Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Marked with lyricism

Sapthak’s annual music concerts brought together artistes of two different sensibilities

Photo: K. Murali Kumar

ROOTED Both performers kept to the tradition of their gharanas

The evening session commenced with the vocal recital by Aditi Kaikini Upadhya, the daughter and disciple of an erudite music scholar, teacher, composer and performer Pt. Dinkar Kaikini. Like her father, Aditi Upadhya is also known for her pedagogical abilities as she has trained many disciples. Aditi is an exponent of Agra Gharana khayal gayaki. Aditi began her recital with the vilambit khayal composition “Ab To Sun Le Papiha” in the late afternoon melody, Rag Bhimpalas. Her skilful execution of the highly stylised layakari and sargams in the Tarana set to drut teentaal in same raga Bhimpalasi was noteworthy. This was followed by a rare melody called “Bhoopavali”, a unique combinaton of the two popular ragas Bhoop and Bilaval. This Raga is a creation of Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, who has an impressive array of self composed ragas like Guna-Ranjani and Khem–Dhwani to his credit. Aditi presented Pt. Kaikini’s composition “Bichuva chamke jo hale pagva”, with a lyrical and romantic fervour, articulating the text with clarity and pausing to explain the subtleties of the ‘shringar’ content of the bandish. Normally, ghazals are not sung in a classical vocal concert. Interestingly, Aditi captured the hearts of the audience by departing from this convention when she rendered a ghazal “Hum to yu apni zindagi se mile” with a haunting sense of exquisite melancholy.

Another star performer of the evening who had raised the expectations of the connoisseurs of Hindustani classical music, was Pt. Raghunandan Panshikar, one of the senior disciples of the legendary vocalist of Athrauli – Jaipur gharana, Kishori Amonkar. Pt. Panshikar has also had a very rare opportunity of learning from Kishori Amonkar’s mother and guru, Moghubai Kurdikar who was the disciple of Ustad Alladiya Khan, the founder of Atrauli- Jaipur gharana. Pt. Panshikar commenced his recital with the invocatory vilambit khayal bandish “Mo man lagan lagi” in Raga Yaman, popularised by his guru Kishori Amonkar, which had won her the uniquely distinctive title ‘Yaman Kishori’. He impressed the audience with a masterful exposition of the nuances of the raga in his full throated, sonorous alaap , bol alap and taankari. It was evident from his gayaki that the artiste has embarked on a serious quest for his own musical style, albeit with an impeccable adherence to the authentic features of Atrauli- Jaipur vocalism. Pt Panshikar’s rendition of the lyrical drut teen taal composition “Sakhi Eri Ali Piya Bina” was enhanced by an array of scintillating taans executed with remarkable ease and clarity even in the higher octaves, revealing the brilliant vocal quality of the artiste.

Atrauli – Jaipur gharana vocalists are known for their rendition of ‘jod and anavat ragas’. Pt Panshikar fulfilled the expectations of his audience when he delineated a traditional teental bandish “Man re man re piya” in the jod raga Basant Bahar with ease and confidence. This was followed by another rare melody ‘Anand Malhar’ , a combination of Kalyan and Malhar. Panshikar presented one of the finest compositions of Kishori Amonkar in her Malhar Malika series: “Barsat Ayo Rangilo” .

The piece de resistance of the concert was the energetic and vibrant rendition of the soulful Tukaram Abhang in Marathi, “Padmanabha Narayana”. Pt. Rajendra Nakod on the tabla was at his inimitable best in the ‘Bhajan Tekha’ and Ravindra Katoti’s mellowed harmonium accompaniment enhanced the emotional appeal of the Abhang.

K.S. VAISHALI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail