Sessions of delight and disappointment
MANJARI SINHA
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The Chandigarh Sangeet Sammelan brought together an eclectic mix of musicians. Some lived up to the promise, some fell short.
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MAGNIFICENT Madhup Mudgal in performance
The 29th Annual Chandigarh Sangeet Sammelan, sponsored by the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation was held recently at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chandigarh.
The three day music conference spread over two evening and one morning sessions featured Madhup Mudgal, Shanti Sharma, Manjiri Alegaonkar and young Aditya Sharma in vocal concerts and Kailash Sharma in a flute recital of Hindustani music. Kailashgave a melodious start to the prestigious event. The other attraction of the inaugural evening was the vocal recital of Shanti Sharma. Groomed initially by Sangameshwar Gudur and later by Pandit Amar Nath, the well-known disciple of Ustad Amir Khan, Shanti has created a niche for herself. Her leisurely Bihag, that bore the signature of the serene quality of her guru, set the pace for the high standard the Chandigarh Sangeet Sammelan is known for.
Rare raga
The next evening started with a vocal recital by Pune-based Manjiri Alegaonkar who belongs to the Jaipur Atrauli gharana. She opened her concert with Jaitashri, a special raga of this gharana, which is also known for the rendition of anvat or aprachalit (rare) ragas. Manjiri sang two compositions in slow and medium tempo of Teen tala, followed by a tarana in raga Shri. This was perhaps the only part of her recital that could justify her credentials as an artiste of this gharana.
Raga Kedar with "Naveli naar... " the famous bandish of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, raga Nand with "Ab to aaja re... " and raga Hameer that followed one after another, over-stretching her allotted time, had nothing to do with the Jaipur Atrauli gayaki. These ragas and the nirgun bhajans that she sang later were more of a disappointing imitation of Kumar Gandharva. Apart from the sweet voice, fluency and speed, there was not much meaning or message in what she sang.
The magnificent musician Madhup Mudgal elevated the evening with his judicious Jaijaivanti and mesmerising Malkauns. His initial "Dha Ni Re" itself established Jaijaivanti with the melodious meend descending from Madhyam to Rishabh, caressing the hidden Gandhar with utmost warmth.
He elaborated the raga from various angles through the slow composition "Maathe jade chanda.." set to slow Ek tala, before he went on to sing the famous bandish "Ye main laai sehara ... " set to Teen tala.
The profundity of Malkauns came alive in his deep and sonorous voice when he sang "Mai ri main kaise paaoon daras... ." There was also a rare composition of the late Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar invoking Lord Shiva in this popular raga.
Next came a bandish ki thumri, "Na maaro bhar pichkaari" in raga Bhairavi before he concluded his recital with a nirgun bhajan in the same raga.
He also regaled the audience with morning ragas like Ahir Bhairav, Vibhas, Bilaskhani Todi and Desi, et al, when he sang for the morning session the next day.
The Bhairavi bhajan and the "Nirankaar Niraadhaar... " which started a beat earlier than the "sam" gave not only a sense of wonder but also a beautiful finale to the Sangeet Sammelan. Shambhu Nath Bhattacharya on the tabla and Vinay Mishra on the harmonium gave him commendable support, while Savani and Arindam ably assisted him in singing.
Earlier this morning, the young and talented Aditya Sharma from Chandigarh gave an impressive account of his virtuosity in his detailed rendition of raga Ramakali with two compositions in slow Ek tala and madhya Teen tala respectively. He also sang a khayal and a tarana in raga Deshkar.
The gifted son and disciple of Arvind Sharma, former Head, Department of Music, Punjab University, Aditya has got sumptuous potential.
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