Exploration into aesthetic content
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
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It was not a competition but a friendly dialogue that Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarthy and Sashank engaged in.
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Photo: K.N Muralidharan.
ENRICHING EXPERIENCE: Shashank (left) and Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarthy.
The jugalbandi featuring Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarthy (Hindustani vocal) and Shashank (Carnatic flute) proved a perfect meeting ground for two like-minded, sensitive musicians. At the very start of the programme the two presented for Bharat Kalachar, the pandit explained that theirs was not going to be a competitive exercise. Instead they would head for a mutually enriching dialogue geared to explore aesthetic content.
Ajoy Chakrabarthy's opening notes in raag Yaman proceeded to encompass alaap, jod and jhala, where sruti-aligned notes and soothing glides initiated an informal conversation. Vocal power was reserved for the open-throated articulation of the tarasaptak shadja and gandhar.
Amazing sadhana
The vocalist has the enviable knack of making even complex phrasing sound deceptively simple. Look deeper and you'll glimpse the amazing sadhana that has made this possible, evidenced by the seamless linking of far-spaced notes and lightning darts into intriguing permutations.
Shashank presented a brief RTP (khanda triputa, 2-kalai). Commencing with a plaintive gandhara, his long-drawn notes captured a stillness, relieved by definitive pidis. A muted tara sthayi shadja and a piercing gandhara held you in thrall, the reposeful mood maintained throughout. The tanam was nothing less than vocal in each inflection. The kalpanaswara for the pallavi wove enchanting motifs, with tisra, khanda and misra nadais playing mischievous hide and seek with the underlying chatusram.
Next, the pandit elaborated a khayal and a tarana in raag Nat Bhairav, notable for its elusive, haunting air. His inspiring demonstration of vocal play on just four chosen swaras (s, r, g, m) resulted in a continuous flow of combinations which had their source in the unerring instinct that comes from sadhana. Shashank offered the kriti `Nee Kela Dayaradha' in the corresponding Sarasangi, in which the swaras were a connoisseur's delight.
The artistes alternated with wonderful rapport in the Kafi-Kharaharapriya delineation. The vocalist drew parallels between the systems when handling a specific set of phrases, illustrating the manner in which the gamakas distinguished each style. Joglekar (harmonium), Bhattacharya (tabla) and Sathish Kumar (mridangam) interacted with enthusiasm, displaying their skills.
The one regret was the thin attendance. Perhaps Bharat Kalachar will repeat it for the benefit of students as this is one programme guaranteed to hold rasikas of all ages spellbound.
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