ANUBHAV 3.o
By Supriti*
The evening started with renowned Hindustani Classical Vocalist Vidushi Ashwini Bhide Deshpande. The doyen of Jaipur Atrauli Gharana presented Raag Jog in one of her most pensive and thoughtful meditative performances which culminated in a bandish, Bole Re Papi in Raag Miyan Ki Malhar. It was followed by a traditional bhajan rooted in the Jaipur Atrauli Gharana, ‘Chaadar Ho Gayee bahut purani, ab to maan jaa re abhimaani’, through which she conveyed the message of humanity and brotherhood for all.
We proceeded towards the beautiful Carnatic music by the Padmabushan Awardee and Sangita Kalanidhi, T.V. Sankaranarayanan, performing Sudaroliye Potri-Viruttam (devotional verse in Carnatic music). The melodies of the verses performed by the legendary artist were supported by a number of artists including T.S. Mahadevan on Vocal support, Embar. S. Kannan on the violin, Patri Satish Kumar on the Mridangam and V. Gururaj on the Morsing. Sankaranarayanan then proceeded towards Karunaiseivai Adi in Raga Hamsadhvani composed by the great composer Papanasam Sivan. This raag, with the thaat of Bilaval, energized the audience to its core and surrounded them with liveliness of its notes.
This was followed by a Live Concert by Pandit Venkatesh Kumar, who regaled all listeners with his electric renditions of traditional compositions of Kirana Gharana in Vilambit and Dhrut Khyal. He sang a sublime rendition of Raag Lalit which was perfectly tuned with the time of late evening, and grasped listeners to an otherworldly experience though his detailed exposition of traditional Bilamnbit and Dhurtu Khayal in the Kirana traditional dating back to centuries from Dharwad, Karnataka where he started his musical journey of life. Panditji learnt Hindustani vocal in the Gwalior and Kirana Gharana styles under Puttaraja Gawai. He blended these styles effortlessly in his mesmerising performances. There were moments when Pandit ji’s scintillating taans resonated in the musical arena. He concluded his recital with a traditional Kannada bhajan, Kailasa Kanna.
Also read: SPIC MACAY brings ‘Ashram-life’ experience at home with its online Anubhav series -2
His robust and vibrant voice harked back and reminded viewers to overnight concerts of yesteryears by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, where listeners would be treated to hours of traditional bandishes of kirana gharana. His performance was followed by a recital by doyen of Agra and Gwalior Gharana, Pt. Prabhakar Karekar. He filled the arena and the listeners in the rooms with his unique rendition of traditional Raag Bhairav and Raag Bairagi. His unique rendition of bandish along with the beats of tabla effortlessly merged into a mesmerizing emotional composition which was enjoyed by all viewers across the country. He concluded his recital with bhajans, Ek Sur Charachar Chaayo, and, Bairav Murali Vaale Shyaam.
The evening was further blessed with the presence of the Padma Shri Awardee Sangeetha Kalanidhi A. Kanyakumari with her euphoric violin notes. She was accompanied by Vidushi Vishvesh Chandrashekar in Violin support and Vidushi Dr. Patri Satish Kumar on the Mridangam. She started out with an invocation praising Lord Ganapati in Raag Athana’s “Shri Mahaganapati” which was followed by Janakiramana in Raag Sudhashrimantini set to Adi Talam. The jugalbandi of Kanyakumari and her disciples mesmerized the listeners to their core.
As we prepared for the final concert of Anubhav 3, we welcomed Pandit Ritwik Sanyal with his extraordinary Dhrupad vocal performance. He was accompanied by Dr. Ankit Parikh in pakhawaj and Dr. Ashish Jaiswal as well as Satwik Bhattacharya on the tanpura. Pandit Ritwik mesmerized his audience for his vocals in Raag Lalit with alaap and Dhrupad in char taal.
He ended his performance with a bandish in the complementing Raag Bhatiyaar and concluded the piece with elegance. The deep notes of Dhrupad left listeners with an ever lasting imprint in their minds in the morning hours till 6 AM, which is sure to keep listeners attached and bound to our classical art forms for many years to come.
*Advisor, Anubhav-3, SPIC MACAY
