Some music in election-mode Bihar
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Ved Prakash's flute recital and Rekha Ratnam's sweet voice were among the features of the recently concluded Swar Vistar festival in Patna, says C.L. DAS.
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DHRUPAD GHARANAS of the country have been producing mainly singers. But the Darbhanga Amta gharana of Dhrupad has found expression in various instrumentalists apart from a host of veteran vocalists. The fact remains that the gharana acquired international recognition through the singers like Pandit Prem Chatur Mallik whose exposition of the raga was marked by a fine blend of erudition and sensitivity to the soul of the melody. His singing was distinguished for a decorative style of rendition with a restrained use of gamakas. The gharana has produced excellent sitar and flute players. And in the line of instrumentalists of the gharana comes Ved Parkash whose flute recital at the Swar Vistar recently held in Patna unfolded the beauty and splendour of the style.
Ved Prakash received training from the late Bidur Mallik, who spent long years in Vrindavan. Currently he is working as a staff lecturer in the music faculty of the L.N. Mishra University, Darbhanga. For the programme under review the artiste chose Regeshwari, an evening melody of the Khamaj thaat. Ved's instrument had a supple sound and tone and most remarkably it maintained the same quality in all the three octaves while rendering the raga. In the alap there was a slow and systematic progression of notes. Musicians tend to regard Rageshwari as a melody of lighter mood. But Ved's exposition highlighted a serious expression of the raga, negotiating the swaras mainly in the lower and middle octaves.
Later, he presented a drut laya (fast tempo) composition set to Teen tala of 16 beats where he displayed some fast tempo tanas. He needs to acquire more stamina in this aspect.The dhun in Pahadi brought to the fore his inclination for romantic expressions. It was a sensitive portrayal of the raga. He was accompanied on tabla by Rajshekhar of the Farrukhabad gharana.
Bright singer
The other artiste of the evening was Rekha Ratnam, a disciple of Ustad Irshad Khan of the Kirana gharana. A bright young singer emerging fast on the Hindustani music firmament, Rekha has won acclaim at esteemed musical events. She belongs to the generation of singers who try to give a new dimension to the art through their intellectual fervour. A senior fellow of the Culture and Tourism department of the Central Government, she is presently working on "The use of musical terms in Hindi literature".
Blessed with a sweet, supple voice, she seemed quite aware of her voice quality and temperament in her selection of raga - here, Madhuwanti. There is a quaint blend of romanticism and melancholia in this raga and the rendition was illustrative of the mood.
She elaborated the alap systematically, pausing where required. The very first phrases set the tone and one found even the lighter shades heavily underlined by the gravity of expression throughout her singing. She presented rhythmic compositions in vilambit, madhya and druta layas (slow, medium and fast tempo). In the drut laya she presented speedy tanas. Vigour and stamina were maintained throughout. She concluded her item with a bhajan by Meera, "Kahin Dekho Ri Ghanshyam", composed in raga Mishra Pahadi. She was accompanied on the tabla by Subodh Ranjan of the Banaras gharana, on the harmonium by Sudhir Kumar and on the tanpura by Priyanka.
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