A passion well nurtured
JITENDRA PRATAP
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Ulhas Telong's vocal recital was as technically unassailable as it was mellifluous.
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HIS FIRST LOVE Music is his first love for Ulhas Telong seen here at a concert at New Delhi's India Habitat Centre
Ulhas Telong is a senior member of the Madhya Pradesh State Civil Service currently posted as General Manager in the Madhya Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation at Bhopal. However, music is his first love. His mother was a religious minded lady who used to sing devotional songs with her highly mellifluous voice.
The little boy Ulhas picked up most of his mother's devotional songs since his early childhood and was able to render these to the delight of small and large audiences.
He received his earlier training in classical vocal music from Yogi Bhavtanandji Bhat Maharaj of Indore in the traditional gharana system. Later, he came under the tutelage of the late scion of the Gwalior gharana, Pandit Balasaheb Poochwale.
He also had training from Ustad Hifzur Khan of the Dilli gharana. Ulhas graduated in music from the Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwa Vidyalaya much before he passed his high school examination. Later on he did his M.A. in English Literature besides his graduation in law. At a recently held HCL Series concert at the India Habitat Centre, Ulhas gave an impeccable rendering with khayals in the ragas Suddha Kalyan and Megha besides a devotional number in the raga Bhairavi.
Features of ragas
His recital was notable for his singing with a highly mellifluous voice and good awareness of the ragas' essential features.
The opening khayal in Suddha Kalyan set to the slow tempo 12-beat Ek tala ("Bolan laagee, papihara") impressed for his methodically developed variations in the alap, badhat and behelaawa features, particularly the subtle insertions of the pivotal notes of the Teevra Madhyam and the Suddha Nishadh in the descending, thereby keeping the raga's identity intact by avoiding the shades of the pentatonic ragas like Bhopali.
The madhya Teen tala composition ("Ghoongarawaa baaje mora chhoom chhananana") was laced with colourful variations inserted with good awareness towards the intricacies in rhythmic permutations.
His enunciation of the lyrical texts had utmost clarity. However, what delighted most was the deployment of his rich-toned and well cultivated vocal mannerisms and the flexibility of his voice with pleasing effects.
The two compositions in Megha set to the mid tempo Jhap tala ("Garajata ghata chhaayee") followed by a Teen tala composition ("Aieso chhayee badarwaa kaare") though briefly rendered, were well received for his singing with soothingly released vocal refrains and able handling of the raga's pentatonic format. Rendering the morning's melody of raga Bhairavi at the end of a concert is quite common in the Maharashtra region, where most of the baithek-mehfils conclude in the wee hours of early dawn. However, Ulhas's concluding his recital with the bhajan in the raga Bhaivari during late evening went quite well since the lyrics ("Bhawani Dayaani") were in praise of the Goddess Durga and the occasion the festive season of Durga Puja.
Commendable accompaniment on the harmonium by Ustad Mehmood Dholpuri and on the tabla by Mithilesh Jha further enhanced the delight of the evening's concert.
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