From Greece to Bengal: Iasonas Psarakis’ lifelong devotion to Indian classical music— GetBengal Story

Iasonas Psarakis, a Greek-born composer, musician, and filmmaker, is known for his deep expertise in Hindustani classical and world music. Originally from Greece, he came to India to study at Visva-Bharati Sangit Bhavana, earning his degree in Hindustani classical music (sitar). His music has travelled across countries including Greece, India, Egypt, Italy, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Iran.

His 2023 music album ‘Astris’ received multiple accolades and was even considered in the first round of Grammy Award voting. After spending nearly four years in Santiniketan and Kolkata, Iasonas has returned to his village, where he now shares the essence of Indian classical music.

Suman Sadhu spoke to Iasonas on behalf of Get Bengal. 

Here is the insightful interview, exploring his journey from Greece to Santiniketan.

Suman: To begin with, I’d like to know about your village in Greece. What was life like for you there?

Iasonas: My village is called Pefki, located in southern Greece on the island of Crete. After spending three years travelling across the Middle East and four years in West Bengal studying Indian classical music, primarily the sitar and esraj, the COVID lockdown began, and I returned to Pefki.

Pefki is a beautiful little hill village with only around 30 residents, and you can even see the sea from there. There are no big roads in the village—just narrow lanes winding through it. Surrounded by stunning natural beauty, the village creates the perfect atmosphere for composing, practicing music, and engaging in various forms of artistic expression. I would say this village is my greatest source of musical inspiration.

Suman: At what age, and how, did music start attracting you?

Iasonas: Music has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. I grew up in an artistic family, and our home was always open for musical gatherings. Even in our village, I would wander through nature during summers with my parents and their musician friends, always surrounded by music.

But formally, I began training around the age of ten. I started learning classical guitar and European classical music at a conservatory in Athens, and continued until I was seventeen. During that time, I also began writing songs, inspired by social and environmental themes, and would perform them in my own way.

At the age of eighteen, I left the capital to live on my own. For nearly four years, I lived on the island of Lesvos and then moved to a few remote Greek islands. There, I experimented with instruments like the didgeridoo, xylophone, lute, and guitar. That was the phase when I was creating psychedelic, experimental music, though I didn’t keep any recordings from those early explorations.

Suman: Indian classical music is an art form with a history spanning thousands of years. As someone who isn’t Indian by origin, how did your study, practice, and immersion in Indian classical music impact you?

Iasonas: Indian classical music entered my life in a very unexpected and almost mystical way. I first heard the sitar at the age of sixteen while on a beach on a remote island in southern Crete. The sound, the shape, and the vibration of the instrument stunned me; it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

By the time I turned eighteen, I had started listening to Ravi Shankar’s albums. The depth of his music and the sound of the sitar stirred something deep within me. It felt magnetic — almost divine. When I was nineteen, I started dreaming about the sitar every night for months. It felt as though the instrument was calling me from another dimension.

That’s when I decided to dedicate the rest of my life to the sitar. I bought my first sitar and moved to a remote island in southern Greece. For six months, it was just me and my sitar, slowly bonding, exploring a strange but powerful energy that kept growing.

Soon after, I set off on a long journey with just 10 euros in my pocket and my sitar. My goal was to reach India to learn the instrument properly. Along the way, I travelled through Turkey, Iran, and Lebanon, performing music on the streets and at festivals. I stayed with Sufi and dervish communities, shared music with them, and even learned from Iranian musicians. I spent time experimenting with Iranian instruments similar to the sitar.

Although I didn’t reach India then, that entire journey transformed me at my core.

Two and a half years later, I returned to Turkey and participated in the Mystic Music Festival in Konya. It was there that I met some of the greatest maestros from India, Iran, and Pakistan. I had the privilege of being in the presence of Ustad Zakir Hussain and Ustad Ashish Khan. I spoke at length with Ustad Ashish Khan about music and asked him to help me find a sitar teacher in India.

He kindly introduced me to his sister, Amina Perera, the daughter of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

After that, I moved to Kolkata. Amina Perera became my Guruma (mentor), and I began intensive training under her guidance. I would attend her classes five days a week, and my practice sessions lasted six to ten hours a day. I still remember during my first year in India, there were days when I would practice from 11 PM to 5 AM, then attend classes with Guruma in the morning, and later jam in public spaces around Kolkata. My entire life had started revolving around the sitar.

Much later, I learned that while my mother was pregnant with me, she would often listen to Ravi Shankar. I truly believe now that those musical vibrations entered my being even before I was born. That might be why Indian classical music feels so innate to me, it lives in my soul. And I’ve made the conscious decision to devote myself entirely to the sitar.

Suman: You mentioned dedicating yourself to the sitar and learning under Amina Perera, daughter of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Later, you also began learning the esraj. During this time, you enrolled at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan to study music. How were those early days of learning and practice? How did the atmosphere of Santiniketan and Rabindranath Tagore’s songs influence you?

Iasonas: While I was learning under Amina Perera, I had my first concert at Kala Bhavana in Santiniketan. Even before that, while still in Greece, I had read books by Rabindranath Tagore that were translated into Greek. So, arriving in Santiniketan felt somewhat like stepping into a dream.

During my first visit to Santiniketan, I stayed with a Baul family. That was when I completely fell in love with the environment of Visva-Bharati, the surrounding nature, and most importantly, the philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore and Lalon Fakir. For me, Santiniketan became a kind of utopian place for living, learning, and practising music.

With support from my Guruma, Amina Perera, I received an ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) scholarship and got the opportunity to study sitar for three years at Sangeet Bhavana, Visva-Bharati. Even while studying in Santiniketan, I would travel to Kolkata every Wednesday and Thursday to attend Guruma’s sitar classes.

After her passing, I continued my training under Pandit Debiprasad Chatterjee. During my time at Sangeet Bhavana, I also began learning the esraj as my second instrument. The esraj is a deeply mysterious instrument, and it touched me in a very unique way. Even now, I continue to practice both the sitar and the esraj side by side.

Suman: You also stayed in Kolkata for nearly a year. What is the one most precious thing you took back from West Bengal to your country, something you'd want to pass on to the next generation?

Iasonas: I received many gifts from West Bengal over almost four years, but the ones I value the most are those that are humanistic and spiritual. Through the writings of Lalon and Rabindranath, I explored Indian classical music, the pull of one’s roots, and the profound philosophy behind art. I tried to internalize the values of equality and the spiritual essence of classical music, how each raga is deeply connected with nature, time, emotion, and imagery.

These aspects of life will stay with me forever, and I want to share them with future generations.

I also have long-term dreams. I envision creating a space in the soil of South Crete dedicated to world music and the arts. A place where senior musicians from India, Iran, and other cultures can come to teach and inspire students. It will be an institution where the traditions of Indian classical music and the sound of the sitar can reach a wider global audience.

Suman: I’ve seen that you’ve performed in numerous concerts across the world. Then in 2016, your first album was released. How was your musical journey after graduation?

Iasonas: After graduating from Sangit Bhavana, I went to Egypt. There, I performed my first solo concert in Cairo under the patronage of the Library of Alexandria. That experience marked a new chapter in my career as an independent artist.

After returning to Greece, I continued to perform in many concerts and had the opportunity to share my music with a wider audience. I had applied for another ICCR scholarship to pursue a postgraduate degree in sitar at Santiniketan, but then the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the scholarship was cancelled.

During the lockdown, I started composing a 120-minute work titled Asteris, which was eventually released in December 2023 under the Iasi Ensemble. Asteris is a world-fusion album that blends Indian classical, Persian classical, Sufi, ancient Greek, and new-age music. It aims to create a unique intercultural musical language. All tracks were recorded in 432 Hz, the frequency often referred to as the “frequency of the universe.”

It feels great to know that the album received notable recognition. Asteris won six Silver Global Music Awards, was honoured as the Best World Album at the Clouzine International Music Awards, and even received voting consideration in the Best Global Music Album category at the Grammys.

I worked on this project as the composer, collaborating with music producer Nikolaos Gkinis, and we also got help from several musicians from India, Iran, and Greece.

Listen to Asteris on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1LS4GJOuksV07qlbxbLq7b

Alongside the album, I’ve also started directing dance-based short films, an attempt to bridge ancient and contemporary artistic expressions. I'm also continuing to act in theatre. Right now, I’m truly enjoying life through music and visual storytelling.

Suman: My final question—recently, I came across a social media post about a crowdfunding campaign for your latest album, Sea of Fire. I’m curious to know more about this project.

Iasonas: Yes, Sea of Fire is my latest and most ambitious visual (film) project. It’s an intercultural dance film that brings together not just movement, but also Sufi poetry, music, ancient symbolism, and animated motion art under one roof. You could call it a cultural confluence. The film unites artists from India, Greece, Pakistan, and Iran—crossing all national boundaries to celebrate beauty, consciousness, and the transformative power of art.

The film features internationally acclaimed actress and dancer Suhaee Abro (known for My Pure Land, the official UK submission to the 90th Academy Awards), whose presence brings the project to life with grace and depth.

(SEE OF FIRE is deeply inspired by themes of inner transformation, mysticism, and the power of the sacred fire within us—that invisible force that drives us to rise, evolve, and create.)

The original soundtrack is rooted in the traditions of Indian classical ragas, Persian, and Sufi music. While it is an extension of my previous album Asteris, it goes beyond sound fusion. The music reflects my personal journey—geographically, spiritually, and artistically.

To bring this vision to life, we’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign. Through personal investment and grants, we’ve already secured 60% of the total budget. However, to complete the project, we need additional financial support.

With this crowdfunding initiative, we aim to finish post-production, fairly compensate all collaborators, and ensure Sea of Fire reaches prestigious international film festivals.

For those who choose to support us, we’ve arranged a few heartfelt tokens of appreciation:

●    Early digital access to the film

●    Name credits on the title card and IMDb

●    Signed album and poster

●    Original concept art and unreleased materials

●    Associate Producer credit

Every contribution brings us closer to realising a project that transcends borders and celebrates unity through art.

Sea of Fire is more than just a film; it’s a cinematic poem, a healing journey through art, and a tribute to spiritual and cultural reconnection. At its core, it celebrates the sacred fire within each of us, the flame that stirs our soul, gives rise to music, and often finds its expression through ancient mythologies.

I truly believe in the power of community. That’s why I warmly invite people from all around the world to become part of this soulful journey.

To watch the teaser and show your support, click here:  

Translated by Sabana Yasmin

To read the original Bengali version of the story, click here