Sitting pretty
MEENA BANERJEE
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Two concerts in baithak style brought cheer to Kolkata's listeners.
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Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, a resident of Mumbai now, was discernibly touched by the warmth of the baithak organised by his disciples and admirers recently at the compact auditorium of Manovikas Kendra in Kolkata. And it reflected in his elucidation of the ragas - throbbing with an inaudible shimmer of intent of a Dhrupad maestro who prefers emotions to virtuosity.
Raga Shankara was his first choice. Except for the three tanpuras and, of course, the pakhawaj, the veteran had no vocal or instrumental support.
The husky tonic was unsteady for a few seconds, but as his elaborate nom-tom alap progressed, he delved deep in the lower octave and stood at ati mandra Shadaj with utmost ease.
Powerful meends, a la veena, dived and bounced back, defying boundaries of octaves, with amazing alacrity, while long-stretched, deliberate glides caressed only the relevant notes and microtones.
The raga, steering clear out of its look-alikes Bhoopali or Hamsadhwani, emerged with its distinctive aura of devotion within minutes.
Apurvalal Manna joined him on the pakhawaj in the jod segment. Though varied permutations occasionally lacked accuracy of notes at faster pace, his clear diction, neat bol-baant, subtle layakari and deft handling of the tala, with its distinct gait, fashioned his Jhap tala saadra into a brilliant gem. His alap-jod in raga Bhoop was as radiant. So were the traditional compositions by Naik Baiju set to Chau tala and Shool tala, but the latter was too fast for comfort.
Original Agra flavour
Since its inception in 1962, Saptasur, founded by Vidushi Dipali Nag, is known for its devoted adherence to Kolkata's tradition of baithak with all its intimate charm.
The organisation offers a highly venerated platform for classical musicians from India and abroad.
Jainul Abedin was invited to sing at its monthly session in April. Groomed as a child scholar at the Sangeet Research Academy by none other than Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan, Abedin imbibed the uniqueness of the Agra Rangila school replete with finer nuances.
It is highly commendable that when most of his seniors and contemporaries have deviated from their original style in favour of a synthetic gayaki, he remains loyal to his gharana. Blessed with a rich, melodious voice, he cast an instant spell with the nom-tom alap and jod in Yaman Kalyan. The piety of the raga peaked whenever the serene, transient Shuddha Ma emerged after the Teevra Ma. Ustad Faiyaz Khan's favourite "Nagar Nanda", set to slow Teen tala, was decked up with some heavy gamak taans while short, crisp taans flashed through the lilting khayal in fast Ek tala. The cultivated old world charm, further enhanced by the tabla of Pandit Lakshmi Narayan Mishra and Rajendra Banerjee's supportive harmonium, was too refreshing for words. Jhinjhoti, his next choice, was steeped in romance. Delighting dialogues with the tabla during bol-baant, sath-sangat and tihais set the mood, but fast taans lacked the desired sheen. He signed off with raga Kamod.
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