2018 - Yearly Review & 5 year roundup !

As the year 2018 ends , I look at previous 4-5 years of my attendance at various classical music festivals and the way the scenario is changing over years.
One definitive trend that I have realized over last few years is that of Massicalization of Classical music festivals.
The productization of Classical music is also a trend that has brought mass following but has converted classical into light-classical music.
The season of classical music in Pune and adjoining regions was typically December and January. There has been a shift to November for good. This year the concerts I attended in November were some of the best of the year !
I have become more choosy in selecting my live concerts , from few years back when I was eager to attend each and every concert over the weekends and almost all the classical musical festivals possible, I have trimmed my bucket list down to selected few. The one deletion that came this year is that of the famous Sawai Gandharva Music Festival of Pune. I gave it a miss in-spite of being free in Pune. The primary reason for this was the disappointing lineup that was filled with volume and lacked in quality. Too many concerts of 1 hour each. The second reason was the change in venue of the festival that was inconvenient to me to commute. Moreover , I have developed a kind of reluctance in attending such "massical" festivals of classical music (jalsas). Small ,indoor and high quality concerts with each artist getting 2 hrs is the kind of format that I feel comfortable and enjoyable. Though there is a different kind of charm in attending jalsa type concerts and festivals ( the likes of Sawai or 8prahar etc ) , currently I am giving them a pass. Maybe , few years later I may revisit them , but currently am quite comfortable with small concerts and recorded music !
Here are the links to blog-posts related to Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha  
2016 to 2018

2016 : 

Viva Goa 

 https://prasadbhave.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/viva-goa/ 

36th   Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha , Goa 

https://prasadbhave.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/surashree-kesarbai-kerkar-sangeet-samaroh-panjim-goa/

2017 :

37th  Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha , Goa -  November to Remember 

https://pbhave.blogspot.com/2017/11/november-to-remember-surashree-kesarbai.html

2018 :

38th  Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha , Goa  - Annual Sojourn to Goa

https://pbhave.blogspot.com/2018/11/annual-sojourn-to-goa-38th-surashree.html

A memorable November of Concerts to Remember

https://pbhave.blogspot.com/2018/11/a-memorable-november-of-concerts-to.html 

Here are links to my blog-posts related to Sawai Gandharva Music Festival from 2014 to 2018

Pilgrimage of Sawai :

https://prasadbhave.wordpress.com/2015/01/07/sawai-an-yearly-pilgrimage-of-classical-music-connoisseurs/

Who was Sawai Gandharva ? :  https://pbhave.blogspot.com/2017/12/sawai-gandharva-who-story-of-sawai.html

2014 :   https://prasadbhave.wordpress.com/2015/01/06/the-finale-sawai-report-day-4-sunday-4th-jan-2015/

2015 :  https://prasadbhave.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/the-finale-63rd-sawai-sunday-dec-13th2015/

2016 : https://prasadbhave.wordpress.com/2016/12/12/sawai-2016-the-finale/

2017 : https://pbhave.blogspot.com/2017/12/65th-sawai-gandharva-music-festival.html

2018 :  Classicalness to “Massicalness”

   https://pbhave.blogspot.com/2018/12/classicalness-vs-massicalness-story-of.html

२०१८ - सवाईत ले “सवाई”  (Marathi)

 https://pbhave.blogspot.com/2018/12/blog-post.html

My musings and takeaways from the year 2018:
1)  This year , I became a fan of Agra gayaki style that combines nom-tom with the Khayal in a very delightful fashion. The rendering by young torchbearers of Agra gharana , Bharathi Pratap and Waseem Ahemad Khan has impressed me.
2) The baithaks by Pt Arvind Parikh with various stalwarts ( available on you tube ) are something that influenced my thoughts about Indian Classical Music, in a big way.
3) Hindustani Classical Music has groomed my lifestyle over last 5 years, when I was immersed in the music all day and night. The inherent reflex of automatically tuning into the Raags of the ongoing prahar of the day is a magical phenomenon. Upon true immersion , these raags become inherent part of your daily routine and one reflexly tunes in to a raag appropriate to a prahar and mood. I experience this every now and then , routinely as I continue my daily chores ! This I think, is a thing to experience after deep immersion. Words fail to explain this phenomenon or conditioning to "Raag - Kaal Chakra" !
4) Last five years , I wished that Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan saheb , be awarded "Bharat-Ratna". I tried my best to convey this to the authorities that I could reach. If anyone deserves a Bharat Ratna , the first person in the list from the domain of Hindustani Classical Music would be Ut BGAK saheb, His life story is not just inspiring , but he is responsible for the kind of Khyaal gayaki that is being enjoyed in world today. Indian Classical music has vanished in Pakistan now and we must feel glad and obliged that Ut BGAK saheb decided to come back to India in 1949. His influence on Hindustani Classical Music and its growth is immense. We all must thank Murarjibhai Desai , for his efforts to bring Ut BGAK back to India and award him citizenship of India.  I only hope that Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan gets the "Bharat Ratna" award posthumously as soon as possible, that he truly deserves. That is my wish while concluding this year !
5) The flavor of  this year seems to be Raag Purvi  and Raag Bihag , Raag Bageshree and Raag Bahar.  Raag Jog and Raag Yaman for vocalists and Raag Jhinjhoti for instrumentalists are now kind of routine bread-butter .. "Running items"

Attending classical music concerts has been an enriching experience for me , especially in last five years. I must have attended over 300 concerts over this period for sure. Blogging about the concerts too has given me immense pleasure. Interacting with patrons and readers of blog has been an additional joy ! As I bid adieu to 2018 and prepare myself for 2019 , the only concerts/festivals of this year, that I plan to watch on TV  / attend over web are parts of Tansen Samaroha of Gwalior (Dec 25-29) and Harivallabh Samaroha on Dec 28-30th. That would surely be a wonderful way to end the year !

भवतु सर्व मङ्गलम् !


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Post Script : ( 8am , Dec 31, 2018 )

Attended both , Tansen Samaroha of Gwalior (Dec 25-29) and Harivallabh Samaroha (Dec 28-30th) via web cast and live feeds from facebook and Youtube.

Some of the artists from Tansen Samaroha who impressed were :
1) Ritesh and Rajaneesh Mishra
2) Vaishali Deshmukh ( who also presented at Harivallabh Sammelan later, same presentations of Bihag and Bhoop "Sahela re" )
3) Ram Deshpande
4) Gautam Kale - Mewati Gharana
5) Ajay Prasanna with his daughter - Bansuri
6) Ut Nishat Khan - Sitar was truly classical with his Malkauns

Some highlights of Harivallabh Sammelan :
Almost all the artists performed to their best and it was very enjoyable watching from the comfort of home on Youtube channel. I was glued to the channel all three days from 7pm till the end. Day 1 and 2 concluded by 4am ( when I switched to TV for the #BoxingDayTest matches #NZvsSL and #INDvsAUS  ).
Some of the artists who impressed me were :
1) Pta Sulochana Brahaspati and her accompanist vocal support ( her shishya )
2) Pt Vishwamohan Bhatt - Mohan veena with all the power of strings , Sitar-Veena-Sarod-Guitar
3) Mahalakshmi Shenoy - vocal , she is disciple of of Pt Vishwamohan Bhatt and in my opinion , one of the best I have heard in year 2018. Surely ,a promising young artist to watch for in future.
4) Balwant Singh Namdhari - Tilwandi gharana
5) Indrani Mukherjee 
The final day , day 3 started around 5pm and concluded by 6am !!

A wonderful way to conclude the year and classical music festival season 2018 !

The all nighter, overnight concert that started with Bahar and continued with Bageshree Bahar , Maru Bihag , Mishra Kafi, Kirwani , Sohoni , Abhogi Kanada , Shankara ,Khamaj , Maru Bihag , Vibhaas , Pilu .. and the Finale with Lalit and Bhairavi ! There could not have been a better way to conclude the year on Dec 31st morning with a vigor to take on year 2019 !

कॉपी-पेस्ट करण्यात "सवाई"

मराठी ब्लॉगपोस्ट लिहिल्या वर एक हमखास अनुभव म्हणजे लोकं "copy paste" करतात आणि सरळ निर्लज्ज पणे स्वतःची पोस्ट म्हणून खपवतात !!  काही इरसाल लोकं "sharing from web" वैगरे टाकतात पण मूळ लेखकाचे नाव किंवा नक्की कुठून copy केलं ह्या बद्दल लिहित नाहीत.
मला हा अनुभव दरवर्षी विशेषतः सवाई बद्दल च्या मराठी पोस्टस वर येतो. लोकं हमखास copy-paste करून त्यांच्या timeline / WA group वर टाकतात ! त्यांना हे कळत असतं कि ते चोरी करताहेत , पण ते स्वतः ची समजूत घालून घेतात कि "आपण हे लोकांन साठी करत आहोत" किंवा "शास्त्रीय संगीताच्या प्रचारा " साठी हे असं "चोरी" करणे व स्वतः चे नाव टाकून पुढे ढकलणे गरजेचे आहे ! असो !
मी व्यावसायिक लेखक नसल्या मुळे मी असल्या चोऱ्या ignore करायला शिकलो आहे. गेल्या वर्षी एका माणसानी तर माझी ब्लॉगपोस्ट copy-paste करून स्वतः च्या नावाने , मी admin करत असलेल्या एका फेसबुक ग्रुप आणि WA ग्रुप वर टाकली होती. शिवाय तो म्हणत होता कि त्याला ती पोस्ट एका forward मधे आली !! आता forward मधे आली तर त्याचं नाव कसं काय त्या पोस्ट च्या लेखका च्या ठिकाणी हा प्रश्न विचारून काही उपयोग नव्हता. खोटं बोलणं आणि खोट्या जगात वावरण्या साठी (virtual world of social media) , ह्या लोकांची एक वेगळीच मानसिकता तयार झालेली दिसली .. ती बदलणे शक्य नाही .. किंबहुना ती मनोविकृती ह्या लोकांना social media वर प्रसिद्ध होण्या ला , लाईक्स मिळवायला कारणीभूत असेल. असे लोकं फक्त मराठीच असतात असा माझा समज नाही ..ते इतर भाषिक हि असतील , पण मला
अनुभव हा मराठी भाषिक "फेसबुक" करांचा आला !
ह्या अश्या प्रकारच्या लोकांन मुळे बहुतेक कला , साहित्य यांचे जास्त नुकसान होत असावे. Content creators ना credit न देता जर हे लोकं बिनधास्त copy-paste करत असतील तर ह्याला चोऱ्या नाही तर काय म्हणायचे ? असो !
( पूर्वी मी ह्या असल्या लोकांना "नामू पारिट" म्हणायचो , पण ते बरोबर नाही , हि लोकं नामू सारखी निर्लज्ज असली तरी innocent निष्पाप नाहीत. ह्यांच्या वर राग येण्या पेक्षा कीव येते )

मी पुढे हि मराठीत उत्तम विनोदी लेख लिहित राहीन , सवाई बद्दल दरवर्षी पोस्ट करत राहीन ..हे लोकं दरवर्षी copy-paste करत रहातील .. पण मी पुढच्या वर्षी पासून त्यांना "असं करू नका" हे सांगून माझा वेळ वाया घालवणार नाही !   
(तो पर्यंत बहुतेक हि पोस्ट हि "सवाई" उचलेकरां कडून  copy-paste झाली असेल )

सवाईत ले "सवाई"

सवाई गंधर्व संगीत महोत्सव हा पुणेकरांच्या जिव्हाळ्याचा आणि अभिमाना चा विषय आहे. हा उत्सव जरी शास्त्रीय संगीताचा असला तरी चोखंदळ पुणेकर हक्काने अगदी भक्तिभावाने आपलं “पुणेकर” म्हणून एक कर्तव्य म्हणून हजेरी लावतो. अनेक वेळा नक्की कोण कलाकार गातोय ( अस्सल पुणेरी भाषेत ..कोकलतोय ) , काय गातोय , कुठला राग वैगरे काहीही माहित नसेल ..किंबहुना गाणे संपल्यावर हि  “हा मगाशी गाणारा कोण होता ?” असा भाबडा प्रश्न हि विचारायला काही जण कमी करत नाहीत . पण एक
नक्की, कि गाणं चांगलं झालं कि भरभरून कौतुक हे चोखंदळ पुणेकर सवाई रसिक नक्की करतात .. एक वेळ “शास्त्रीय” माहिती नसेल हि कदाचित पण गाणं चुकलं कि ह्या सवाई पुणेकरांना लगेच लक्षात येते .. आणि चांगलं झालं तर नक्कीच दाद मिळते !

सवाई हा फक्त एक उत्सवच नाही तर महोत्सव आहे .. एक जलसा .. एक जत्रा जिथे गेल्यावरच तिचा आनंद अनुभवता येतो ! तर अश्या ह्या आमच्या पुण्याच्या सवाई चे किती गावे गुण आणि किती करू कवतिके असे पुणेकरा ला होणे सहाजिक आहे ..ह्या सवाई वर रसिक कविता करतात , लेख लिहितात (तुम्ही तो वाचताय !), ओव्या ,अभंग ह्यांची हि बरसात सवाई वर होते. गेल्या काही वर्षात जरी सवाई ला एका “इवंन्ट” (Event) चं रूप आलं असलं तरी त्याचा “खाणे आणि गाणे” ह्या साठी रसिकांची पंढरी म्हणून लवाजमा अजून तरी उत्साहात गाजतोय.
सवाई च्या "कथा आणि व्यथा" एका बाजूला असल्या तरी इथले “नमुने” हे सुद्धा एक वार्षिक पर्वणी होऊन येतात ..

"रेकॉर्डर काका"
ह्यांचं काम एकच .. प्रत्येक गाणं-वाजवणं रेकॉर्ड करून मित्रांना पाठवणे .. WA ग्रुप्स , फेसबुक ग्रुप्स वर टाकणे ह्यात त्यांना आनंदच नाही तर अभिमान असतो .. एखाद्या संगीताच्या WA ग्रुप चे हे हमखास Admin असतात आणि ग्रुप मेंबर वाढवण्या साठी त्यांचे marketing - sales हि चालू असते.

सेल्फी स्टार्स
सगळीकडे सेल्फी घेण्या साठी यांचा जन्म झालेला आहे. हे आता सर्वत्र आढळतात. सवाई च्या सेल्फी स्टार्स चं वैशिष्ट्य म्हणजे त्यांच्या सेल्फी मधे मागे दुसरा सेल्फी स्टार हि दिसतो .. जाकीट हवंच !

"बर्ड वॉचर्स"
शिक्षणाचे माहेरघर असल्या मुळे पुण्यातल्या अनेक कॉलेजेस मधील तरुण ह्या वर्गात मोडतात. ह्यांची संख्या मोठी आहे आणि दिवसन दिवस वाढत आहे. सवलतीच्या दरातील पासेस मुळे युवकांची ५ दिवसाची "सोय"होत असते.. कधी-कधी गाठी जमून हि जातात हे वेगळे सांगायला नको

"खादाड"
गाण्या पेक्षा खाण्या-पिण्या कडे ह्यांचे लक्ष असते. बायकोला गाणं आवडतं म्हणून तिच्या बरोबर आलेले अनेक नवरे ह्या वर्गांत मोडतात. त्यांची सोय सवाई ला नेहमीच चांगली असते त्या मुळे ते नेहमी "सवाई fan" म्हणून वावरतात.


"संगीत "विशारद"  
यांचा मुख्य उद्देश "राग ओळखणे" व आसपास च्या लोकांना कॉमेंटरी करत रहाणे हा असतो. त्यांचा आसपास च्या लोकांना त्रास होत असावा पण त्यांना सहन केलं जातं .. ह्या विशारदा कडून प्रेरणा घेऊन पुढच्या वर्षी आसपास बसलेला एखादा किंवा एखादी पुढच्या वर्षी "विशारद" पणा करण्याचा निश्चय करते

अतृप्त "रसिक"
हे लोकं नेहमी अगदी मागे उभे असतात , उभे राहूनच रोज एक दोन मैफिली ऐकतात. ह्यांना "सवाई" तला  चहा सुद्धा चांगला वाटत नाही, गाणं तर नाहीच नाही .. "गेल्या वर्षी किंवा "भीमाण्णा" होते त्या सारखा सवाई आता राहिला नाही" हे वाक्य दर १० मिनटांनी ते येणार्या जाणार्या ला सांगायला चुकत नाहीत. त्यांच्या बरोबर आलेला एखादं ७-८ वर्षाचं पोर हि हे काम चालू ठेवतात.
असं असलं तरी हे "रसिक" दर वर्षी सवाई ला हजेरी मात्र लावता तच !

संगीत समीक्षक ( फेसबुक कृपा )
सवाईत ला सर्वात वेगाने वाढणारा वर्ग म्हणजे हा समीक्षक वर्ग. रोज फेसबुक , WA वर व अन्य सोशलमिडीया-ब्लॉग्स  वर रोज सवाई च्या मैफिली बद्दल लिहिणे हाच ह्यांचा सवाई ला येण्याचा मुख्य उद्देश. गायक वादकांनी काहीही आणि कसेही असले तरी रोज नवे-नवे मराठीतले शब्द ,रंगवून - फुलवून प्रत्येक गायक वादका ची प्रशंसा .. "सुरात न्हाऊन निघणे", "सिंहगर्जना",
"सुरांचा नाजूक आविष्कार" , "स्वरमयी उत्तुंग चिदानंद रुपी अनुभव" इत्यादी गोष्टी ह्यांना "च" लिहिता येतात. हे घरी बसून हि असे लेख लिहू शकतात (किंबहुना अनेक लेख आधीच लिहून तयार असतात ! ) .. दर रोज फेसबुक वर "likes" मिळवणे हा ह्यांचा मुख्य "सत्चिदानंद" असतो.

"पहिलट" कर किंवा करीण
बाहेरगावाहून पुण्यात फक्त सवाई साठी आलेले , पुण्यात नोकरी ला लागलेले परप्रांतीय ,"Software"- IT वाले (त्यात काही सेल्फी स्टार्स हि आले ) , रिटायर झाल्या मुळे आता तरी सवाई ला जायला हवं म्हणून येणारे , व काही पुण्यातलेच "चला एखाद दिवस संध्याकाळी जाऊन बघू तरी हा काय प्रकार आहे" म्हणून आलेले. ह्यात एक मुख्य वर्ग म्हणजे "संगीत" शिकायला सुरुवात केलेले "विद्यार्थी".. हे बहुतेक "इंजिनियर असतात आणि त्यांनी अजून ठरवलेलं नसतं कि गायक-वादक व्हायचं का फोटोग्राफर , पुढच्या वर्षी हे वेगळ्या वर्गात जागा मिळवतात !
  
"फोटोग्राफर"
हि फोटोग्राफर मंडळी फार धूर्त असतात .. गाणाऱ्यांच्या फक्त भावमुद्रांचे फोटो काढतात. जेवढ्या उड्या , हातवारे , वाकडे तिकडे चाळे वैगरे हे गायक लोकं करतील तेवढं यांना आवडतं .. विचित्र खाकरणे ,खोकला काढणे , विचित्र आवाज , किंचाळ्या  वैगरे गोष्टी ऐकण्याच्या भानगडीत मात्र हे पडत नाहीत, किंबहुना गाणं हे त्यांच्या साठी ऐकण्याची गोष्टच नाहीये .. फक्त लेन्स लावून फोटो काढत इकडे-तिकडे फिरायचे आणि नंतर त्या फोटोंचे प्रदर्शन भरवायचे , फेसबुक इन्स्टाग्राम वर अपलोड ..शिवाय ह्यांना आता जियो च्या फुकट 4G ची साथ मिळाल्या मुळे काही विचारायची सोय नाही .. फोटो बरोबर , विडीयोज आणि आता युट्यूब चॅनल हि !!

हे खरे सवाईत ले "सवाई"  लोकं आहेत ! 

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References :
PraBhaaVi ( प्रभा वि ) 
सवाई fan page

Classicalness vs Massicalness : Story of Hindustani Classical Music

 Hindustani Classical Music , which was essentially a music in the form of baithaks and mehfils with houseful attendance of 100-200 people (chamber music ) , became widespread with Musical Jalsas and Conferences that were spread over 2-3 days and had multiple artists perform day and night. People enjoyed such Jalsas and it was prestigious to perform and attend such Jalsas and Conferences , that typically occurred once a year. 

Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan , Bengal Music Conference , Tansen Mahotsav , Gunidas Sammelan and Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav were some of the prestigious and popular "Festivals". The attendance in even these festivals were to the order of few hundred to a thousand people.

With the modern electronic advances in Music and PA systems , classical music had to adopt to the change. Huge auditoriums with electronic systems made the festivals and jalsas more popular moving from "Classes" to "Masses". The Festivals , Jalsas and conferences started turning into "Events" , gathering thousands of audience. Musicians started playing to the gallery , to the masses , compromising the "Classicalness" of the music. Thus evolved the current fashion of big "Events"  where 20-30 artists playing to the gallery !  

Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav in Pune ,with tradition of over 60 years is no exception. It has now turned into "Event" attended by 20000 "people" from a traditional Jalsa like festival that boasted as mecca of classical music connoisseurs !  Connoisseurs of Classical music dislike this change. The quality of music and concert is compromised , the choice of music played is more to get applause from "masses" than the connoisseurs. The intense and subtle nuances of classical music is losing its charm in such "Events" and connoisseurs feel the loss in an amplified fashion. In an attempt to make "Classical" music "Popular" , the DNA of classical music is lost and connoisseurs are feeling the brunt ! 

The Phenomenon called "Productization of Music"

The productization of classical music has turned "baithaks and mehfils" into "Events" .. “Classicalness” of music is in the "interactive – evolving-impromptu process in the served performance" .. something similar to a service

“Massicalness”  has taken over this process and has converted the service into small products served in the "Event" ..a three minute song , some natya sangeet , some bhajan or gazal..

The irony is that , in even classical performances , it has now become a trend that many of the artists, in order to gain "popularity" among masses , perform light music like song, bhajan , natya sangeet etc to conclude a classical concert performance ! 

Some related posts and links:

Classical Music Festivals of India 

Misnomer of Indian Classical Music 

Previous blog : Musings - Pondering

 

A memorable November of concerts to remember !

The month of November always brings in a treat of Classical Music Concerts. This month however , was really special with some wonderful concerts and festivals
November 2-5 , Panji Goa - Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha
November 17th (Saturday) Evening : Pannalal Ghosh Jayanti Sangeet Mahotsav  
November 18th (Sunday)  Evening : Melange by the Rithwik foundation
November 24-25 : Mitra Mahotsav 


The weekend of 17th and 18th November , two weeks after enjoying a full fledged 3 day Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Festival in Goa , it was a weekend that brought in two festivals over two evenings of Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th November, both at Shakuntala Shetty Auditorium in Pune.

November 17th (Saturday) Evening : Pannalal Ghosh Jayanti Sangeet Mahotsav   
Pt Nishindra Kinjak - Sitar and Pt Arvind Kumar Azad-Tabla  , Purbi Thumri dhun and Yaman
Pt Parasnath- Bansuri  and Pt Aditya Kalyanpur-Tabla , Madhukauns

November 18th (Sunday)  Evening : Melange by the Rithwik foundation
Brilliant Kathak by Rutuja Soman , accompanied on Tabla by Ojas Adhiya

A presentation of Yaman by Pt Pravin Godkhindi

A performance by Rutuja Soman , Ojas Adhiya and Pravin Godkhindi together that was truly a confluence of Taal , Sur and Nrutya together .. truly an entertaining "Sangeet"

Evening proceeded with a Sitar performance by the brilliant , young torchbearer of Senia-Maihar gharana ,Purbayan Chatterjee who presented  aalap , jod jhala in Kaunsi-Kanada ( Called Kaushiki by Senia-Maihar folks). It was followed by a short Mishra Shivaranjani Dhun. He was ably accompanied by Ojas Adhiya on Tabla

The vocal performance of Raghunandan Panshikar failed the expectation one would have from someone who is trained under Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar. Either he was really ill or he has serious problem with voice. Jaijaivanti and short Anand-Malhar occupied the hour he took the stage.

The final short but sweet presentation that was impromptu and was announced only during the earlier program was by Pt Jayteerth Mewundi-Vocal and Pt Pravin Godkhindhi-Bansuri jugalgayan-vadan. They presented the famous kannada bhajan "Saubhagyada Laxmi baramma" and a Bhairavi to end the evening , weekend and the festival !


After attending "Pulotsav"(पुलोत्सव) - evening of November 23rd , filled with "GuN gaain Awadi" (गुण गाईन आवडी ) and BhaDiPa che Valli (भाडीपा चे वल्ली )  , it was time for the मित्र महोत्सव 

November 24-25 : Mitra Mahotsav
Mitra Mahotsav in Pune over the weekend of 24th and 25th November was a treat of classical music, short but sweet event over two evenings with four good quality concerts
Sat 24th Nov 5pm-10pm
Anand Bhate - Vocal
N Rajam - violins

Sun 25th Nov 5pm - 10pm
Ayaan Ali Bangash - Sarod
Kaushiki Chakravarti - Vocal

Mitra Mahotsav 2018 kicked off with Puriya Dhanaashree by Anand Bhate .. सुमिरो तेरो नाम ..continued with .. पायलिया झन काये , a "non Kirana" style tappa and tarana from his earlier guru was followed by a "non Kirana" style thumri of Uts Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan in mishra Kafi.. मोरे नैन लंगर बरसात ... Anand Bhate concluded with तीर्थ विठ्ठल ...

Pta N Rajam with her singing violin had the concluding session of Day 1 .. Bageshree Kanada , Jhinjhoti , Vaishnav dhun and Bhairavi..

Day 2 evening began with a soft but piercing aalap in Lalita-Gauri by Ayaan Ali Bangash - Sarod, in tune with the evening-twilight mood. The jod and jhala was spoiled by his tabalji with loud and fast tempo-ed bangs !
The concert continued with Jhinjhoti, Gaud Malhar,concluding with a Kirwani dhun.

A blissful experience of Mitra Mahotsav was offered in the finale by Kaushiki Chakravarty ... expansive Khyaal in raag Jog , with alaap, beautiful traditional vilambit bandish , tarana, sargam taans and priceless drut bandish "नन्द जोगन लगी नाम संजोग "
A traditional bandish ki thumri in Bihag was the icing on cake ! A true offering of Patiala gayaki with rich "Bhaav and ras" accompanied with powerful "Sahitya". Kaushiki is a beauty from within out and is undoubtedly the darling of crowd. She responded to the "farmaishes" of the crowd , that was mostly light classical.. I did not wait for that final half hour and proceeded with lingering melodies of Jog and Bihag !

Here is a link to the photo album with pictures and some good clips.

Annual sojourn to Goa - 38th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha

Annual visit to Goa for Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Mahotsav , in the first week of November, truly marked the beginning of festive season. Feast of classical music on Nov 2-3-4 was the beginning of the week that resulted into Diwali celebration Nov 5-6-7-8 .. food trails and leisurely walks along the beaches of Goa , visit to forts and also a night at casinos !

The 38th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Festival began with a curtain raiser titled "Indian Classical Music and its Aesthetics". This was one of the best interactive session and curtain raiser event in last 4-5 years of festival. The key takeaways were :
1) Virah ras is a dominant ras in ICM
2) "Nayika" is the key player in a Bandish
3) Most bandishes are "Female oriented" ( स्त्रीवादी ) and explore the mind of the "nayika" , though the bandishes are written mostly by males!
4) The general "bhaav" of a thumri is common .. mostly romantic
5) The ultimate goal of Sangit or ICM is Anand (आनंद ) , achieve Bramhanand ( ब्रह्मानंद ), Kaivalyanand ( कैवाल्यानंद )
6) Creativity in ICM is most important , it goes through four stages generally : Copying the guru- Imitation , Inspiration , Imbibation and then creation

The main festival was in 5 session over three days. The first session was on Friday , Nov 2nd evening Arshad Ali Khan of Kirana , vocals kicked off with Puriya Kalyan and was followed by Pt Satish Vyas, santoor with Chandrakauns closing the evening.

Day 2 - Morning session
After the local artist Veena Mopkar's efforts at Lalat Pancham came the priced concert of Dr Arun Dravid , the first and foremost disciple of Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar, who presented Devgiri Bilawal and Khat - a Jaipur speciality.

Pt Vishwanath Kanhere with his singing harmonium entertained the connoisseurs with Bilaskhani Todi , Hindol-Bahar and a Sarang dhun to close the morning session 

Day 2 - Evening session 

Bharathi Pratap of Agra gharana started with Dhanaashree where her previous training in Carnatic style was apparent. She enthralled the audience with her spell binding Purvi alap and Nom-Tom, a trademark of Agra ! She concluded with a Tarana

 

Dhanashree Pandit Rai was next with her bouquet of Thumris.

Pt Arnab Chatterjee of Kirana started with Shree and concluded with Hansdhwani. A strong Patiala influence of sargam ( or may be Bengal influence) was apparent inspite of Kirana training.

The Final presentation of the evening was by Pt Kushal Das whose Sitar sang like a vocalist. The perfect soft accompaniment by Ut Mohd Akram Khan was icing on the cake. Bageshree alaap , Jod and Jhala concluded the evening.

Day 3 - Morning Session

The Sunday morning starter of the day was by Shobha Chaudhary who presented Nat-Bhairav , Bilaskhani Todi bhajan and Mishra Khambavati Thumri.

Anuradha Kuber of Bhendi Bazar gharana was delight of the morning, who presented crisp Bhupaal Todi and Vrundavani Sarang.

Sarangiya Ut Moinuddin Khan with accompaniment of Ut Mohd Akram Khan on Tabla was a concert that made the Sunday morning worthwhile on the banks of Mandovi. They presented Nat-Bhairav and concluded with Bhairavi that brought a kind of serenity.

Day 3-  Evening session 
After the opening concert effort by a local artist  ( that was worth a miss and should have been dropped to give more time to senior artists that were to follow ), came a young and promising Agra torchbearer , Waseem Ahemad Khan who presented the trademark Purvi alap and Nom-Tom , a madhyalay bandish "Paar Karo naiyya mori"(पार करो नैय्या मोरी ) and a rare Agra bandish "Mathura na Jayyo" (मथुरा न जैय्यो). With the applause of audience came an impromptu Barwa , an authentic Agra style presentation.

The final vocal concert of the festival was by Pt Kedar Bodas of Gwalior and Bhendi Bazar gharana,  who presented Bhoop-Kalyan , a tarana and a tappa in Khamaj.

I did not wait for the final concert of the festival, Instrumental Jugalbandi by Pt Kumar Bose and Vidwan Thiruvaarur Bakthavatsalam.

My observation about Surashree Kesarbai Festival over last 5 years is that it is a festival that brings together top class artists and concerts from diverse spread of gharanas. Also , the arrangements for audience and auditorium is excellent and world class. However , the quality of local audience and also their numbers is abysmally low.
The best part of the festival, as I mention every year, is the brilliant compere , Dr Roopa Chari. Her command over languages and rich store of words and philosophical anecdotes keeps the festival lively for all three days!
Looking forward to the 39th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroh in November 2019 !
 Adieu ! Viva Goa ! 

Here are the links to various related clicks and clips :

38th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha-2018  - clicks and clips

Curtain raiser event : A Symposium "Indian Classical Music and its Aesthetics"

Beautiful Goa - 2018

37th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha - Album of year 2017 

36th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroah Album of 2016

Previous Blogposts of year 2017 and Blogpost of year 2016     

Pt Jitendra Abhisheki Festival Sept 2017 and misc photos

Viva Goa 

Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary 

Goa - Miramar, Panji, Don Paula 2016

Jamaica Farewell - नको वळून बघू माघारी

There are some songs that take ones mind away , overpowering and occupying ones mind and soul for many a days ; their catchy tune , their rhythms , their lyrics  all together stay with you forever in a corner of your heart !
The two songs , one in English and other in Marathi, have done so for me instantly , as soon as I heard them the first time. Curiously, the theme of these song tend to highlight the situation from two sides in a poignant way. There seems to be some relation between these two songs .. the simplicity of melody , rhythm and lyrics. These two songs , though in different language , some how bring the story to a full circle !

 नको वळुन बघू माघारी
जा रे खुशाल दर्यावरी

तुझ्या नि माझ्या प्रीतिची रे संगती
घेऊन शिदोरी आठवणींची

तुझी लाडकी उनाड होडी
बघुन समिंदर होइल वेडी
आणि तयाला कवळायाला सारखी घेइल उडी
त्या क्षणी याद तुला येऊन माझी जाशिल कळवळुनी

नाही सोबती तुझ्या संगती
एकटाच तू दर्यावरती
बघुन तुला रे येतिल वरती रत्‍नं सुंदर किती
त्यामधे नाही तुझी राणी, पाहुनी होशिल खिन्‍न मनी

कशी खुळी ती आभाळातुनी
नक्षत्रं ही तुला हेरूनी
डोळे मोडुनि नाचुनी चमकुनी
येतिल खाली जरी रे
आठवेल रे झोपडीतली मिणमिणती चांदणी
--------
गीत : मो. ग. रांगणेकर
संगीत : केशवराव भोळे
स्वर : ज्योत्स्ना भोळे
----------

Jamaica Fairwell
by Harry Belafonte

Down the way where the nights are gay
And the sun shines daily on the mountain top
I took a trip on a sailing ship
And when I reached Jamaica I made a stop

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town

Down the market you can hear
Ladies cry out while on their heads they bear
'Akey' rice, salt fish are nice
And the rum is fine any time of year

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town

Sounds of laughter everywhere
And the dancing girls sway to and fro
I must declare my heart is there
Though I've been from Maine to Mexico

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town
--------------------------------------------------------------

I had been listening to both these songs since quite long. They are from old times ... 1950s-60s or so... but seem so fresh all the time. The link between these two songs occurred to me suddenly after watching a web series "Shatjanm Shodhatana" , where a part of Marathi song was rendered by young singers with a slight variation to original music.

These songs are classics ... beyond words to describe their beauty.  One can truly find joy , happiness and bliss in the simplicity of their melody , rhythm , lyrics and rendering !

When I am gone - The "Cup Song"

The simplicity of Rhythm and the lyrics of the song "When I am Gone" by Pitch Perfect performed by Anna Kendrick caught my attention and I became an instant fan. Though bit late to appreciate this 2013 hit , the catchy rhythm has overpowered me, to the extent that I try to fit in all my favorite songs into this rhythm !

I was lead to this "Cup Song" after watching one of the web series in Marathi called "BhaDiPa" where the  internet viral gal and "cutie marathi" Mithila Palkar did her version of marathi song "Hi Chal turu turu" based on the same "Cup Rhythm". I have been a fan of this rhythm since then , trying to watch every performance on youtube that is related to this "Cup Rhythm" ( and there are many thousand ! )

Here is some history :

The original song "When I'm Gone" was written and recorded in 1931 by the Carter Family folk music group.
In 2009, Lulu and the Lampshades were the first to perform the song using the cup game for percussion.
Then Anna Burden made her own version, from which Anna Kendrick learned the routine.
Anna Kendric video has been the most viral since 2013, and people around the globe have tried their own version of the song and other songs using the same "Cup Rhythm"

Here are the lyrics of the song "Cups (Pitch Perfect's "When I'm Gone")

I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
Two bottle whiskey for the way
And I sure would like some sweet company
And I'm leaving tomorrow. What'd you say?

When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my hair
You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my walk
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
The one with the prettiest of views
It's got mountains, it's got rivers
It's got sights to give you shivers
But it sure would be prettier with you

When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my walk
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my hair
You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh
You're sure gonna miss me when I'm gone

When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my walk
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
 -------------------

Here are some of my favorite renditions of "Cup Song" from youtube.
"Marathi Anna Hendrick" Mithila Palkar's "Chaal Turu-Turu"

Other group performances that really bring out the joy and catchy rhythm of the "Cup Song"

One of best and easiest way to learn the "Cup Rhythm" of "Cup Song"

ENJOY and HAVE FUN

Raag Jog .. the crux of Khayal

Raag Jog is a favorite among all performing artists , vocalists and Instrumentalists, across various gharanas including Dhrupadiyas. Connoisseurs of music along with general music lovers seem to like the tunes and melodies composed in raag Jog fairly commonly. Jog , therefore pervades across various genres of music ; classical , light -classical , film music to Dhrupad.

Raag Jog , may have initially meant Yog or union , when it was created and envisioned. The one reasoning to it could be that it is a classic mix of Khamaj and Kafi. A pentatonic tune attributed to Kafi thaat in Bhatkande's classification.
The credit for Raag Jog is attributed to Haji Sujan Khan ( Sujan Singh of Akbar Darbar ). This raag is a speciality of Agra Gharana but is in vogue and popularity with almost all gharanas including the Dhrupadiyas, vocalists and instrumentalists alike.
It provides a perfect "union" of entertainment and philosophy , a union of two raags (khamaj and kafi) , that are supposed to be part of semi-classical or light classical music, to produce a brilliant pentatonic serious but pleasant , soulful and meditative melody of Jog.
I could list many of my favorites in Jog but have limited to few for sake of brevity.


Pandit Jasraj and Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia Jog

The famous and popular bhajan by Pt Jasraj

The classic "Daraspiya" bandish in vilambit "Peeharava ko biramaye"(पिहरवा को बिरमाये ) and the drut jod bandish , a creation by Ut Fayyaj Khan "Sajan More Ghar aye" ( साजन मोरे घर आए ) , that was  created to welcome his son in law on wedding day !

Here is Ut Rashid Khan with the "classic" khayal in Raag Jog.

Kaushiki Chakravarty , raag Jog :

The final instrumental rendition of Jog is the one I like and admire the most. Ut Sultan Khan with his two shagirds ,. in Pune, 2011.

Ustadji explains how Instrumentalists play "Khayal" bandishes in their renditions , just like vocalists. I like this point because  I have been observing that more and more instrumentalists (younger) have been playing much of Jazz like or Fusion type of music on Indian string instruments like Sarod and Sitar. They somehow lack that "Khayal" sense ( may be due to lack of training in traditional khayal bandishes )
An instrumentalist when performing "Khayal" bandishes, somehow touches soul of connoisseur deeper than pure tunes or gats.  Vocal style instrumental performances ( gayaki ang) sound more classical than the fusion type / Jazz type rendering of instrumental music, because these renditions have a "thought" behind them (Khayal), through bandishes rooted in vocal music.
 An instrumentalist performing a bandish is more attractive, sometimes more than the vocalist playing the same bandish ! ( may be due to non-interference of "words" and their pronunciations !!)

To me , raag Jog represents perfectly, what a Khayal is supposed to be ... A perfect blend of raags (Khamaj and Kafi ) that creates a "bhaav and ras" conducive to meditative , soulful and entertaining tunes ... it fits well to the definition of a raag as described in scriptures and literature .. रञ्जयति इति रागः .. an entertainment to mind and soul !


Here are some more posts related to Khyaal / Khayal / Raagdari sangeet

Khyaal - A poetic musical tweet !

Raagdaari -Khyaal and Bandishes : Part 1

Raagdaari - Raag sangit and Khyaal : Part 2 





  

Lost in Transliteration .. मन तू पार उतर कहाँ जाई हो

At the outset , let me confess my bias that "translations" of classic literature from one language to other NEVER works right. Infact , it invariably misinterprets the true meaning , nuances and interpretation that is envisioned in its native language (barring some rare exceptions )
There are numerous examples of this and I always tend to ignore such "translations". There is a big business of this "Translation of books into other languages" , more so in Marathi, where good Marathi writers have ventured and dared to translate classic literature from other languages into Marathi ( more so for commercial reason than the real need )
Similar attempts of translating classic Marathi literature into other languages (particularly English) have seemed childish play of words that have lost all the nuances and meaning during translation. (The classic example being the translations of the work of popular Marathi writers like Pu La Deshpande )
I came across Marathi translations ( better be called Transliterations ) of selected works of Kabir, Mira and other "Hindi belt" saints by a famous Marathi poet (Late) Mangesh Padgaokar.
Though this poet is popular in Marathi and has created some of the best poetry in modern Marathi literature , he totally fails in capturing nuances of works in Hindi by great saints, into Marathi. Infact , to be candid , such work looks like the hilarious "tranliteration" that one comes across during "literal" word to word translations by "Google" !!

I am not trying to criticize the late poet , but the following example clearly shows how the meaning is lost in "Tranliterations", when a poet simply uses the same word ( Utar jaiyyo here ) to translate from Hindi to Marathi, without caring for the hidden philosophy or the understanding that the same word has drastically different connotation and meaning in two languages.
In Marathi translation of "मन तू पार उतर कहाँ जाई हो" , the poet Late Mangesh Padgaokar has used the literal translation of "उतर जाई हो" to "उतरुनी जाशी" ... this totally disrupts the true meaning by Kabir (and distorts the idea behind original phrase) !
What Kabir implies in saying "Paar utar jaana" ( पार उतर जाना), is crossing the worldly pleasures towards enlightenment, more of positive connotation . The word phrase and verb "Utaruni jaashi" ( उतरुनी जाशी ) has a totally different connotation in Marathi language. It tends to mean "spoiled" , e.g आंबा उतरून गेला ( the mango got over riped and spoiled ) .. एखादा माणूस मनातून उतरून गेला ( losing credibility of some one in one's mind )
This loss in translation was more evident when the said Kabir lines "मन तू पार उतर कहाँ जाई हो" were sung by a singer along with the Marathi translation. The connotation and meaning got lost instantly ! Here is the link
 

 I realize such losses in translations in more pronounced fashion and with bigger amplification because of my education in multi-lingual environment of Kendriya Vidyalay , where I was fortunate to learn top A grade Hindi literature along with English during schooling. With Marathi as mother tongue spoken at home, brought up in culturally rich Pune, I was fortunate to grasp the best of Marathi literature.
The intention of this post is not to single out and criticize a particular poet , but to bring forth how "literal translations" spoil the "classicalness" of a brilliant creation !