Bangalore based Somashekar Jois is a veteran Konnakkol mentor and performer with several performances both in India and abroad. He is the founder director of World Konnakkol Academy LLP, which is the world’s premier music conservatory dedicated exclusively for the promotion of Konnakkol. He is blessed with a sonorous voice with a unique vocal timbre that effortlessly executes intricate and complex “laya” (rhythmic speed) patterns with superb clarity coupled with unmatched speed. He is undoubtedly one of the most sought after musicians, performing for some of the most prestigious festivals.

Somashekar Jois says ‘Konnakol (also spelled Konokol) is the art of performing percussion syllables vocally in South Indian Carnatic music. “Konnakol” is the spoken component of “solkattu” which refers to a combination of Konnakol (syllables) spoken while simulatanesously counting the “tala’(meter or rhythm) with the hand. It is comparable in some respects with the ‘bols” in Hindustani music and dance styles like Kathak but allows the composition, performance of communication of rhythms. A similar concept in Hindustani music is called “padant”.

Somashekar is trained in Carnatic music by veteran Gurus like Vidwan KN Krishnamurthy, Vidwan KV Prasad, Bismillah Khan awardee BC Manjunath, Vidwan Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma, Kanjira Vidwan N Amrit, Shastra Vidwan Sanath Kumar Atreya. Somashekar is an A grade artist of All India Radio, HRD scholarship from department of culture, Government of India, recepint of CMANA Award and Ananya Yuva Puraskar. He was placed 1^st in the Mridanga Vidwat Proficiency Examination and 2^nd in the All India Radio National Level Music Competition.

Somashekar has performed in major festivals all over India and also performed and conducted workshops for Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London, Singapore Kannada Sangha in Singapore and in Italy too. He is regular performer for the ‘Laya Lavanya” programme conducted by Vidwan Anoor Ananthkrishna Sharma.

It was exciting to watch his students from different nationalities performing Konnakkol with lot of confidence and precision, creating  fine rhythmic melody which is really wonderful and gratifying too. It is Somashekar’s desire and vision to reinstating Konakkol into its past glory by propagating and popularising the art of konnakkol on the global platform.

By Guru Vijay Shanker