Sweet showers of ragas

In a City, where all genres of music are popular, Dhrupad, one of the oldest forms of Hindustani classical music can’t be left behind.

A concert titled ‘Srijan – Creativity in the Dhrupad Tradition’ held at Alliance Francaise recently saw connoisseurs enjoying it to the hilt.

The event was grand and majestic as the students of ‘Dhrupad Sankula’, a Dhrupad institution in the City, took to the stage to fill it with light and melodious strains.

The concert was presented by ‘Sunaad’, an eclectic group, united by the love for Hindustani classical music.

Tara Kini, a classical vocalist and educationist, set the mood for the event with a meandering ‘aalaap’. Her powerful voice resounded through the closed walls.

The concert started with raag ‘Jhog’ as the students sang ‘Prathama Naada Saraswathi’.

Some of the rare ‘bandhish’ they presented were ‘Jaya Jagadambe’ in ‘Goud Sarang’, ‘Sapta Surana’ in ‘Savni’, and ‘Saavan Jhara Laayo’ in ‘Savni Barva’. The concert culminated with a fiery song, ‘Shankara Abhayankara’, in raag ‘Kirvani’. Like pristine fire, their voices spread the wings of the song in high octaves. The audience also delved into insights of the rare ‘taals’ such as ‘Rudra Taal’, ‘Brahma Taal’, ‘Maddhika Taal’, and ‘Chow Taal.’

The songs were led by Amita Sinha Mahapatra, a senior disciple of the Gundecha brothers, and a teacher at ‘Dhrupad Sankula’. Her ability to flap against long elaborate ‘aalaaps’ with deliberate melodious development and rhythmic pulse was a treat to the ear.

The flavour of each ‘raag’ was kept intact as the singers paid attention to their nuances.

If ‘raag’ ‘Jhog’ coaxed a feeling of faith among the listeners, it was ‘raag’ ‘Kirvani’ that brought in a sense of reassurance and power.

The metered and unmetered ‘aalaaps’ were in tune with the two ‘tanpuras’ melodious strains. “The concert was a peaceful experience. It brought in a sense of contemplation and gave a fair understanding of the style to a novice,” said Shubham, a visitor. The concert was followed by an interview with Ramakant Gundecha, in which he demonstrated the creative process  for the music of ‘Isha Rumi’. It is a juxtaposition of the Sanskrit shlokas of the ‘Ishopanishad’ and the Persian verses of Rumi’s Masnavi.

He spoke at length about the compositions. The light monsoon showers and an emotional concert to end the day was the perfect, aesthetic experience in the City.