Bickram Ghosh, tabla exponent and composer, takes Indian rhythm to the world stage as the artistic director of the India Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2026. The India Pavilion will present ‘Many waters have flown’,a cross-cultural musical journey, conceived by Bickram. To be held from May 5 to 9, the programme weaves together diverse Indian musical traditions, each retaining its distinct identity while entering into a conversation with the others.
From accompanying Pt. Ravi Shankar and scoring for over 55 films to four Grammy nominations, Bickram’s music is a seamless blend of classical music and contemporary sound. He talks about his creative inspiration, his role at the Venice Biennale, and what it truly means to put India on a global cultural map.
Your earlier work ‘Spirit of Kolkata’ captured the city’s soul by weaving together street noises, temple bells and everyday chatter. Do you plan to bring a similar sense of rootedness to your presentation at the Biennale?
The Spirit of Kolkata was an experimental track that used the sounds of the city to create rhythms. That was several years ago. I’ve released my new Rhythmscape 2.0album, which is getting positive reviews. Our first video released a week ago, which I think has crossed over one million streams. I’ve used all the classical dance forms, choreographed by my wife Jaya Seal Ghosh with Roshan. I am trying to showcase the rich tapestry of sounds and vocal genres of Indian music. We have numerous artistes such as Rajhesh Vaidya on the veena, V. Suresh on the ghatam, Shomyajyoti on the flute, Ashwini Shankar on shehnai, Anaya Ghatgil on the keyboard and Arvind on the mridangam. We will artistes singing Tagore geet, ghazals and semi-classical and folk songs.
How challenging is it to retain one’s artistic identity on a global platform?
With a strong classical foundation, it becomes easier to curate presentations for a global audience. But I had always wanted to be a versatile musician, and that has helped me look beyond the classical format to come up with innovative rhythm patterns. Many of my musical outings, including my stint as creative director of the Serendipity festival for four consecutive years, have broadened my perspective.
How do you envision the future of Indian classical music?
I am optimistic about the future of Indian classical music. Since the pandemic, there has been a noticeable return to classical listening, especially among younger listeners. I am personally performing far more classical music than I have in decades. My Naad Festival, which is entirely classical, plays to packed houses every evening, as do most classical concerts today.
Bickram believes listeners are now much more open to cross-cultural music
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The India Pavilion at the Venice Biennale has been described as an experience of a lifetime, but the absence of local Italian artistes has also sparked controversy. How do you respond to this?
The India Pavilion is meant to showcase India, and I don’t see any controversy in that. It is a platform for presenting India’s artistic voice, and that is precisely what is happening. I am presenting Indian music, and there has been tremendous interest among Italian audiences, who are genuinely eager to engage with it.
Rhythmscape was a groundbreaking album and now Rhythmscape 2.0 has been launched. How far do you think listeners have come in terms of embracing fusion and experimentation?
I think audiences today are far more open to fusion. People are increasingly comfortable with cultures overlapping, perhaps because they themselves are becoming cultural melting pots. We see this across food, clothing, music and cinema. I like to think of it as ‘glocal’ — where the global meets the local. There is a growing interest in hearing ethnic sounds on the world music stage, and when these traditions meet, they create a certain spiritual and melodic harmony.
After the Venice Biennale, what next?
I am recording an album titled Trikaalawith the legendary L. Shankar from the original Shakti and Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya. After the Venice Biennale, I head directly to Germany to compose a score for the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra as part of a festival there.
