A trailblazing musician, Pt. Kumar Gandharva, was an iconoclast, who questioned prevailing approaches and came up with new and intense ways of engaging with ragas and compositions. He made powerful musical statements with his unique style. His documentation of folk songs of the Malwa region and his own renditions revived classical music’s link with folk music. He gave heightened status to the bandish (composition) in khayal and composed many evocative khayal, tarana and thumri.
‘Singing with a Gandharva: A musical tribute to Pt. Kumar Gandharva’ will be held on October 21 (5.30 p.m.) at Raga Sudha Hall to pay tributes to the genius on his 25th death anniversary. The musical event has been organised by musician Lakshmi Sreeram and is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. Senior Carnatic vocalist Trichur V. Ramachandran is the chief guest.
Gandharva’s compositions
The evening will open with ‘Ritu Darshan’ (5.45 p.m.) by Lakshmi Sreerem of the Agra-Gwalior gharanas. She trained under Pt. Vasantrao Kulkarni and later under Pt. Babanrao Haldankar in Mumbai. An ardent admirer of Pt. Kumar Gandharva’s music, Lakshmi has written articles trying to fathom his artistry.
‘Ritu Darshan’ will focus on Pt. Gandharva’s thematic presentations such as Geet Varsha, Geet Hemanth, and Geet Basant. They comprise songs, many of which were composed by him. They captured the beauty and spirit of seasons.
Mr. Kumar Gandharva, vocalist (Hindustani Music).
Lakshmi will evoke the colours and moods of the seasons through some of Pt. Gandarva’s compositions. She will be accompanied by Sumith Naik (tabla), Rohith Baradwaj (harmonium) and Vibha Sreeram (tanpura and vocal support).
At 7 p.m., Pt. Satysheel Deshpande will present ‘Kumarji’s contribution to raga sangeeth — an aesthetic perspective’. A senior disciple of Pt. Kumar Gandharva, he is not only known for his performing skills but also for insightful lecture demonstrations. He will be accompanied by Sumith Naik on tabla.
HYDERABAD, 15/07/2007:Hidustani vocalist Satyasheel Deshpande performing at Barkha Ritu-Rains and Ragas in Hyderabad on Friday. .Photo: Satish_H.
Satyasheel grew up listening to and absorbing the music of his father, eminent musicologist Pt. Vamanrao Deshpande, and mentor and guru, Pt. Gandharva. In 1972, he moved to Devas in Madhya Pradesh to train intensively under his guru. Thus, Satyasheel imbibed the essence of Pt. Gandharva’s style, without trying to imitate him.
Promising accompanists Sumith Naik is a disciple of Pt. Udayraj Karpur while Rohith Bharadhwaj B.L. has trained under Pt. Ravindra Katoti. Vibha Sreeram is a disciple of Lakshmi Sreeram.
