Vikash Achutaramaiah Wins Alabama Music Fellowship for Jal Tarang Preservation

Musician and IT professional Vikash Achutaramaiah, originally from Coimbatore, has been awarded the Music Fellowship Award by the Alabama State Council on the Arts in the United States. The recognition, one of the highest individual honours for artists in the USA, acknowledges his sustained efforts in preserving and promoting the Jal Tarang, a nearly 2,000-year-old Indian classical music instrument that is now among the rarest in the world.

The fellowship citation describes Achutaramaiah as one of the few artistes globally actively performing and safeguarding the tradition, earning him the title ‘Voice of Water Music’. His journey with the instrument began in 2010, four years after he moved to the United States in 2006 to pursue higher education and a career in technology. After coming across a video of the Jal Tarang, where sound was created by striking porcelain bowls filled with water using bamboo sticks, he began pursuing the art form.

Learning and performing the Jal Tarang presented unique practical challenges due to a lack of available concert-ready sets. Achutaramaiah initially spent between 300 and 400 dollars purchasing ceramic bowls, visiting Asian restaurants and contacting manufacturers to source suitable materials. Over time, he developed the process of handcrafting and calibrating his own concert-quality Jal Tarang sets to achieve the precise pitch needed for performances.

Rooted in the guru-shishya tradition, Achutaramaiah trained under Jal Tarang maestro Anayampatti S Ganesan and Carnatic vocalist TV Ramprasadh. First introduced to Indian classical music and dance at age three through his mother, a dancer, he is now proficient in over 35 Indian classical and folk instruments.

His artistic career includes presenting more than 1,000 professional concerts, composing over 60 original works across seven languages, performing alongside a 100-piece symphony orchestra in Chicago, and delivering a five-hour non-stop multi-instrument performance before a stadium audience.

Beyond stage performances, Achutaramaiah has presented recitals at the Indian Consulate in Atlanta and delivered the first traditional Jal Tarang recital at the Alabama State House during an official Diwali celebration. He also collaborates with state public health departments on sound-based wellness programmes for mental health and works on archival preservation initiatives to document the instrument. The Music Fellowship Award follows his previous recognition, the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Award.