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Classically simple The complex raags were presented in a simple way for the masses

This is exactly what “Sunaad”, a group of music enthusiasts want to change through their musical efforts. With their fifth show of “Raag Sarita”, “Sunaad” once again embarked on its journey to make classical music appealing to the masses.

In the past, the musical ensemble has come up with shows like “Raag Katha” – story of the raags as they evolved over 500 years, “Raag Pratha” – showcasing a different genre of dhrupad, khayal and tarana. In their latest offering “Raag Sarita”, Kumudini Katdare, had weaved all the 22 raags in a bandish (composition) as arranged in sequence according to the time of day. The composition titled “Raag Samay Chakra Malika” was directed by Tara Kini, the co-founder of Sunaad.

The show demonstrated 22 raags representing the sequence of raags as they are sung in a 24-hour cycle. To show the moods, their typical musical movement, the raags were expressed through compositions from various genres, even film songs.

Each line of the composition contained the name of the raag and represented the typical movement of the raag in question. The lyrics described the nature of each raag. “For instance, ‘Darbari Kaanoon Sambhaalat’ was meant to tell the viewers that raag Darbari represents ruling royalty. It was sung in kings’ courts and when someone like Tansen sang it, then he was singing it in the court of God,” explains Tara.

To express raag Bhoopali’s many-layered nature, the group sang “tirvat” “Tirakita dha-dha dhi-dhi na” and to enable the lay listener to relate to it, the youngest member of the ensemble, 10-year-old Nishant sang, “Is duniya mein jeena ho to sun lo meri baat” from “Gumnaam”. Young performer Gowri and Anusha sang Shankarabharanam, the Carnatic raag which as they revealed corresponds to raag Bilawal in Hindustani. The popular Rajesh Khanna starrer “Bawarchi” had the song “Bhor aa hi gaya andhiyaara” based on raag Bilawal.

It was an interesting concept and considering the fact that not all the members are trained classical singers, the effort was commendable. It was heartening to see the performers from varied age groups come together on stage to express their love for music. “It’s an interesting mix of housewives, software professionals and students. Some have just started learning like Nishant, and some have not had any training at all. We want to attract youngsters to take up this genre of music and we have already had some converts,” says Tara. Purists may scoff at the experiment but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the group does its bit to inspire.

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