Unravelling subtleties
JYOTI NAIR BELLIAPPA
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Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty revealed a few nuances of Hindustani music at the workshop organised by the Bengal Association.
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INFORMATIVE SESSION: Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty.
The Bengal association recently organised an extremely enjoyable and informative session with Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, artiste exemplar and exponent of the Patiala Gharana.
A generous teacher, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty imparted the `thumb rules' in the determination of sruti, the practice of the ten taals and the intake of long breath in the rendition of the `sa' during `pranayam.' For an artiste of his stature to share such subtleties was indeed touching.
The group sang with uninhibited candour. Individual performers' presentations were analysed to make a few points. A musical composition must be learnt with its notation and taal pattern clearly delineated, it was said. Though a notation cannot lead to rendition, it does provide the right pauses which could be instrumental in a good rendition.
The mystery behind the rendition of a bada khayal in vilambit was unravelled. Through a beautiful composition in Yaman, `Jag mein kachu kaam nar nariyan ke bas mein nahi,' Pt. Chakraborty demonstrated how the words must not be distorted to get the real feel and intent of the song, a practice not followed (even) by the veterans.
Also, it was important to be well versed with the special phrases or swara permutation combination as they would help in portraying the progression of the raga. While delineating the difference between a `khayal and `thumri', he put it simply, `It is a manly thing not a Godly thing.'
Speciality of a raga
The importance of the tanpura can never be underrated. Pt. Chakraborty demonstrated how junior singers did not align properly with the `sa' before beginning to sing. He believed that an aspiring singer should master four ragas: Yaman and Bhairavi could also be added. Each raga, however, had its special identity. Music belonged to the transcendental world, `sur' and `laya' being the two guides leading one to a fulfilled life. Shrutinandam, a music school with 850 children in Kolkata, is one of Pt. Chakraborty's many contributions to the rich musical tradition of India.
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