'Sabrang' and the Healing Touch
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NEWS & NOTES ‘Sabrang’ and the healing touch ome winter and Kolkata, at its charming best, of interests. On this occasion Saregama brought out a hosts film-art-music festivals on a grand scale, music album ‘Remembering Bimal Roy’. The nostalgic turning the city into a rendezvous for artists and strains of the immortal songs, composed by S.D. Burman Ctheir fans from all over the world. This winter was no and the like, unleashed emotion-charged memories. Dilip exception despite the world-wide recession, as Bengal Kumar Sircar of New Theatres, film-director Buddhadev is quite adept at reaching the stars within a shoe-string Dasgupta and a host of others shared their anecdotes with budget. Probably that is the secret of the State’s ‘never- the audience. say-die’ attitude! Magic of the almost extinct surbahar Yesterday once more Pandit Santosh Banerjee is perhaps the only surbahar To mark the birth centenary year of film-maker Bimal Roy player who can still extract tuneful melody out of this regal, (born on 11th July 1909) New Theatres – the birthplace almost extinct instrument. The frail old master performs of Indian cinema, supported by Satyajit Ray Films and very rarely now. Bhawanipur Sangeet Sammelani, a century Television Institute, organised an exhibition of select film old organisation of the city, presented an evening of soul- and music memorabilia at Oxford Bookstore – a cultural stirring instrumental music. Young flautist Dipankar hub at Park Street, known for its warmth and wide range Mukherjee opened the evening with Jhinjhoti. A brilliant Ustad Ali Ahmed Hussain Khan l SRUTI March 2009 NEWS & NOTES Suddha Kalyan was etched by Sahana Banerjee’s sitar alone. It has now become synonymous to a ‘healing and finally her father-guru Santosh Banerjee regaled the touch’ for those Kolkata-based classical musicians who audience with dhrupad and dhamar on the surbahar in are fighting ailments all by themselves. “Thanks to the raga-s Bagesree and Kausi Dhwani. Sabrang Trust’s arrangements, my medicines arrive by the first week of every month without fail,” said veteran Grammy Award nominee’s gratitude tabla artist Laxminarayan Misra. “Our periodical check- ups, treatment –all are well looked after by Jayati Bagchi,” Indian slide-guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya is this echoed sitar exponent Kalyani Roy, the frail, ailing disciple year’s Grammy Award nominee for his album ‘Calcutta of Ustad Vilayat Khan. Chronicles’. His Bhattacharya School of World Music presented young talents like tabla-player Pundalik Krishna This humanitarian spirit of Sabrang Music Trust was Bhagwat (Varanasi), Odissi dancer Arushi Mudgal revived by Bagchi in 2000 though she came into the (Delhi) and slide-guitarist Somranjan Chakraborty ‘Sabrang’ family by virtue of her ‘golden voice’. Munawwar (Kolkata) under one roof, Uttam Mancha. He expressed Ali Khan, son of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, offered to his gratitude to instrument-makers by honouring guitar- give her the Patiala-treasures on the day he heard her sing maker Hrishikesh Biswas and jawari expert Prashanto in a conference. She had trained with pandit-s Damodar Mandal. Mishra (Benaras) and A. Kanan (Kairana). After the untimely demise of the ustad, she continued her taalim 30 glorious years of guru-sishya parampara under the guidance of Kumar Prasad Mukherji (Agra). Bagchi’s association with such stalwarts expanded her The saga of the age-old oral tradition was retold by the extended family. ITC Sangeet Research Academy this year once again with the focus on its guru-s and their sishya-s, to celebrate its She was seriously motivated by the helping, kind nature 30 years of glorious existence. Delightfully varied hues of the legendary Bade Khan, her dada-guru, who was also and tones of different vocal schools, represented by guru- a great philanthropist. He never gave a second thought s Ulhas Kashalkar, Ajoy Chakrabarty, Arun Bhaduri and while giving to the needy, but he himself died in penury. Mashkoor Ali Khan, superbly supported by their disciples, She found most musicians, in their twilight years, heading were spread over the two-day long soiree. Veteran for a lonely, painful struggle. instrumentalist guru-s Buddhdev Dasgupta (sarod) and Manilal Nag (sitar) offered a rare jugalbandi. An annual musical tribute to Bade Ghulam, meticulously organised by Bagchi and actively supported by industrialist The coveted ITC Award (Kolkata) went to Ustad Ali Sanjay Budhia and the Maharajkumar of Burdwan P.C. Ahmed Hussain Khan, an eminent shehnai exponent Mahtab, helps raise considerable funds for the medical who carved a niche for himself despite the overwhelming aid of such musicians. For the rest, there is goodwill and presence of the late Ustad Bismillah Khan. The awardee support from aficionados. Pandit Ravi Shankar led the and his entourage presented a sparkling shehnai recital way with a cheque. Matrisangha Janakalyan Ashram offers later. Two of the Academy’s scholars Manali Bose (vocal) beds and facilities for medical checkups. The beneficiaries and Abir Hossain (sarod) gave impressive solo recitals as included some stars of the bygone era, as well as those the opening items of each day. The only guest artist was living in anonymity. The Trust takes equal care of each Anindo Chatterjee who, supported by his disciple, played member-musician under treatment. a thrilling tabla solo. The Sabrang Sangeet Sammelan, a night-long soiree at The key note running through this melodic series was the Kala Mandir featuring brilliant performers like Kushal bond between teacher and taught and of course the ‘joint- Das (sitar), Subhra Guha and Arshad Ali Khan (vocal), family’ kind of ambience. Abhijit Banerjee (rhythm ensemble) and Jaya Seal Ghosh (Bharatnatyam) reiterated its promise for another year of love and care of musicians in need. The healing touch of ‘Sabrang’ MEENA BANERJEE ‘Sabrang’, the pseudonym of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, does not identify the legendary ustad’s compositions 2 l SRUTI March 2009 NEWS & NOTES Rasikhapriya’s annual festival a winner asikhapriya’s annual festival of Carnatic music was and his sense of rhythm. Vittal Ramamurthy once conducted from 11th to 16th November 2008 at again rose to the occasion in supporting the artist Uttam Manch in Kolkata. Rasikhapriya’s Secretary with his violin. Mridanga artist K.V. Prasad and ghata RKannan took meticulous care to plan out the musical vidwan Vaikom Gopalakrishnan provided excellent week along with his team and the listeners support for the whole concert; their tani was full of experienced pure listening joy. The stage was richly inspiration. In the post-pallavi session special mention decorated with fresh blossoms of jasmines, marigolds must be made of the song Jaya jaya Sankara, jaya and roses. The ambience created and the excellent abhyankara, in raga Darbari which he sang with great acoustics gave the rasika-s an opportunity to experience feel for the sahitya and raga bhava, an immensely aesthetic bliss. satisfying experience. This was the 16th anniversary of Rasikhapriya Sumathi Narayanan’s kalpanaswara-s were commendable. featuring eminent artists of Carnatic music. The festival Her main raga Kalyani was developed carefully with was inaugurated by V. Ramasamy, CMD, National articulate sangati-s. Hema Malini played the violin with Insurance Company, and presided by K.C. Sekhar, dedication and mridangist Shyam Sunder was equally CMD, GRSE. good. The inaugural concert by veteran T.V. Sankaranarayanan Listeners eagerly awaited veteran musician R. Vedavalli’s set the tone of the whole festival, by raising it to concert on the fifth day. Both the lay audience and the lofty heights. His style of rendering raga alapana, knowledgeable savoured the traditional flavour of her kriti-s, and kalpanaswara bore the stamp of his mentor music. With her vast experience, she was a bonus to Madurai Mani Iyer, of course not without a personal the audience. Vasantha Kannan and Kallidaikurichi touch of his own. The violinist Vittal Ramamurthy and Sivakumar rendered commendable violin and mridanga mridangist Melakaveri Balaji supported the singer accompaniment. Vedavalli enlightened the audience imaginatively. with a lecture demonstration on ‘Niraval’, emphasising the importance of knowing the meaning of the sahitya. T.M. Krishna is without parallel for his powerful voice She also explained that the niraval of a kriti is distinctly T.V. Sankaranarayanan in concert different from the niraval of a raga taken up for RTP. There was a lot of audience participation in this session, which was highly educative. Bombay Jayashri’s presentation on the last day of the festival was memorable. She managed to sweep the audience off their feet with her soulful singing. Embar Kannan’s violin support was excellent. Poongulam Subramaniam played a vibrant tani avartanam. After the RTP in Kalyanavasantam, Jayashri sang many melodious numbers. Rasika-s of Kolkata look forward to more such festivals featuring such versatile artists. TAPATI CHOWDHURIE l SRUTI March 2009 l SRUTI March 2009 NEWS & NOTES Bengaluru Round Up Sangeeta Sampradaya S. Krishnamoorthy, grandson of Sangita Kalanidhi Mysore Pradarsini in Kannada Vasudevachar, also a former director of AIR, praised the flawless handwritten translation (completed in just three Ananya Foundation, which took up the responsibility years) of Udupa, and the simple and suggestive notation. He of bringing out the Kannada version of Subbarama commended both Raghavendra and Ananda Rama Udupa Dikshitar’s monumental work Sangeeta Sampradaya who have quietly been rendering help to the music fraternity. Pradarsini, (six volumes + Prathama Abhyasa) organised a Jnanapeeth awardee Dr. U.R. Ananthamoorthy, President pleasant function recently to release the collection as well of Ananya Foundation, threw light on the catholicity of as felicitate the unassuming musician, vidwan Anandarama Subbarama Dikshitar, who had notated compositions of 47 Udupa, at Seva Sadan Hall. The function started with the other composers (before the time of the Trinity) including rendering of Roopamu joochi varnam in Todi raga (from Purandaradasa.