65th Sawai Gandharva Music Festival Pune , 2017 : Highlights and Detailed report

This year's Sawai was one of the best in last 5-6 years .. almost all concerts were truly classic .. Sunday day long marathon Finale was an icing on the cake !
26 concerts , 38 hours , 5 days in a Chandeliers decorated grand shamiana ! Blissful experience of Classical art and Music reminding of the glorious days of "Musical jalsas" ! Thoroughly Enjoyed !
Here are the Highlights :
The young brigade proved that they are ready for the big stage. In fact , some of the veterans were a bit disappointing to put it bluntly.
My favorite concerts and artists were : ( Listed day wise, not in order of liking ! )

Day 1 : Debashish Bhattacharya with his Chaturangi guitar ( a modified slide guitar with sounds of Sitar , Sarod , guitar and Sarangi (also violins)
Madhuvanti in Dhrupad Style
As a tribute to Pt Bhimsen concluded with  बाजे रे मुरलिया बाजे

Day 2 : Kala Ramnath
Shyam Kalyan in Mewati Style
Kajri in Banaras Style and jugalbandi with Yogesh Shamsi

Day 2 : Kaushiki Chakraborty ,the darling of crowd and Queen of Patiala gharana, with her shear brilliance and all the x, y , z factors as a "performing artist", ruled over the over houseful.
Marubihag
- रतिया म्हारी बैरन भई
- रतिया किन्ही ओर बतिया बनाए
Bageshree Tarana and bandish - याद करो ध्यान धरो माता सरस्वती
Thumri - दिल की चोटों ने कभी , याद पिया की आए  

Day 3 : Samrat Pandit : true Patiala gayaki , ease of performance and confidence .. a star to look forward to in future !
Gorakh Kalyan
- तू रब साहेब ,मोद बसंत
- बिनती नहीं मने सैय्याँ
Thumri- कंकर मार जगा गयो रे यमुना का छोरा 

Day 3 : Kushal Das - Classic Maihar gharana tradition  , Dhrupad style composed and soft Sitar that touches heart.
Marwa , Yaman gat , Mishra Shivaranjani dhun 

Day 4 : Abhay Sopori - The brightest of the young brigade of classical musicians of Sawai 2017. Truly a hope for future. Confident and knowledgeable poised performance that won over connoisseurs.
Raag Bhim , Dhrupad style Alaap Jod jhala with suberb accompaniment by Ut Akram Khan on Tabla and Rishi Shankar Upadhyay on Pakhwaj
Bandish - हे नाद बेधन तुम्ही को , गुनी और गंधर्व सब गाऐ
Jugalbandi and concluding with a Kashmiri Dhun based on a Tarana of his grand father.

Day 4 : Prachee Shah-Paandya - Kathak performance that was unique and had all the x,y,z factors to keep audience engrossed. Graceful , poised and brilliant at same time. A bright star for the Jaipur Kathak Gharana. Excellent , graceful presentation that started with Ganesh Vandana and moved to various Jaipur gharana "नजाकत"  and Thumri in conclusion "शाम नहीं आये "

Day 4 : Aarti Anklikar - Took her time to warm up the throat with Rageshree , but later "Bolaavaa Vitthal" made many eyes teary ! Showed all the signs of shouldering the responsibility of  Jaipur gayaki in future !
Rageshree
- सुमिरन करत राम नाम , बिसरत बिधा , जित लियो क्रोध काम 
- Thillana of Lalgudi Jayraman 
Tappa in Kafi in Pashto taal (7 matra) composed by Dinkar Kaikini
- माधो मुकुंद मुरारी , कुञ्ज बिहारी , अखिल जगत के तुम इतरार
Thumri - आज कैसी ब्रिज में धूम मचाई
Bhajan - बोलावा विठ्ठल was poignant , passionate and pearcing that made many eyes teary !

Day 5 : Mahesh Kale - Mesmerized the overfull crowd. Presented pure classical to the National Award winning film song , self made bandishes. Won over everyone , young-old , men-women-girls-veteran connoisseurs.. even his haters were silenced. He has proved himself to be a true "Classical-Rock Star"
Shuddha Sarang
- तपन लागी रे
Soulful , passionate Self composed bandish on his mother - एरी मोरी माई कित गई
Self composed bandish on this guru Abhishekibuwa - आनंद मना हो मंगल गाओ
Tarana
Bhajan - अवघे गरजे पंढरपुर
National Award winning song- अरुणी करूणी , सूर निरागस हो

Day 5 : Padma Shankar - Carnatic Violins , the grace , poise and passion was felt by connoisseurs !
Hansdhwani - वातापि गणपति भजेऽहं
Thyagaraja rachan in Charukeshi about request to Rama
Abhang - माझे माहेर पंढरी
Thillana in Madhuvanti
Concluded with Bhajan - सौभाग्यदा लक्ष्मी बाराम्मा

Day 5 : Anand Bhate - a true torch bearer for the legacy of Pt Bhimsen Joshi and Pune .. a hope for Pune and Kirana Gharana !
Yaman Kalyan
- अवगुनन कीजिये गुणीजन
- सखी ये री आली पिया बिन
Bhajan - सौभाग्यदा लक्ष्मी बाराम्मा 

Day 5 : Ut Shujaat Khan - As usual he was brilliant , I must have attended over 10 of his concerts in last 2 years. He never brings the level of his performance below a threshold , that is very high for many of the even "veterans" to match ! His concert was one of the best of the festival and he truly is a "Classical Artist" .. Jhinjhoti and gazals and Shers. 
जो मिल गया उसे याद रख , जो नहीं मिला उसे भूल जा ..
तेरे नैनों से लागे कटार ...
मै तो पिया से नैना लगा के आई रे ..
कहाँ आके रुकने थे रास्ते ..


Here are the links : Memories of Sawai 2017 , The Sawai Fan Award Polls on the Sawai Fan Event page of Facebook

Here is the link to Fan Page of Sawai Gandharva-Bhimsen Mahotsav with all the posts and memories

Here is the complete list of detailed performances by each artist in a table form.

Sawai Gandharva who ? : The Story of Sawai Gandharva

While I await and "prepare" myself for the almost weeklong "Sawai sojorn" ( like every year ! ) starting December 13th Wednesday morning at 10am for five days till Sunday December 17th 10pm , I ponder on the evolution of the name  "Sawai Gandharva" and the history of "Sawai". 

( Sawai is a title of honor used in India, the word having its root in Sanskrit language. Sawai literally means a quarter over one (1+1/4) in strength and / or intelligence. In other words it means - one and a quarter of an average man in worth. 
 Gandharva is a name used for distinct heavenly beings in Hinduism and Buddhism; it is also a term for skilled singers in Indian classical music. )
 
Who was Sawai Gandharva ? 
There are a good many connoisseurs of Hindustani music of the younger generation who are likely to ask this question. The more knowledgeable among them pretend to know of him, rather ironically, simply as the guru of today’s musical stalwarts like Gangubai Hangal, or Bhimsen Joshi. Sawai Gandharva ,whose real name was Ramachandra Kundgolkar Saunshi,(January 19, 1886 – September 12, 1952), was a popular Hindustani Classical vocalist and Marathi stage actor of the Kirana Gharana. Also known as Rambhau ,he was the first and foremost disciple of Ut Abdul Karim Khan and was the guru of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Sawai Gandharva is most well known for popularizing the styling of the Kirana Gharana through his accomplished disciples, including Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Dr. Gangubai Hangal, Firoz Dastur, and Pt. Basavaraj Rajguru.
Sawai Gandharva was rightly acclaimed the ‘king of mehfil’. His preeminence as an actor-singer and as a classical maestro on the mehfil platform, was hailed as a double distinction. 

How Rambhau Kundgolkar came to be known as ‘Sawai Gandharva’ ?
Rambhau made his mark on the Marathi stage as an actor-singer when the great thespian, Bal Gandharva, ruled supreme. His raga-based Marathi pads(पद) had become the rage of the ‘20s, when Marathi musical drama was at the height of its popularity. His preeminence as an actor-singer and as a classical maestro on the mehfil platform, was hailed as a double distinction.
He charmed his audience by singing his Ustad's ( Khan Saheb Abdul Karim Khan) well known Thumries and Bhajans with that typically emotional fervor. He had thus popularized the “Highbrow” music through his stage -songs and cajoled his “lesser” audience into cultivating better tastes with regard to music.  It was on account of this double achievement that this actor-musician became known as Sawai Gandharva which honorific title was conferred on him by the late Dadasaheb Khaparde, the famed political leader of Berar.
And that was how Rambhau Kundgolkar came to be known as ‘Sawai Gandharva’ !

How did the Sawai Gandharva Sangit Mahotsav start ?

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi started the annual Sawai Gandharva Music Festival in Pune, in memory of his guru Sawai Gandharva, in 1953. The festival was held on a modest scale for first two decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, its popularity of "Sawai" sky-rocketed and today it is one of the most popular and largest Indian Classical Music festivals of world.
The festival is hosted by the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal (ASPM) ,an off-shoot of the Arya Sangeet Vidyalaya founded by Abdul Karim Khan ,the doyen of Kirana gharana and guru of Sawai Gandharva in 1918. The name of the festival was eventually changed by ASPM after the death of Pt Bhimsen Joshi in 2011 to Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav.

This year marks the 65th year of "Sawai" and 6th year of "Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav".


If this information interests you, here are two articles for a good read about Sawai Gandharva :

Guru Pt Sawai Gandharva

A Great Exponent of Khayal - Sawai Gandharva 

Hope to see you all at Sawai in Pune !

Raagdaari , Raag Sangit and Khyaal : Part 2 - Todi , Bhairavi and Bilaskhani Todi

One of the first raags that attracted me to Indian Classical Music was the Todi. There is something soothing in the scale of Todi. The predominant Bhaav or Ras ( भाव - रस ) of Todi is that of submission to supreme power and enlightenment attained through the path of knowledge ( ज्ञान-मार्ग )

Bhairavi on the other hand has a predominant Bhaav or Ras of pure love and devotion, submission through faith ( भक्ति -मार्ग ). This classification is generic and may have some rare exceptions through specific bandishes. Also Todi seems to be more serious than the lighter Bhairavi. Both of them have an intense spell on listener, and rarely fail to touch the innermost layer of heart and soul.

If one observes majority of bhajans and religious recitations , typically , bhajans and bandishes of "भक्ती मार्ग " are aptly set in Bhairavi while that of "ज्ञान मार्ग" are set in Todi .. and that is the perfect difference between Bhairavi and Todi !
One of the most poignant and rare raag of Indian Classical Music is called Bilaskhani Todi , which in one way is a perfect combination of Bhairavi and Todi. It is a type of Todi that has the Bhairavi raagang or is set to gait and scale of Thaat Bhairavi. Bilaskhani Todi or Bilaskhani , is a Todi that sounds like Bhairavi. Hence Bhairavi and Bilaskhani Todi are siblings in a way !

Bilaskhani is extremely difficult to sing and there is a legend behind its creation : Bilas Khan was was one of the four sons of the legendary Dhrupad singer Miyan Tansen. Tansen thought poorly about the musical abilities of Bilas Khan and had almost disowned him !
At the funeral of Tansen , grief of Bilas Khan made him sing a Todi that was filled with emotions of pathos and pain. The legend has it that the poignancy of this rendition brought life back to Tansen and his eyes flickered for a moment ! Such was the power of this rendition of Todi by Bilas Khan .. we call this BilasKhani Todi of modern days that belongs theoretically to the "Bhairavi Thaat".
To me this story of Bilas Khan and Bilaskhani Todi invariably points to one of the most celebrated song / bhavgeet in Marathi, written by Shri Shantaram Naandgaavkar ,apt music composed by Shri Ashok Patki  and sung by Pt Ajit Kadkade .. Sajal Nayan nit dhaar barasati ( सजल नयन नित धार बरसती ) .. this truly brings out the emotions of Bilas Khan and is filled with the right kind of mix of Bhairavi and Todi to bring about that pathos and poignancy .. Whenever I hear this song , the picture that comes to my mind is that of Bilas Khan singing ,sitting near the remains of Tansen !

सजल नयन नित धार बरसती
भावगंध त्या जळी मिसळती

वीणेचे स्वर अबोल झाले
गीतामधले काव्य ही सरले
मुक्या मनाचे मुकेच आठव
मूक दीपज्योतीसम जळती

चंद्र चांदणे सरले आता
निरस जाहली जीवनगाथा
त्या भेटीतील अमृतधारा
तुझ्याविना विषधारा होती

थकले पैंजण चरणही थकले
वृन्दावनीचे मोहन सरले
तुझ्या स्मृतींची फुले प्रेमले
अजुन उखाणे मला घालिती

Link to the original sound track on YouTube  ( mixed with artifact video)

A rendition of the same song by a young singer Ketan Godbole. One of my favorites on YouTube

November to Remember ..Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroh 2017

I grabbed an opportunity for a second vacation of the year in Goa with 37th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroh, Nov 3-5, 2017. Here are the links to my previous two Goa Vacations : 36th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroh 2016 Nov 4-6 and Abhisheki Mahotsav Sept 7-9 , 2017.

Some of the highlights of my current Goa visit :
1) Enjoying some splendid beaches and hamlets of North Goa - Keri , Mandre and Harmal (against South Goa beaches around Marjorda in Sept )
2) Meeting some wonderful cats of North Goa
3) Like every Goa vacation, enjoying the great hospitality, food and drinks
4) Some memorable wonderful concerts , especially the one to remember was of Ut Irshad Khan - Surbahar on Nov 4th evening.

Here is a brief report of 37th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroh , Nov 3-5 held at the beautiful campus of Kala Academy , Panjim Goa.

The Curtain raiser event titled "The future of Indian Classical Music" included discussion by Musicologists and performers Dr Chaitanya Kunte , Dr Shashank Maktedar and Dr Arwind Thatte moderated by Mukund Sangoram that went on for over two hours. The key takeaways were :
1) Indian Classical Music is moving from being process oriented Classical performances towards "Productization" due to various reasons from Marketing to Technology to demand of audience
2) Connoisseurs determine the sustainability of performing art ..hence the future audience would determine the type of music that would be called as "classical"
3) There is a trend moving towards smaller baithaks (Chotekhani maifils) or chamber music from big festivals
4) Good techniques of Teaching classical music and use of technology is going to be an essential feature in future training.
5) Due to universal appeal and purity of music , the instrumental music will be more acceptable and popular world wide the the vocal classical music , a trend that is already in vogue.

The festival was inaugurated with a concert by Pt Ulhas Kashalkar who presented raag Hemant and Basanti Kedar. The instrumental jugalbandi of Rakesh Chaurasia - flute and Jayanti Kumaresh- Saraswati veena who presented Madhuvanti and Hansdhwani concluded day 1 of festival.

Day 2 started with the morning concert of Devaki Pandit who presented
Lalat- घट ना लागी रे जागो जी जागो and जा जा रे जा रे बलमवा
Hindol - छनक गुंद भईलवा  and बन उपवन डोले मान ऋतू बसंत
Concluding the concert with Chaiti based on Kirwani - आली पिया बिन मोरा जिया तरपत 
The other notable concert of day 2 was of Pt Ajay Pohankar in the evening who presented Yaman in a very traditional form and was real music to ears.

The most memorable concert of the evening and of the festival was however the Saturday evening concert of Ut Irshad Khan who mesmerized the audience with his Surbahar .. the concert started by 8pm with Darbari Kanada alaap for 45 minutes that brought a pleasurable calmness in the auditorium. The power of three octaves of Surbahar and the dexterity of Ustad bringing out almost all 7 notes in one fret of Instrument was phenomenal ! The power of Dhrupad with Chautaal on Pakhawaj by Pratap Patil took the concert to another level, jod and jhala spreading all three octaves. Second raag chosen was Jhinjhoti that brought out the best of Instrument and Dhrupad style. The Ustad was in great mood and so was the audience who reciprocated with thunderous applause. The conclusion of the concert was with Bhairavi when the Ustad also sang "बाजू बंद खुल खुल जाय" and "सुनी पड़ी है नगरिया हमार , आओ नगरिया हमार"
This was the icing on the cake .. the concert that ended by 10pm ( which is midnight in Panjim's standard where concerts end by 8.30-9 !) , would be a memorable one for the houseful audience who were treated not just with a wonderful dessert but also a nice paan ( as the Ustad himself analogized it ! )
Here is a link to report of his previous performance at Sawai 2016

Day 3 , the final day of the festival began with the morning concert of Raghunandan Panshikar who presented Bahaduri Todi (महादेव) and Sukhiya Bilawal(हे देवी दुर्गे ), a drut bandish in Allaiyya Bilawal  (कवन बतारिया ) and bhajan "बोलावा विट्ठल"
Though he has good voice quality fitting light classical music , he lacks the aura ,temper, thoughtfulness, maturity , commanding voice, thinking and grandiose for expansive classical vocal concert, which was evident in his lack of badhats or expansion of raag. To be honest, he is good enough only for light classical, fails to impress as a classical vocalist now and again ! 

The better concert of the morning was by Ut Shujaat Khan - Sitar accompanied on Tabla by young masters Sapan Adharia and Mayank Bedekar. This was truly a classical concert to be enjoyed for full hour of Allaiyya Bilawal with some excellent fast tempo jugalbandis between Sitar and Tabla. Surprisingly , the Ustad did not sing any bandish and decided to conclude the concert in 1 hour only after one raag !

The other concert that I attended was the finale by Pt Venkatesh Kumar who along with Pt Vishwanath Kanhere on Harmonium enthralled the audience starting with Chaya Nat for around 45 minutes ( एरी गुन्दलावो रे मालनिया , झननन नन नन बाजे पायलिया ) , Kaunsi Kanada ( राजन के सरताज , काहे करत मोसे बरजोरी ) concluding with two bhajans ( नाम जपन क्यों छोड़ दिया , भज रे हनुमंतम )

Like every year , Dr Roopa Chari was exceptionally brilliant as a compere. I wish , other classical musical festivals too have good compere like her ! 
The festival concluded by 9pm on Sunday evening and the audience went home satisfied, full stomach with desserts and paan with a promise to meet next year in November..and that is the most important month for classical music fans of Panjim to remember!




Here is the facebook album link for some more snaps  : November to Remember

Raagdaari, Khyaal and Bandishes : Part 1

One of the most glaring misconception about Indian or Hindustani Classical Music stems from its nomenclature. In Indian languages, classical music is referred to as "Shastriya" (शास्त्रिय संगीत) that literally translates to "Scientific" music. There lies the root cause of the misconceptions .. a misnomer as Scientific (shastriya) instead of being called "Abhijaat" (अभिजात) that correctly translates to "Classical" in real sense. This has previously been referred to in my earlier blog post here.
One more issue is that, classical music is not for masses. The music of masses is generally rhythm based, with a catchy melody, called folk , pop or in India the typical "Bollywood" music. These types of light musical compositions may have their  root of tunes and rhythm in the classical music, but they need to be referred to as light music or popular music (pop). This fact has to be understood very clearly before any discussion on Indian or Hindustani classical music.

There is a general trend in India, of mentioning that song "xyz" from film "pqr" is based on some "abc" raag. This kind of over simplification has corrupted the beauty of classical music. A song is NEVER based on a raag. The most one can really say is that a song "xyz" is based on a tune or melody (धून ) that is used in a particular bandish of "abc" raag ... Nothing beyond that !
To further clarify , a raag has many dimensions and hence , many bandishes are composed to various melodies/tunes (धून) and rhythmic patterns (ताल) to elaborate and express that particular raag.

In this era of Whatsapp, one often finds posts of amateur fans of classical music, making lists of songs in particular raag etc... and that is fine for a student of music to recognize common musical patterns in the song and raag. It is a great way of learning music from what is known to the unknown. It does help in consolidating the key phrases of the raag that occur in the popular music and in associating to a particular named raag. 

Coming back to the point of discussion : Raagdaari is a way of elaborating and expressing a raag through Khyaal. Which in turn uses a Bandish, set in a particular tune/melody (धून) and rhythmic pattern (ताल) to express one or more of the multiple facets of a particular raag.
A raag is simply a set of rules for using the set of notes. Expression of raag is called raagdaari. Often an analogy is given for raagdaari sangit to painting on a canvas.
The frame of the canvas is like the set of rules of the particular raag. Set of Colours , brushes and their strokes are tools for elaborating that particular bandish, over the canvas of the raag. This mode of expression is called raagdaari. This live "process of painting" is enjoyed by the painter(s) and the audience.
One important reason for the "classical" ness of the Indian Classical Music is this lively interaction between audience and performers that induces spontaneous improvisations. The other critical part of raagdaari , in Khyaal form, is the poetry of the bandish used in elaborating a raag. These words of poetry set to a specific melody (धून ), rhythmic patterns, tempo and modulations of sound, go beyond the literal meaning of the words of those lyrics of bandish, conveying a philosophy/thought / image ,that makes the listener "think" (ख्याल ) and enjoy the beauty of music, often fantasizing and philosophical pondering of situations in worldly living, opening up the mind for a blissful experience to the connoisseurs. 
Hence Khyaal or Khayal gayaki of raagdaari , is intense , broader and illuminates mind of listeners through a "thought" that leaves for broader imagination and thinking , often philosophical in nature in tune with the subtle "Bhaav" or "Ras" of the raag !

Here is a related post on Khyaal/Khayal .. a poetic tweet.

Trademark raags and performing artists

In the domain of Indian Classical Music ,an artist or performer has some special raags in their repertoire. They become associated with those raags , these raags become their "trademarks" in a way. Also some raags have special significance with certain artists due to their tradition of "Gharana" training or their own style or expertise.
In the following list , I have avoided names of certain special raags either composed or sung specifically by veterans and could be labeled as "rare". They have been listed in other blog post.
 Here is the link to that post
My recommendations , a list  that I have created ( Work In Progress would continue for ever! ), based on my experiences till date, of the performances enjoyed either live or recorded. Suggestions , recommendations, additions from connoisseurs are most welcome.

Ahir Bhairav : Pt Jasraj , Ut Rashid Khan

Nat Bhairav : Pt Jasraj , Jayteerth Mevundi

Shivmat Bhairav : Pt Abhisheki , Pt CR Vyas

Lalat :  Bhimsen , Ut Nishat Khan

Bhatiyar :  Sanjeev Abhyankar

Shuddha Todi : Rajan Sajan Mishra , Pt Mallikarjun Mansur

Bilaskhani Todi :  Satyasheel Deshpande

Gujari  Todi : Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

Salag Varali Todi : Aarti Ankalikar

KomalRishab Asavari : Bhimsen

Bilawal : Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

Sarang :  Ut Bismillah Khan

Bhimpalas : Kaushiki Chakravarty

Dhani :  Jitendra Abhisheki

Multani :  Kumar Mardur , Ut Mubarak Ali Khan , Pt Vijay Koparkar

Barwa : Ut Rashid Khan , Pt Dhrub Ghosh

Marwa : Vasantrav Deshpande , Ut Amir Khan

Puriya Dhanaashree : Sanjeev Abhyankar , Ut Rashid Khan

Shree :  Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

Puriya Kalyan :  Kaushiki Chakravarty, Bhimsen

Kamod : Rajan Sajan Mishra

Chaya Nat : Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan , Venkatesh Kumar

Yaman :  Ut Rashid Khan

Yaman Kalyan : Rajan Sajan Mishra

Bhoop :   Kishori Amonkar (for sahela re)

Shuddha Kalyan : Kishori Amonkar , Bhimsen

Puriya : Pt Jasraj (Jhaptal bandish), Ut Rashid Khan

Jog :  Pt Jasraj

Jogkauns : Pt Rajan-Sajan Mishra

Sohoni : Ut Rashid Khan

Basant : Pt Jasraj

Nand :  Aarti Anklikar , Ut Amir Khan , Ut Nishat Khan

Bihaag : Ashwini Bhide Deshpande , Pt Jasraj

Maru-Bihaag : Prabha Atre

Bageshri : Ashwini Bhide Deshpande , Ut Rashid Khan

Malkauns :  Ut Bundu Khan (Sarangi) , Malini Rajurkar, Ut Dilshad Khan

Sampoorna Malkauns : Kishori Amonkar , Ulhas Kashalkar

Chandra Kauns : Vasantrav , Malini Rajurkar

Madhukauns : Sanjeev Abhyankar , Pt Jasraj

Kedar :  Pt Ajay Chakravarti ,  Purbayan Chatarjee ,

Darbari : Ut Amir Khan , Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan

Kaunsi kanada : Pt Jasraj

Abhogi Kanada : Pt Ajay Chakravarti

Miya Malhar : Pt Venkatesh Kumar , Bhimsen

Bhairavi :  Pt Ajay Chakravarty , Ut Vilayat Khan (Sitar)

Viva Goa - 2017 !

Abhisheki Mahotsav at Kala Academy of Goa on Sept 9-10th, gave me an opportunity to visit Panjim for my early "Goa vacation". Last year , I had grabbed the occasion of Kesarbai Kerkar Mahotsav to visit my favorite "Kala Academy" of Panjim , Goa.
Here is a brief report of the two day classical music festival:
The festival was a 10am to 10pm, two day event divided in four sessions comprising of around 4 artists per session. For me Day 1 was more than enough to fill in the thirst of classical music performances. Day 2 was mere a nominal attendance of which I attended only 3 of 8 performances.

Session 1
Shilpa Duble : Opened the festival with Gujri Todi vilambit "Sukhar Balri" followed by Vibhas with komal rishabh "E karo mangal sadashiv naam tero" and "Pyari Pyari batiya kar-kar mohan" concluding with a Abhisheki buwa bhajan "sagun sampanna pandharichya rayaa"

Mohan Darekar : a Abhisheki buwa disciple who now trains under Pt Rajan-Sajan Mishra, presented a wonderful Zeelaf todi  ( Abhisheki buwa specialty )  starting with "Tab se Jug samaan" and following up with "Daras bin suno laago Des". He concluded his short but sweet presentation with a Kabir bhajan "Saadho so satguru mohe bhaave"

Sonik Velingkar: a local flautist presented with Raag Parmeshwari alaap , gat in rupak and a gat in teentaal.

Jayashree Patnekar: was the top ticket of the opening session who presented her trademark Bahaduri Todi with bandishes "Mahadev" and "Raaj raho" followed by the Ramrang bandish "Aai mai tihari sharan". She concluded her presentation with a Bhairavi thumri "Kalan mori laagi re kanhyai" and a tarana that concluded the opening session.

Session 2
Dhananjay Hegde : Opened second session of the festival with a Bhimpalas "Ab to badi der" and "ja ja re apne mandirava" concluding with a marathi bhajan "Gurukrupevin naahi aatmadnyan"

Bhuvanesh Komkali: started with Puriya Dhanaashree "Bal gai jyot" and "Ajaraa din dubaa" followed up with a Nand Kedar bandish "aa de biraan" and concluding with a bhajan "Kudarat ki gati nyaari"
 
Ustad Usman Khan - Sitar was one of the top tickets of the evening session who started with an alaap in Janasammohini following up with a gat. He concluded with an alaap and dhun in Mishra Shivaranjani set to Deepchandi taal.

Aarti Ankalikar-Tikekar was the concluding artist for day one  who appropriately started with Miya Malhar as the rains and thunderstorms battered Panjim -  "Ata Ghumad aaye badariya garaj garaj barasan paar"
This was followed by Anand Malhar bandish of Kishori Amonkar "Barasat Ghan aayo" and a Taalmala in Malhar "Naadbramha Parameshwar" . The bhairavi tappa "Dilbahar aa bhi jaa" was icing on the cake and it seemed that she was just getting started when she had to conclude due to constrain of time !

Session 3
Anuja Zokarkar, a young budding singer of Agra Gharana, began the session 3 or the Day 2 of festival with a Bhupal Todi "Maangat Maangat aayo dar tore" and "Bhanak pari kaan aagam balam ki". This was followed by Mishra Kafi Tappa "E miyan janevaale" and "Chaandu Chandu Chalay mori baiyyan" . She aptly concluded with a Abhisheki buwa bhajan "Vishnumay jag"

I missed the rest of the morning session and a part of evening session that included
Sanjay Garud
Farooque Lateef- Sarangi
Raja Kale
Session 4
Vidya Deshpande - Kathak
Abhijeet Pohankar - Keyboard

The only performance of Session 4 that I could attend was that of Manjiri Asanare Kelkar who started with raag Jaitashree "Jab se piyu sapane me aaye" and "Bahut din bite ri aali". The second raag was Megh Malhar with "Badaravaa barasanat barasanko aaye". She concluded her presentation with a abhang of sant Tukaram popularized by Kishori Amonkar "Avagha to shakun , hrudayi devache chitta"

The finale was by Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia- Flute that I missed due to business meeting.

The highlights of my Goa Trip were :
- The Highly humid and uncomfortable heat of Panjim
- Thunderstorms that almost caught everyone by surprise and drenched the unprepared vacationers
- The daily sight of the huge vessle that was stuck on Miramar beach
- Beautiful beaches of South Goa
- Superb hospitality , food and drinks of Goa !

Here is a link to facebook photo-video album 

Viva Goa ! Till next year !

Sadraa (सदरा) - The link between Dhrupad and Khyaal

My first tête-à-tête with Sadaraa was when I heard Purbayan Chatterjee presenting vocal during his Sitar recital of Raag Kedar .. "जागे कौन महल में  सोया रे" (jaage kaun mahal mein soya re ). Subsequently I realized that I had heard many bandishes in Dhrupad and Khyaal style renditions , that were basically to labelled as "Sadraa". The most popular of such Sadraas is the Bhairavi by Begum Parveen Sultana "Bhavani Dayani" ( भवानी दयानी ).

Sadaraa , Sadara or Sadra (सदरा) is a form of Indian Classical Vocal genre , that connects Dhrupad style to that of Khyaal. The characteristic feature of Sadra is that, it is always composed in a  ten (10) beat cycle taal such as Jhaptaal.
A single line or sentence is repeated (similar to Dhrupad), decorated with meend , gamaks and bolbaat taans. In addition , it has decorative tools of murkis and taankaari that is typically characteristic of Khyaal genre. One important characteristic of Sadraa is that the bols or lyrics have a blend of devotion , spiritualism and deeper philosophy.

Here Pt Ajoy Chakraborty sings the Sadraa in Kedar ( starting 34.10 )
Jage kaun Mahal me soya.

The quintessential Bhavani Dayani by Begum Parveen Sultana 

Bhavani Dayani of Pt Ajoy Chakraborty


Reference
Sadra (music) on wiki

Musings - Pondering and other stuff 

Dhrupad-Khyaal Sanvaad

Khyaal (ख्याल)

Khyaal ( ख्याल ) : A poetic musical tweet

As a connoisseur of  "Khyaal" gayaki , one realizes how Khyaal represents a composite intervening of various artistic forms of India. It truly expresses in musical form , complex interpretations of poetry, melody , rhythm , philosophy and even science of sound to provide a complete entertainment to mind and soul. 95% of the Indian Classical Music or Hindustani Classical Music is in form of Khyaal , presenting the raagdari through bandishes, sadras, thumris , bhajans and gazals. Khyaal truly represents the culture and philosophy of the Indian Sub-continent and the concept of  "Sangeet" ( music , dance and poetry )

Khyaal (or Khayal, Urdu: خیال, Hindi: ख़्याल, ) is the modern genre of classical singing in North India. Its name comes from an Arabic word meaning “imagination”. It appeared more recently than dhrupad, is a more free and flexible form, and it provides greater scope for improvisation. Like all Indian classical music, khyal is modal, with a single melodic line and no harmonic parts. The modes are called raga, and each raga is a complicated framework of melodic rules.

Khyaal is a Contemplation , Musing, Imagination , a poetic expression of emotions (bhaav - ras ) through musical notes.
Dhrupad , the art (and science) of expressing through sound .. is regarded as the language of sound. It is essentially the primary basis of the classical music of India as we know it today. The development of Khyaal , the use of poetry to express in musical form , gives it a more practical and grounding characteristic. The combination of poetry with the classical basis of raag system ( as envisioned in Dhrupad) has become popular means for musical expression in Hindustani Classical Music.
A Khyaal has a thought ,a story , an intense feeling and more worldly situation to express emotions. ( bhaav / ras  as we know it in classical music ) One is stimulated to think, imagine, fantasize and experience the immense possibilities of situations and blissful experiences encompassed or described in a single sentence. The interpretations of the situation described in a khyaal is the crux, expanded and explored through musical expressions, creating a milieu that often is the "Bhaav" and "Ras" of a bandish.
I am often tempted towards comparing "Khyaal" to a modern day "Twitter" where a precise thought is expressed in 140 characters ! Bandishes could be analogous to poetic "Tweets" that describe a worldly  interpretation of a "Bhaav" / "Ras" or sometimes even a deeper philosophy through a description of situation or act , leaving us with a broader imagination and pondering !
Here are some examples :

"लट उलझी सुलझा जा बलमा" : बिहाग
"ढूंढू वारी सैयाँ" : नन्द
"कटत नाही साजन बिन" :अहीर भैरव
"मैं तो कर आई पिया संग रंगरलियाँ" : पुरिया
"देख बेक मन ललचाए" : सोहनी
"ना मानोगे तो दूंगी तोरे गाली" : मालकौंस
"झगडा करत पकड़ी मोरी बैयाँ मरोड़ी" : बागेश्री 
"साजन मोरे घर आए" : जोग
"ढूंढन जाऊं,शाम मुरारी बनवारी गिरिधारी" : पुरिया धनाश्री
 "मोरी गगर ना भरन देत" : यमन
"अब मोरी नैया पार करो तुम": तोड़ी
"जो भजे हरी को सदा सोही परम पद पावेगा" : भैरवी
"बिन देखे पड़े ना चैन" : भैरवी


This brings me to an interesting dialogue by Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan saheb recorded in 1950s while delivering his quintessential ChayaNat where he succinctly explains what Khyaal Gayaki is … Thanks to Rajan Parrikar for this ten minute edited recording. The full live concert is here.

( To translate this in English : In the beginning he says Sangeet is a very difficult thing. I am afraid of Lay and Sur ..these two are very big things.. We are all “Pujari” (worshippers) of lay and sur.. we worship lay and sur.. it is only the favor and blessings of the Almighty that it creates something special.. otherwise it is just a play with air and wind ! Explaining the Khyaal gayaki (4.35) the Ustad  drawing example of the bols of bandish “Nehvar baaje re” , “jhanana jhanana jhan jhan jhan jhananana baje” .. says, “if you see , these are simple day-to-day words , phrases or sentences, sometimes meaningless too, but when they come out of the mouth of Ustad as a bandish ,in a certain way , they really make huge sense !” )



References :

Dhrupad - Khyaal Sanvaad

How old is Indian Classical Music 

The Story of Bundu Khan

ख्याल गायकी के घराने एक दृष्टी  

Party .... Sahela re

The Party - 1984 Classic by Govind Nihalani , is one of the most realistic films. An instant classic with high caliber actors, the movie has that subtle satire , sarcasm and realism. Based on a novel by Mahesh Elkunjwar "Party" , the movie has a gripping story that revolves around the characters that are part of an evening Party hosted by a Bombay high society socialite. Truth , realism and stories of characters told in subtle realistic fashion by Director and Producer Govind Nihalani.
The actors are all veterans .. Deepa Sahi , Om Puri , Amrish Puri , Rohini Hattangadi , Manohar Singh, Naseerudin Shah , Vijaya Mehta , Soni Razdan , Mohan Bhandari , Shafi Inamdar and many more ! An ensemble of cast typical of an "Art Cinema"

One more reason that makes this movie memorable is the Kishori Amonkar khyaal in Bhoop .. "Sahela Re" used as a background score (starting around 1:16:00) .. here is the complete film.

सहेला रे , आ मिल गाये..
सप्तसुरन की भेद सुनाये
जनम-जनम को संग न भुले
अब के मिले सो बिछूड ना जाये !

चश्म - ए - बद्दूर

For me , nostalgia means watching "Chashm-e-Baddur" .. simplicity of life, its pace and the art of movie making !  Sai Paranjape , Farooq Sheikh , Dipti Naval , Rakesh Bedi ,Ravi Vasvani, Sayeed Jaffrrey !
I can never get tired of watching movies of Sai Paranjpe and her cast ..

Chashm-e-baddur simply means touchwood , बुरी नजर दूर रहे .. किसीकी नजर ना लग जाए !

कहाँ से आये बदरा.... मेघ

Raag Sarang and Raag Megh are very close to each other ... this beautiful song from "Chashm-e-baddur" is one of the classics in Raag Megh , in the voice of Yesudas and Hemanti Shukla. Lyrics by Indu Jain and music composition by Raj Kamal.
One of my favorites from the favorite movie , along with "Kali ghodi dwar khadi" ( Raag Kaafi )

कहाँ से आये बदरा, खुलता जाये कजरा
पलकों के सतरंगे दीपक, बन बैठे आँसू की झालर
मोती का अनमोलक हीरा, मिट्टी में जा फिसला
कहाँ से आये बदरा ...
नींद पिया के संग सिधारी, सपनों की सूखी फुलवारी
अमृत होठों तक आते ही, जैसे विष में बदला
कहाँ से आये बदरा ...
उतरे मेघ हिया पर छाये, निर्दय झोंके अगन बढ़ाये
बरसे हैं अँखियों से सावन, रोये , मन है पगला
कहाँ से आये बदरा ...

Sarang .. Summer Delight

Raag Sarang is a relative "unsung" raag among vocal performers in recent times. It was well in vogue 50-60 years back among veteran vocalists. The one classical Sarang we all often remember is by Ut Bismillah Khan on Shehnai , typically played during afternoon feasts for marriages and other festive occasions.
I myself too had almost forgotten this beautiful raag for some time. This raag typically misses morning concerts due to Bilawals & Todis and the evening concerts due to Bhimpalas, Dhani & Multaanis !  Also , the advent of air-conditioned auditoriums and cooled concert halls might not be inspiring and motivating the modern vocalists to sing Sarang during concerts !
One reason that made me revisit Sarang was a beautiful bandish that I happened to hear in AC room on a hot summer afternoon "Aalap" program of Akashwani Pune at 2.30pm !

विलंबित : 
तपन लागी चाहू ओर, सूरज तेज,सूखी नदिया ....

मध्यलय / द्रुत :
आवो रे आवो रे कारे बदरा, बिनती करत तोसे जल बरसाओ
तरपत फुल मुरझाए , सब बन में पशु पंछी , अकुलन तरसाए

What a perfect description of Summer in Raag Sarang , inviting Megh ! 
This is the blissful experience of Khyaal gayaki ..  A thought describing the "maahol" of a hot summer afternoon in precise manner !  It is also amazing that both the Raags, Sarang and Megh have same notes but different chalans , giving an experience of totally opposite side of "Nature's" spectrum !
Such is the power of Hindustani Classical Music !

कहीं दूर

कभी यूँहीं, जब हुईं, बोझल साँसें 
भर आई बैठे बैठे, जब यूँ ही आँखें 
तभी मचल के, प्यार से चल के
छुए कोई मुझे पर नज़र न आए, नज़र न आए

कहीं दूर जब दिन ढल जाए 
साँझ की दुल्हन बदन चुराए 
चुपके से आए
मेरे ख़यालों के आँगन में 
कोई सपनों के दीप जलाए, दीप जलाए
कहीं दूर ...

कहीं तो ये, दिल कभी, मिल नहीं पाते
कहीं से निकल आए, जनमों के नाते
घनी थी उलझन, बैरी अपना मन
अपना ही होके सहे दर्द पराये, दर्द पराये
कहीं दूर ...

दिल जाने, मेरे सारे, भेद ये गहरे
खो गए कैसे मेरे, सपने सुनहरे
ये मेरे सपने, यही तो हैं अपने
मुझसे जुदा न होंगे इनके ये साये, इनके ये साये
कहीं दूर ... 

 
 कवी : योगेश , संगीत : सलील चौधरी , फिल्म :आनंद ,स्वर : मुकेश