معرفی
Aqeel Bhatti serves as a Lecturer in the Department of South Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, a position he has held since 2005. He additionally joined Swarthmore College's Dance Department in 2011 to provide tabla accompaniment for North Indian Kathak dance classes.
Born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Bhatti received tabla training under Khalfa Irshad Ali—son and disciple of Mian Nabi Baksh of the Punjab gharana. His formative education occurred within Pakistan's traditional gharana system, focusing on classical North Indian percussion techniques.
Bhatti's professional work centers on tabla performance and pedagogy within South Asian classical music traditions. His artistic practice bridges rigorous traditional training with contemporary cross-cultural collaborations, emphasizing the tabla's role in both solo performance and Kathak dance accompaniment. He actively engages with the technical, rhythmic, and expressive dimensions of Indian percussion.
As a lecturer, Bhatti mentors students in tabla technique and repertoire. His extensive performance career includes engagements with Radio and National Television of Pakistan, TV Asia, Sahara TV, and Voice of America, alongside international tours across the United States, Caribbean, Canada, and collaborations with artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
