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Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

The leading light Pandit Ravi Shankar along with daughter Anoushka Shankar during an interactive session in Kolkata

Pandit Ravi Shankar visited his home city after seven long years. The centenary celebration of the Calcutta Club was the special occasion that brought Shankar to the cultural capital of India recently. The joy of the City of Joy knew no bounds. Almost all music enthusiasts desired to ‘see’ them though a few ‘saw’ an ‘ulterior motive’ behind the glamorous presence of his two world-renowned daughters this time.

Even his worst critics admit that Panditji is the original glamourboy of Indian classical music who swept the West off its feet for the first time, though several musicians had explored unfamiliar shores much earlier. He had debuted on a foreign land as a member of the ballet unit of his elder brother, the great Uday Shankar. While the refined grooming unfurled his aesthetic sense in diverse directions, the early exposures enabled him to read the psyche of the uninitiated audience like an open book.

As a young, articulate musician blessed with striking good looks, Panditji suffused showmanship in the solemn swar-sadhana, re-introduced the winsome, regal tehzeeb of the tawaifs sans their coquetry, inducted a new code of dressing up according to the mood of the raga and the occasion, and thus gelled glamour with his traditional art. A lot of planning went behind each of his recitals – both in terms of musical content(his primary concern) and visual impactHis presentations ushered in a new era that saw Indian culture as the top ranking export item.

The unrelenting 87-year-old charmer, fully understanding the pulse of the Kolkata audience, took this opportunity to showcase the combined appeal of the fetching glamour and the spry skill of the youth, and the mesmerising, mellow serenity of a seasoned Master.

Thousands turned up to get a glimpse of the Shankar family complete with his elder daughter Gitali — better known as Norah Jones — and younger daughter-disciple Anoushka Shankar. While the celebrated glamorous singer Norah (her debut album Come Away With Me bagged five Grammys in 2002) put the front row of the gallery on fire by her mere presence, Anoushka, flashing her smile and the sitar, dazzled the dais with beauty and melody.

While mere spectators were curious to ‘see’ the living legend, a great number of musicians and serious students of music were there to hear him live in concert. Such an infrequent event became a memorable one for both the spectators (who generally shy away from classical music) and the erudite listeners.

The Bharat Ratna, sporting his specially crafted small, light sitar to facilitate his — now not very cooperative — left hand, sat with his feet placed on the ground. The trepidation caused by this unfamiliar sitar and asana was laid to rest by the inimitable stroke. He joined Anoushka for a jugalbandi in Jogeshwari, his 19th raga creation. While the gatkari set to Pancham Sawari displayed dhrupad ang, the Teen tala tantalised with gayaki ang. Anoushka, evidently, opened up during the ragamalika-like dhun in Majh Khamaj. Earlier, she commenced the evening with Puria Kalyan.

“Pandit-ji’s intent was more eloquent than implementation; and even that is enough to open amazing new vistas for all musicians,” the unanimous reaction was voiced by some eminent musicologists present.

When musician and his music become synonymous, critical appreciation moulds into deep reverence.

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