide on this planet.
Sincerely,
VijayK Malhotra
Phone: 011-3385252
FAX: 011-3385252
E-mail: dol[AT]rb.railnet.gov.in
