Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Vani Mahal, hosted a jugalbandi featuring Deobrat Mishra (surbahar/bass sitar), Bonala Sankara Prakash (veena), Patri Satish Kumar (mridangam) and Prashant Mishra (tabla). With Pt. Mishra being the eleventh generation representative of the Benaras gharana and vidwan Sankara Prakash being a torch-bearer of the Vasa style rooted in the hoary Bobbili tradition, the recital was a rewarding Hindustani-Carnatic collaboration.
Predecessor of the sitar, the surbahar is a difficult instrument to handle, chiefly on account of its bulk. Additionally, a strictly tradition-bound playing technique, sans experiments/gimmicks, is mandatory. All of this adds up to just one hour of surbahar playing equalling three hours of sitar playing in terms of effort and energy expended; which leaves the artiste, quite literally, breathless after the said hour. Pt. Mishra began his solo with raag Jaijaivanti.
True to the dhrupad tradition to which the surbahar is oriented, the alap unfolded as a series of almost single, meditative notes whose sombre beauty shone through the jod. Vilambit (Dhamar tal, 14 beats) resonated with heavy gamaks and emphatic rests, mining deep bhava. Drut (shul tal, 10 beats) accelerated to an appreciable degree of speed testifying to both assiduous technique and musicianship.
Elegant essay
Veena vidwan Bonala Sankara Prakash teed off with a brisk ‘Sobillu Saptawara’ (Tyagaraja Jaganmohini) in which the sangatis at ‘Dararuksaamaadula’ and ‘Vara Gayathri ’ took on novel hues. Continuity, richness and sweetness of tone, the hallmarks of his style, enhanced appeal. Tisram and chatusra tisram outings highlighted fluid sarvalaghu in kalpanaswara. The Sriranjani alapana was an elegant essay to which reflective passages lent weight. Zigzagging brigas flashed with insouciant ease and judicious swara bhedam touches added interest, capped by the Tyagaraja krithi ‘Brochevarevare.’
Dharmavathi and the corresponding Madhuvanti were the ragas chosen for the artistes’ joint presentation. Alternating dynamics of Carnatic punch and Hindustani fluidity, vadi-samvadi, jaru and meend took the alapana forward in absorbing progression. Illustrating the Vasa legacy that has a deep understanding of the Hindustani style, Sankara Prakash played a brief segment of distinct Hindustani, proving that he was equally at home in both idioms. The artistes’ synergy conjured up a scintillating jhala/tanam exchange. A compact pallavi (Adi tala) sparked swarakalpana volleys led by Sankara Prakash’s khanda and mishra permutations.
Rhythms assumed interesting shades in veena-tabla and surbahar-mridangam conversations. Patri’s percussive support was a reassuring cloud of warmth cushioning the artistes’ expeditions. The tani sketched a gamut of microtonal variations, with Prashant’s definitive bols matching Patri’s clarity even in the concluding blur of speed. ‘Raghupathy Raghava’ strengthened the melodic bond, its free-flowing cadences touching all the right notes. With the artistes being mutually receptive and supportive, their technical finesse and sound musicianship were consistently in evidence.
The tone of the second concert, a sitar solo, was different in terms of approach and atmospherics. Less staid, more expansively communicative, the vibe in the compact, well-appointed hall fostered a crackling artiste-audience connect during the soiree jointly organised by Music of Madras and Wandering Artist.
The evening belonged to raag Madhmat Sarang, which ushered in the magic of the rains. Rarely heard in evening concerts, it was played on request. Launching into alap (gayaki/khyal ang) and jod (dhrupad ang) Pt. Mishra proceeded to vilambit (teen tal), madhya lay (pancham savari, 15 beats) and drut (teen tal). The music led you through a gamut of monsoon vignettes — gathering clouds, soft drizzle, cloudburst, drumming downpour and of course, a fair share of lightning and thunder in the drut as nimble fingers flew over frets and strings in blazing taans and forceful tihais. Most listeners, if not all, carried home the imprint of the raga’s signature phrase ‘NSRPM’ evocatively illustrated by the artiste.
Up next was an extended thumri session which saw Pt. Mishra at his relaxed best. The sitar sang along as he vocalised thumri (Khamaj), dadra (Pilu), tappa (Khamaj) and the concluding dadra/tumri ‘Bat Chalat Nai Chunri’ (Bhairavi), drawing you into a charmed word – of childhood memories, reminiscences of sur and swar on the banks of the Ganga and the aesthetics of ‘bol banao’ learnt by osmosis from his grandfather, Pt. Mahadev Prasad Mishra. In this personal narrative, shared with warmth and candour, the artiste’s world became yours.
