The coming together of the maestros

Artistes Anup Jalota and Praveen Godkhindi recently presented an evening of 'ghazals' and 'bhajans'

Bangaloreans were treated to an evening of soothing music by maestros Anup Jalota and Praveen Godkhindi, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and the decennial celebrations of S-Vyasa Yoga University.

The concert was held at Dayanand Sagar College in the City recently.

It was the first time a Hindustani ghazal, bhajan singer and the flautist were teaming up. The accompanists included Kiran on the tabla, Padmanabh on electric drums and Varun on the keyboard. 

The concert was a blend of classical music with folk, western styles and Carnatic music.

Emphasising the need for promoting fusion, Pravin explained, “Although a lot of my music is spiritual and divine, I ensure that it reaches out to a large number of
audience which is why, I have accompanists on the keyboard and tabla. These days, it is contemporary music that the audience is looking for. Pure classical music is meant for the classes and contemporary music will strike a chord with the masses.”

Some of the ragas that were performed included hamsadwani, mishr pahadi and raagamalika— a garland of different ragas.
 
During the programme, eminent bhartanatayam dancer Bhanumanthi was also felicitated. “It’s important to remember that bharatanatyam is a spiritual art and does not have anything to do with glamour. We need to get the audience to connect with the supreme soul and it is our role to facilitate this,” she said.

The much- awaited part of the evening was the performance by Anup Jalota, which was slated for the second half, of the programme.

“It’s a new venue and I think I will be performing before a new audience. I am glad to be back in the City where I have been performing for the last 30 years,” said Anup.

And the audience was left craving for more of the mesmerising music. “I’ve always been a fan of Anup Jalota which is why I made it a point to come here, even though the venue is far away from the City. I’ve grown up listening to the ghazals and even now catch them on television. I’m hoping the concert lives up to my expectation,” said Anuradha, a member of the audience.

She added that whenever possible she attends music concerts.

“Music is much needed these days as we lead stressful lives and evenings like this help de-stress,”she explained.

Another member of the audience, Varun said, “It’s not always that I get to come for concerts by prominent figures. Although, I download a lot of the ghazals, a live performance of this sort is a different kind of experience. It was a memorable evening.”