Tuned to excellence
MANJARI SINHA
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True to its reputation, the annualVishnu Digambar Jayanti featured lesserknown and established musicians with anunerring eye for quality.
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The guru's guru
Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, born on August 18, 1872, placed Hindustani music on
course for public appreciation and brought it within reach of the non-elite.
Paluskar was born in Kurundwad, in the Bombay Presidency, present-day
Maharashtra. He lost his eyesight due to an accident but his musical talent was
nurtured thanks to the local king, who ensured he was trained by the stalwart
Balkrishnbua Ichalkaranjikar. Later he learnt Dhrupad under Pandit Chandan
Chaube. He is the first reported musician to have given a public concert, charging
a nominal fee. This was a significant change from the usual practice of giving
performances either in palaces or temples. He pioneered institutionalised music
teaching by establishing the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Lahore in 1901 and later
a branch in Bombay. He also pioneered a system of notation for Hindustani music.
His holistic approach ensured his students were aware of the Carnatic system of
Indian classical music, on which he published a book back in 1901.
His students including Omkarnath Thakur, Vinayak Rao Patwardhan, Narayan Rao
Vyas and his own son D.V. Paluskar became celebrated teachers and vocalists.
Some of India's favourite songs associated with the nationalist movement are set
to music by this doyen. These songs include his own composition of Vande
Mataram in raga Kafi, the bhajan "Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram" and his own
version of "Saare Jahan Se Achcha".
He died on August 21, 1931.
The venerated Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Sangeet Samaroh-2008, presented in four sessions of Hindustani and Carnatic classical music for three consecutive days at Kamani auditorium this past week, marked the 136th birth anniversary of the great savant of music and philanthropist who devoted his entire life with missionary zeal in service of music. Jointly organised by Gandharva Mahavidyalaya and Saraswati Samaj this annual event is eagerly looked forward to by music lovers, because along
with the established stalwarts
it also showcases young
talents turn out to be the
stars of tomorrow.
Opening with the invocatory
"Jaya Jagdish Hare" composed
by Pandit Paluskar and
presented melodiously by the
students of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya,
the festival took a
flying start with the scintillating
sitar-sarod duet by the
gifted young Kedia Brothers
from Jharkhand. Currently
under the tutelage of Pandit
Sunil Mukharjee, they are
trained in the Senia Maihar
tradition by Ustad Ali Akbar
Khan and Annapurna Devi.
Their impressive presentation
of raga Jhinjhoti this
evening was marked by strict
classicism, fidelity to pitch,
rhythm and ornamentations
of their own gharana. They
played a detailed alap- jodjhala
with remarkable execution
in the bass octave, followed
by stylish
compositions in slow and fast
Teen tala. Their mutual compatibility
also bears a perfect
blend of emotive appeal and
technical virtuosity. Rashid
Mustafa on the tabla with his
crystal clear `Na Dhin Dhin
Na' during the jhala sequence
gave them superb support.
Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar,
the senior artiste of the inaugural
evening, opened his
vibrant vocal recital with raga
Jayant Malhar, a lovely combination
of ragas Jaijaivanti
and Malhar. The bada khayal
"Barakha ritu aayi", set to
slow Ek tala saw the gradual
delineation of the monsoon
raga with the judicious blend
of its dual components. The
chhota khayal in drut Ek tala
depicted the thundering
clouds and torrential rains
with an impressive variety of
taan patterns. The khayalnuman
and tarana in raga Malkauns
next came as a comely
contrast, before he concluded
with Bhairavi. The authentic
and aesthetic blend of the
Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur
gayaki (styles of singing) were
the most captivating quality
of his vocal recital that had
the enhancing accompaniment
of Arvind Thatte on the
harmonium and Vinod Lele
on the tabla.
Myriad strengths Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar (above) and Manjusha Patil
Melodious surprise
Manjusha Patil from Pune
was a melodious surprise
Delhi's music lovers, many of
whom heard her for the first
time.
Born in Sangli, Maharashtra,
Manjusha was initially
trained under Chintubua
Mhasikar and later by Kanebua
at Ichalkaranji, hence she
totally adheres to her authentic
taleem (training). Her
Multani was pathos incarnate
in the slow emotive badhat of
the bada khayal "Rabba
mere" set to Vilambit Ek tala.
The long perch on the Tar
Shadja, and the variety of sargam
and aakar taans that followed
even during the chhota
khayal, were impressive. She
signed off with an equally delightful
Bihari Nat, a popular
raga of the Agra gharana,
hence her treatment of the
medium tempo composition
"Javoji tum jaavo" had enticing
glimpses of the rhythmic
play typical of the school.
Prasoon Chatterjee on the tabla
gave her inspiring support
while Vinay Mishra provided
harmonium accompaniment.
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
played raga Jhinjhoti on the
santoor at length. Tabla
maestro Anindo Chatterjee
gave him appropriate accompaniment.
The Sunday morning
session saw Anindo
playing a brilliant tabla duet
with his gifted son and disciple
Anuvrat, accompanied
on the sarangi by Murad Ali.
The Teen tala presentation
opened with an alap-like gait
and went on showcasing
complex rhythmic permutations
and chakkardaar tihayis
culminating in the crescendo
of drut laya (fast tempo) with
the choicest of compositions
from their rich repertoire.
Pandit Debu Chaudhury offered
his own creation Kalyani
Bilawal and a bhajan as a
tribute to Paluskar. He was
accompanied by the ace tabla
player Akram Khan.
Grand finale
The electrifying vim and
vigour of the Carnatic flute by
young Shashank Subramanyam
was followed by the
mellowed aesthetics reflecting
the lifelong tapas of the
formidable Pandit Jasraj. He
explored the microtonal regions
of Miyan Malhar to
bring out the soul of the raga.
The ponderous deliberation
of the oscillated (andolit) Komal
Gandhar and the twin
Nishads were fundamental to
the sculpting of the profound
raga in his memorable concert
that came as a befitting
finale to the festival.
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