A traditional Indian musical instrument has come to the Shanghai stage for the first time. It's called the Sarod, and is played with the fingernails, not the fingertips. For the audience at the Shanghai Center Theater over the weekend, hearing it live was an intriguing experience.

A traditional Indian musical instrument has come to the Shanghai stage for the first time. It's called the Sarod, and is played with the fingernails, not the fingertips. For the audience at the Shanghai Center Theater over the weekend, hearing it live was an intriguing experience.

Four Indian musicians, all dressed in traditional clothes, performed for a local audience. Two played the Sarod, accompanied by two others playing Tabla drums.

With a history of hundreds of years, the Sarod is a 19-string instrument from northern India.

"The Sarod now is played with the nails. It's not played like a guitar or violin, where you use your fingertips, right? It's played with the edge of your nails. So you have to glide the Sarod. And it's a difficult instrument because it doesn't have frets like the guitar. So as you glide with your nails, the accuracy is very difficult and important," said Ayaan Ali Khan, sarod player.

"It's an instrument that can't be really used for background music. You have to listen to this kind of instrument with concentration. It has a lot of resilience, a lot of gravity. So you know there is a lot of dignity in the sound," said Amaan Ali Ahan, sarod player.

During the two-hour concert, several compositions were presented. Many locals in the audience said it was the first time they had experienced the instrument in person, and liked it a lot.

"It's very fresh. I've heard the sound of the instrument in movies before, but it's my first time to see it and hear it in concert. I think it's really charming," said an audience member named Zhao Yue.

The show also marked the fourth year that the Chaiti Festival has been held by the Indian Consulate General in Shanghai. The annual event presents classical Indian music to China, and has become a grand get-together for the expat Indian community.

"It's an opportunity for us just to be with the community, wear Indian clothes. But in India, the traditional clothes are part of everyday life, and classical music is part of everyday life. So we collide, it's a living tradition," said Indira Ravindran, organizer of Chaiti.

The performance is coming to Beijing on Friday.