Sitar Gurus
Abhik Mukherjee
Abhik Mukherjee is a Kolkata-born sitar player of the Etawah-Imdadkhani gharana. He was initiated to sitar at the age of six by his father, Sri Tarit Mukherjee, and Sri Bimal Chatterjee, while simultaneously receiving vocal instruction from Sri Kaylan Bose. He has since taken talim from Pandit Arvind Parikh and Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee, themselves disciples of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan. Abhik currently lives in New York City and is a founding member of Brooklyn Raga Massive, an Indian classical music artists’ collective. He is the director of academic affairs at Chhandayan School of Music in New York City.
Pandit Rabindra Narayan Goswami
Pandit Rabindra Narayan Goswami is recognized as a senior master musician living in the holy city of Varanasi, U.P, India. He has been a professional musician for over 40 years and is a sought after artist and teacher in the field of Indian classical music, both in his beloved hometown and the rest of the world.
Goswamiji is known for his big knowledge of ragas and talas, allowing him to go deep into both commonly performed ragas, as well as the very rare ones. He has learnt instrumental and vocal music from different gharanas and styles, and perform in sitar as well as in surbahar.
He learned from Pt. Ramakant Mishra of Benaras, Follower of Dhrupad Style, the late Smt. Amiya Devi, Follower of Ustad Imdad Khan Style, the late Shri Rajesh Moitra of Maihar Gharana, and
Prof. Santosh Banerjee (Student of Late Ustad Dabir Khan) He also studied advanced music with
the late Dr. B. V. Patekar (Alladia Khan Gharana) and Dr. R. Sanyal of Dhrupad Dagar Gharana.
Herbalism Instructor
Vanessa Chakour
An avid environmentalist, Vanessa’s exploration led her to study herbal medicine and pursue a sustainable lifestyle. She is passionate about helping deepen people’s relationships to their own bodies and the body of the earth. Her courses & retreats inspire a connection to the wild—inside and out—and the multitude of healing plants that surround us. She has studied and taught with renowned Herbalists such as Robin Rose Bennett and Matthew Wood and has partnered with Hidden Garden Wellness center in Costa Rica where she teaches, runs retreats and studies the local indigenous, latin and afro-caribbean medicines. She has developed partnerships with Wolf Conservation Center in So Salem NY, the Jaguar Rescue Center in Costa Rica and Alladale Wilderness Reserve in the Scottish Highlands with whom she offers Sacred Warrior workshops and Rewilding retreats. Through these healing experiences, participants learn first hand about species interconnection and the role misunderstood animals, such as wolves play to ensure a healthy vital ecosystem. Her work as an activist also led her to create events & initiatives on behalf of luminaries such as His Holiness, The Dalai Lama and Hip Hop Legend, KRS One. She often consults companies that are seeking a more sustainable, earth centered approach.