On a high, in the rain
MANJARI SINHA
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Gifted with sur, flexibility and range, Shantanu Bhattacharya delivers what he believes in - music with spiritual power.
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KOLKATA MAIL Shantanu Bhattacharya
The H.C.L. Concert Series presented a concert with a difference at the basement hall of the New Delhi's India Habitat Centre this time. It was an evening of immortal bandishes of khayal and thumri composed by the legendary musician of Bengal Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh and sung by the young vocalist from Kolkata Shantanu Bhattacharya. Shantanu believes that the raga-music has the innate power of taking the listeners to the higher realms of psychic consciousness. He tries to focus on this aspect in his performance too.
Initiated into classical music by his mother, Shantanu was groomed in Patiala gayaki by the stalwarts of this style like Pandit Prasoon Banarji, Meera Banerji and Pandit Ajoy Chakravorty. As a scholar of the I.T.C. Sangeet Research Academy (S.R.A.), Kolkata, his association with great maestros exposed him to the best in other styles as well. This has enriched his singing, which is focused centrally on the gayaki of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana.
Shantanu started the evening with a detailed rendition of raga Megh, one of the most popular ragas of the rainy season. The slow khayal was in Jhoomar taal that went "Aakul Virahini Ke Nainan Mein Peer Bhare Badara Barase," and the drut was in teentaal "Ghan Chaye Gagan Ati Ghor." Both the compositions dealt with the romantic feeling of a `virahotkanthita naayika' pining for her beloved while the dark clouds frighten her. The rain also pours through her eyes while she is looking eagerly for her priyatam. In the antara of this composition words like `dekhat dagar mukh mor mor' are translated exactly in the music as well, where swaras also keep looking back in `pa re ni sa ma pa re ma' and the following avarohi taan beautifully compliments the mukhara of the sthaayi.
From morning to midnight
After his main raga Shantanu sang a series of beautiful compositions covering the ragas of every prahar of the day starting from Bilaaskhaani todi, todi, Goojari todi and Jaunpuri for morning and forenoon, Shri for the afternoon, Yaman for the evening to Raageshri and Malkauns till midnight. His selection of bandish was also judicious from the point of view of subject matter that ranged from philosophical subjects as the panch-tattva in the todi composition `aag bhoom akas pavan paani' to nature's bounty depicting the lovely morning in Jaunpuri's "Suhaavan Laage Aaj Savera," to every mood Bhaav and Rasa.
Shringaara rasa in Bilaaskhani's "Basia Baji Aaj Mohan Shyam Ki" and Raageshri's "Sughar Naveli naar" to Bhakti rasa in the Jaunpuri composition "Aankh Khulate Hi Taako Sumir Le" and the Yaman "Main Vaari Vaari Jaaoon Tope Gusaiyaan." The unique imagination of Raag singing and dancing with the beloved Raagini in Raageshri went "Raag Sang Raagini Mil Mangal Gaye, Dai Dai Taari, Naach Naach Rang Rachaye."
The serene Shree raga's bandish preached how to live life "Kariye Kaam... . Jo Kariye So Lagan Se Kariye" and the antara went `kabahu na apani baat se tariye.' The compositions were equally rich in the musical content also, conveying the bhava and rasa of the each and every word of the bandishes.
Shantanu concluded his concert with a thumari in raga Maanjh Khamaaj set to Jat taal that went "Daamini Damake Jiya Mora Laraje." Gifted with immaculate sur, flexibility and range, Shantanu showed delicate imagination in treating these
Kolkata mail Shantanu Bhatt
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