Celebrating cultural roots through music

Surabhi Adesh once was hired to play the sitar in Animal Kingdom. 

She played all week long. By the second day, she found that the birds responded to her music. 

“Depending on what tune I played … the birds in the back would sing with me,” Adesh said. “Depending on what time on the day and what I played, they would all be quiet, and then they would all start making noise at the same time. That was really cool for me. We’ve always heard that our music is understood by the animals.”

For nearly her entire life, Adesh has played the sitar, a plucked stringed instrument used in music from India, as well as a variety of other instruments, though the sitar and her vocal abilities are her focus. 

She and her sons, Sankalp and Pratyush Goberdhan, regularly perform locally as well as globally. Sankalp and Pratyush perform together as the Goberdhan Brothers, and when performing with Adesh, they go under the name Surabhi and Sons. 

“For me, music is my way of devotion,” Adesh said. “It is entirely spiritual for me. Understanding the effects of sound, and our music is so rich. Our predecessors have created melodies that approach every emotion. Just developing that is my path to spirituality.”

BEGINNINGS

Adesh was born in India, but when she was very young, her family left for the Caribbean. Her father, Hari Shanker Adesh, was working with the Indian Consulate to promote the culture and values to people from India living in the Caribbean. While there, he found those he interacted with had a true passion for the culture, so he created an institute to give the people a well-rounded and comprehensive knowledge of the culture. 

Adesh grew up around the institute, Bharatiya Vidya Sansthhaan, meaning the Institute of Indian Knowledge. After being exposed to it, she wanted to learn herself.

Her father emphasized having a complete knowledge, so she learned about a variety of instruments but specialized in sitar and vocal. 

The institute teaches a systematic teaching, starting from beginners all the way to what would be equivalent to a master’s degree. 

The family started a second institute in Toronto before moving to the Central Florida area. They are now Ocoee residents.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Adesh’s husband, Ravi Goberdhan, acts as the manager for the family, which teaches music lessons as well as performs together. 

Although the family continues to emphasize being well rounded, they all specialize in an instrument. Pratyush plays the violin and employs Indian musical techniques while playing. Sankalp plays the tabla, hand drums often used in Hindustani music.

They’ve played in historical buildings in St. Augustine, at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples and at the University of Central Florida, where Pratyush and Sankalp attend. They currently are working with Walt Disney World on a “The Jungle Book”-themed show. 

However, they hold fast to their legacy as educators, and are eager to teach their craft to those who are willing to learn. They want to teach those genuinely interested rather than children who are pushed by their parents to take lessons. Some of their favorite experiences have come from working with people with intellectual disabilities at RAPID Programs in Winter Springs, where they taught Indian rhythms in cooperation with the Asian Cultural Association. 

“Over time, we noticed that musical improvements also correlated to their social interactions outside of music class,” Sankalp said. “They were better at maintaining eye contact, following directions.”

Contact Jennifer Nesslar at [email protected].