A Hindustani treat awaits Chennaiites, in the form of Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan, scheduled tomorrow. It has been an annual feature for 32 years in Mumbai, nine years in New Delhi, six years in Kolkata and four years in Chennai.
It started off as a disciple’s way of paying musical homage to his guru, Pt. Jagganathbuwa Purohit (popularly known as Gunidas). And, the sishya, Pandit C.R. Vyas (fondly referred to as Gunijaan by his guru) gave it an apt name too — Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan. Today, if gunijan (virtuous people) across the country get an opportunity to watch stalwarts perform live, the credit must go to Gunijaan’s son (Pandit Satish Vyas) who has helped the music echo in many cities.
And you have heard them all…Kumar Gandharv, Mallikarjun Mansur, Gangubai Hangal, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Allah Rakha, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Begum Parveen Sultana, Ustad Zakir Hussain et al . And, there’s more to come.
The music festival was started by the illustrious Hindustani vocalist Pt. C.R. Vyas in 1977 under the aegis of his Maharashtra Kala Nidhi. “From the very first year, the festival became a fantastic meeting point for musicians and music-lovers. Music festivals were rare; baitaks (chamber concerts) were more popular. So Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan became a significant event on the cultural calendar,” says Pt. Satish Vyas, a well-known santoor artiste and an impresario.
The junior Vyas was involved in the organisation of the festival since its inception. “I was in my early twenties then, and excited about taking up the responsibility. My musical training from childhood, my MBA and work experience as a PR executive came in handy,” says Vyas with a cheerful smile.
With each year, the festival grew in stature and popularity. The five-day sammelan in Mumbai initially featured both up and coming and established artistes. “Soon, we realised that only the concerts of veterans were well-attended. We did not want the young artistes to get disheartened, and so decided to hold a separate festival for them.”
Encouraged by the tremendous response in Mumbai, Vyas was keen to take Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan to other cities. So the next stop was New Delhi, then Kolkata, Bangalore (wound up last year) and Chennai. It’s now held for three days in Mumbai; in New Delhi and Kolkata, it is a two-day event, and is held for a day in Chennai. “I wouldn’t have dared to dream about the festival spreading wings without corporate support and also of my guru Shiv Kumar Sharma,” says Vyas, who enjoys every moment of his cultural outing. “I can never tire of putting together the show. It’s my legendary’s father legacy.”
Sammelan apart, Vyas is also busy holding ‘Gunijaan Baitaks’ in small towns in his home-State Maharashtra. “I want to take classical music to a wider audience and plan to extend these baitaks to other States as well.”
How difficult is it to uphold the classical tradition when one can easily resort to gimmickry? “It is difficult to get discerning rasikas now but I am not for diluting the quality of the festival to draw a huge crowd. I hail from a hoary musical tradition and have to protect it.”
And, he does it not just through the sammelan but also through his performances. “Despite increasing diversions, classical music will always hold its own. I realised it more during a recent concert of mine in Pune. I was the last individual artist to perform at a day-long jugalbandi festival, which started at 7 in the morning. Late in the evening when I went up the stage, I was amazed to see a full house, which appreciated my music with an encore,” says an optimistic Vyas.
Though trained in vocal music, Vyas was attracted to the multi-stringed instrument when he watched his guru perform. He couldn’t get over the mellifluous sounds from the delicate strings and decided to pursue it. And what a guru! The maestro has single-handedly elevated santoor, the folk instrument, from the Valley to classical concert status. “When I hear applause and see heads nodding in appreciation during my concerts, I silently thank god, my guru and parents,” says Vyas running his hands over the trapezoid-shaped santoor.
