Sunday, June 24, 2007

MORNING OF MUSIC

Now I have to give some background here..I come from a family which knows how to appreciate music. My dad was very much a part of "Beatlemania" in his day and remembers the lyrics to most of their songs even today. My mother predictably likes Mohammad Rafi and Jagjit Singh and old Hindi film music. And both of them like Hindustani and Carnatic classical music and are regulars at various concerts in Mumbai. And given all of this, I'm the kind of person to who can have Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pt.Bhimsen Joshi and Bunty and Babli on the same play list(sorry but I cant stand the likes of Britney Spears!!) and enjoy them all.

But to be honest I have heard all these at home...and have witnessed only rock concerts, live!(I think I once saw a Jagjit Singh program as well)..

OKAY..NOTE....I said I enjoy all this music...but my knowledge concerning them is close to zilch..So if any facts in the following post are erroneous then I apologize profusely and welcome any corrections..

My parents happened to be going for a concert by Padma Vibhushan Gaanasaraswati Smt.Kishori Amonkar, on 24th June,Sunday at 9.00 am, at Nehru Center(Worli).The show was principally a Charity Concert, organized by the 'Bade Gulam Ali Yadgaar Sabha'.

I have heard a few of her songs before..She is basically a Hindustani classical performer who sings khyal in the Jaipur gharana style. She is currently 76 years of age and is most famous for her brilliant rendition of "baabul moraa".



We awoke in the morning to lashing rain, with grim forecasts on the news for the day ahead. After debating for a while, we decided to go ahead and reach the concert. The roads were not a good sight! It had only been pouring a few hours, but the roads were flooded with water that submerged the car tyres. Slowly, cautiously, weaving our way through fallen trees and flooded roads, with rain only giving us intermittent respite.

When we reached Nehru Center her popularity was reiterated, because the place was teeming with expectant music lovers. We had to reach the conclusion that 'Whether rain or shine Kishori Tai's(an affectionate term for older sister) program cannot be compromised'. Her music seemed to transcend all barriers of age, race, sex and time. Audiences old and young, from different classes of society-right from the 'air kissing' high society ladies to the simple middle class music enthusiasts, waited patiently as the show was delayed by almost an hour.

The rising curtain had a dramatic stillness about it.The compare introduced her and opened the show saying
"Aaj meri prarthna kuch aisi thi,
Aae baarish thodi der ke liye tham ja,
Ki Kishoriji yahan aa sake;
Aek baar woh yahan, aae aise barasna,
Ki woh hame chod ke jaa na saake!"

Kishori tai tuned up her 'swaramandali' and the 'tanpuras'.She seemed to have some trouble with her throat in the first 15 mins, but once her voice opened up, it was like a downpour of melody. Her voice filled up the auditorium like the sound of bells in a temple.The first half was dedicated to a composition called 'Mahadeo' in what i think was the Raag Bhairavi. She gradually built up the registers with amazing variations and aalap sung relentlessly for an hour and then completed the composition in the next half an hour. Ashwini Bedekar, one of the accompanists at the tanpura, supported her in this composition. I apologize as I didn't catch the name of her accompanying artists at the tabla and the harmonium.

Following a ten minute break.The organizers called upon Nana Patekar, who was a part of the audience to felicitate all the artistes with bouquets. He praised her saying "Sur hamare kaan mein atak gaye lekin tere gale mein bas gaye isiliye tu yahan aur hum wahan baithe hai!" She then spoke a few words in Marathi, through which she gave a heartfelt message, the gist of which she summarized herself in english, her last statement being "Children come back to the sublimity of classical music!".

The second composition was a beautiful rendering of "Devebhyo", followed by "Pavan Batariya" which I'm quite sure was in Raag Alaiya Bilaval. Here her other disciple at the tanpura was supporting her, a young girl with a lovely voice. On further inquiry she turned out to be Tejashree Amonkar, Kisohiriji's Grand daughter, genetically blessed with a beautiful voice and polished under the tutelage of her illustrious grandmother. She obviously doesn't hold candle to Kishori Tai yet, but I personally feel that classical music lovers should look out for her in the coming years.

Finally she sang "Ghat Ghat Mein Panchee Bolta" a doha by Sant Kabeer. This was the part of the performance that i most enjoyed. A noteworthy feature of her rendition was that she gave full play to both antaraa's, ending with a very evocative recital of all the lines strung together. A great finale to a memorable morning!

I hummed all the way back home in considerably reduced rainfall and rather clear roads. I cant remember when i last enjoyed a morning more!

18 comments:

curryegg said...

I love music too and Britney Spears as well.
Honestly, I listen to any music but I'm more to light and easy songs... hehe...

And I hear Indian songs too. But I don't know what they mean.. ;D

THanks for visiting my blogs. Happy blogging!
:D

Sneha P said...

@curryegg: Indian music...even if u dont understand it the melody is good to hear... :)
thanks for visiting my blog...

Anonymous said...

I must acknowledge..A TRUE INDIAN post...when all the posts are filling itself with emotions..life..politics..sarcastic stuff...computer stuff..non-computer stuff..

u truly made this a fresh morning thin..a crowd apart work..kudos to tai.. n kudos to u..who can bring such a sweet happening to life..

I really feel kinda strange how the very true essence of Indian music is going wary..but m really happy to know that some of us do take effort to bring them to life..

really felt great after reading ur post..a humble bow to u..thanx a bunch
long live music...long live India..:)

Sneha P said...

@dream catcher:
hey..thanks to u for reading..
at least there are more of us in this generation of obsolete attention spans who appreciate these art forms...and can keep them from dying out entirely....
and definitely...long live music and India!!

Unknown said...

Hey dis was a gr8 post....rather long but it kept me hooked.I dont exactly understand music...but melody is wt we all look for,,,,melody to our ears,,,n melody in life, right?
And i bet nothing could have made d morning better!
Thanks for d comments on my post.

Enemy of the Republic said...

I need to know about that tattoo. I have 3 friends who have one that is very similar. Was the art work custom made?


I enjoy Indian music--my dad introduced it to me, as it was not popular in the States. But now with rock and roll getting so boring, musicians are looking to Indian and Rai music to make interesting sounds. I will share this post with some friends of mine if that is okay.

Sneha P said...

@ akanksha: thanks for sticking on..i know it was a lil too long...but i couldn't sop myself from writing a few things...and in the end even what i said seems less...
because really...I dont understand music either...but i feels that our generation of people are letting our rich and sublime classical music die out....
hey...ur blog is really.. interesting...i wish i could write
as frankly as u do...
Actually wishing melody of life to u!! [:)]
cheers!

@Cruel Virgin:hey...thanks for visiting my blog...sure u can share the post....
and is gr8 to hear that Indian Music is catching on in the states..its actually heartening...

and about the tattoo...sorry cant help u there...coz it not ON me...its just a pic i got from the net...
I blogrolled u...hope u dont mind.??

Jeya Anand said...

well music has such a great part to play in most of our life....and Indian Music ...traditional ..melodious...I love it as i do the western...cooool post...

AND I found a mistake in it....Its june and not july...:D....don t mind my keen aobservation...hehehe

cool blog..do visit mine...

Sneha P said...

@Jeya Anand:Thanks for the comment...and Keen observation I must say...thanks i've rectified the mistake....

Nisha said...

hey..thanks for ur visit n the comment! i loveeeeeeeeeeee ur template...really...been wondering around on blogs n find all emplates so louad..this is a respite...n a pleasant one!
n yeah...another respite...ur writing style is simple n intriguing...n i enjoy that the most. good work :)

Dimple Nangia said...

hey thanks alot for ur comment on my blog! i love all genres of music.. as long as th melody or the lyrics are good. i get hooked on to it.. let it be Bunty aur Babli or Metallica hehe!
good stuff!!

Sneha P said...

@ nisha: thanks a lot..u r very liberal in ur appreciation...but will not be churlish...so thanks a lot...u've made me one happy girl today..
and the template...hey thats actually one that blogspot offers...i just tamper around with the background....
thanks for visiting....
u keep blogging lady...
cheers

@posionivy: yeah came to ur blog through ankurs...liked the '422' wala post...
Music na...its one cool thing...i thinks thats it the one universal global that can bind a lot of pppl..
thanks for visiting...
cheers..

Alok said...

man, old classical music is something tht i cant get in2, but yeh cn c the passion wid wich u like it, so cheerio. but spent a dreamy, rainy mornin listening to music, shit, I toh wud have gone for Hukkah...lol..well written ... cheers

Unknown said...

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Unknown said...

The first Raag was Bahaduri Todi - She sings the traditional Bandish (composition)- E Mahadev, Devanapati, Parvati pati.
Second one was Raag Alhaiya Bilawal.

The lady providing her vocal support is her senior disciple Nandini Bedekar.

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