c m y k c m y k Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers of India: Regd. No. 14377/57 CONTRIBUTORS Abhay Sopori Dr. Lakshmi Sreeram Jane Harvey Kuldeep Kumar Satish C. Mehta Sitakant Mahapatra Sukanya Banerjee Vidya Rao Indian Council for Cultural Relations Hkkjrh; lkaLdfrd` lEca/k ifj”kn~ Phone: 91-11-23379309, 23379310, 23379314, 23379930 Fax: 91-11-23378639, 23378647, 23370732, 23378783, 23378830 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.iccrindia.net c m y k c m y k c m y k c m y k Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was founded on 9th April 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India. The objectives of the Council are to participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes relating to India’s external cultural relations; to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries; to promote cultural exchanges with other countries and people; to establish and develop relations with national and international organizations in the field of culture; and to take such measures as may be required to further these objectives. The ICCR is about a communion of cultures, a creative dialogue with other nations. To facilitate this interaction with world cultures, the Council strives to articulate and demonstrate the diversity and richness of the cultures of India, both in and with other countries of the world. The Council prides itself on being a pre-eminent institution engaged in cultural diplomacy and the sponsor of intellectual exchanges between India and partner countries. It is the Council’s resolve to continue to symbolize India’s great cultural and educational efflorescence in the years to come. ICCR HEAD QUARTERS President : 23378616, 23370698 Indian Cultural Centres Director General : 23378103, 23370471 & Chairs of Indian Studies Abroad : 23378638 Deputy Director General (AH) : 23370228 International Students Division I : 23370266 Deputy Director General (AJ) : 23379249 International Students Division II : 23370234 Administration : 23379639 Library/Web Site/MM/AVR : 23379384 Establishment Outgoing Cultural Delegations/ (Despatch & Maintenance) : 23378635 Empanelment : 23370254 Exhibitions : 23370226 Publications : 23370229 Finance & Accounts : 23378969 Presentation/Special Projects : 23370256 Incoming Cultural Delegations : 23378641 Conferences & Seminars : 23378742 Foreign Cultural Centres : 23370831 Festivals/Outgoing Visitors : 23370254 Regional Offices : 23370237 Distinguished Visitors Programme : 23370940 Afghan Scholarships : 23378641 c m y k c m y k c m y k c m y k c m y k Indian Contents Horizons Volume 60 No. 3 July-September 2013 Foreword 5 Satish C. Mehta Carnatic Music Ruminating the Landscape 6 Dr. Lakshmi Sreeram Editor Evoking the Nayika in Thumri 15 Subhra Mazumdar Vidya Rao Learning Indian Music in the Netherlands 22 Jane Harvey Europalia.india A Festival Link 31 Published by the Director General, The 20th Century Musical Mix 42 Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Azad Bhavan, Indraprastha Estate, Kuldeep Kumar New Delhi-110002. The opinions expressed or implied in this magazine Halftrang: Linking Bavaria and Srinagar 52 do not necessarily reflect the views Abhay Sopori or policies of the ICCR. No part of the magazine may be reproduced Choral Singing of Classical Music 64 without the prior permission of the Sukanya Banerjee Editor. Contributions for consideration may Mother, Haridwar 73 please be sent in duplicate – typed Sitakant Mahapatra in double space, with a minimum of footnotes to The Editor, Indian Solicitations 74 Horizons, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Azad Bhavan, Indraprastha Sitakant Mahapatra Estate, New Delhi-110002. The Man Had A Strange Belief 75 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.iccrindia.net Sitakant Mahapatra Art Reviews: Azad Bhavan Gallery 77 Designed and produced by M/s Aakriti, 25/403, Eastend Apartments, Mayur Vihar Phase – 1 Extension, Delhi – 110096 c m y k c m y k Editorial t is uncanny how a small trigger is enough to A more studied survey of the coming of age of classical Iunearth an entire movement. This issue based on music in its concurrent format has been traced in the multi-pronged thrusts that are now visible in the another of our essays. It is the turn-of-the-century sphere of Indian classical music was born of one such inventory of this music that is brought to the fore. impetus, the closure of the Europalia India exhibition The chamber music character of this music that had in Belgium and elsewhere. It immediately struck me become synonymous with nawabi patronage, was how Indian music, with its roots ingrained into Indian shaken to the core, when artists reinvented their music thought and living, had found immediate appreciation to suit the public platform, singing at sammelans and in the west through this four month long effort in auditoriums, radio broadcasts instead of the mehfil Belgium and elsewhere and led to the examination of in the nawab’s Mahal. The nascent resurgence of the the latest trends in Indian classical music. mehfil today also is touched upon, particularly its difference from its older forbear A talk with some practitioners of the south yielded equally rich findings. Yes, there too, the popularity of Western interest in our music has largely been a the music sabhas, in the form of a series of concerts private enterprise so far, but with the joint concept at various concert halls, big and small, across many of Indian artists from Kashmir and the Bavarian centres and metro cities, has drawn into the music Philharmonic Orchestra, this process seems to have fold an ever increasing growth in its ‘fan’ following. crossed another milestone. The inside story of this The article on it examines the highs and lows of this venture and its links with one of the oldest schools process and indicates thereby that here is a format of Sufi music in the state, makes for an interesting for classical concerts that is predicted to stay. versatility in this music. So far, most of the versatility was visible to listeners through the creativity of the Another growing tendency among the youth who performer, but now, this concert has shown that have gotten hooked to classical music as part of our music lends itself to virgin territories waiting to their explorative activities during the collegiate be discovered through innovative combinations of years, is to take classical music to the college fest western classical music, that have remained untried platform. Colleges in campuses of Delhi University, by and large, till this platform has been provided. Hyderabad and elsewhere, are no longer belting out western –Indi pop but trying to fill in that space with On the other hand, the efforts of individuals to renderings of classical bandish numbers in choral establish schools of Indian music have now matured presentations. Yes, there are taans and murkis, taranas into well-rounded institutes. Their contribution and tempo variations, all very experimental, but full towards creating an awareness of our music is of youthful energy, as the article in it, suggests. Truly invaluable. Not only have these schools been this is an indicator of our youth’s remarkable ability instrumental in propagating the art but have also to demystify classical music into something that is become perpetrators of some of its less popular for all to savour and critique. aspects. Thus there are now a sizeable number of sitar c m y k c m y k and drum players, a number of sarangi and dhrupad wherein she is not examined from the common level singers, who not only perform but also research into of a woman’s feelings but as an entity which portrays these forms, giving the traditional content a fresh the emotional components of femininity. Hence the approach. The growth of such institutions in the new-age thumri singer can reflect on the nayika in Netherlands is chosen as an apt case study of this her music from a totally different standpoint, thereby evolution. providing thumri with its latest avatar. The contribution of the female artist has been taken The arts have received their deserved coverage for granted, in the thumri genre. But the male thumri through a series of poems by Sitakant Mahapatra. The singer’s input into the style of singing it, as also the interpretation of the various shades of meaning that exhibitions at our gallery were great crowd pullers a thumri invariably offers, comes up for a close look through their varied techniques, choice of subject in the article examining the role of the nayika. This and manner of execution. From the next quarter, we anchoring of thumri numbers around the feminine hope to bring to you a coverage of our performances, aspects of the nayika is given a fresh interpretation, as well for your greater reading pleasure. Editor Subhra Mazumdar c m y k c m y k Foreword Satish C. Mehta Director General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations A growing audience for classical music in India has Another effort to link our music traditions with those thrown up several possibilities, and conjectures. This of western classical music has been through joint issue of Indian Horizons takes a look at this subtle performances in India. A notable event featuring change. From standards of presentation that relied the Bavarian Orchestra and a Sufi folk group from on mandatory guidelines, the new articulation is Srinagar, is elaborated in the issue as a representative example of it. examining different pathways, in terms of appreciation and methods of propagation of our music. A series of The turn-of-the-century performing artist and his essays penned by its practitioners and connoisseurs breakaway from school fixated classical renderings, is examines the innovative trends that are currently aptly presented in this issue. Similarly, the changes seen in this genre.