The strains of sitar can create a host of feelings – happy, exhilarating, soothing and soul-stirring, depending on the raag played and the dexterity of the player. If its versatility is its strength, its soft sweetness is an additional plus. It was, indeed, a pleasure to be present for the morning concert of Pt. Janardhan Mitta at the German Hall.
Janardhan Mitta’s nimble fingers and deep erudition of Hindustani classical jointly developed a monolithic picture of the morning raag Ahir Bhairav. The widespread alap picked up with jod and the bada khayal was beguilingly structured with expert deliverance. The slow start encircling the overall range of Ahir Bhairav converged with a variety of combinations covering every aspect of the melody leading to the grand denouement. Mitta’s exploration on the fast and stimulating phase almost rained the myriad hues of Ahir Bhairav in the powerful company of D. Chandrajith on the tabla. Ahir Bhairav was the main piece. What started as the small drizzle ended up taking about 45 minutes of musical outburst. The 16-beat vilambit taal khayal concluded with the durit kaal segment.
The second raag chosen was Gurjari Thodi, very similar to Subha Pantuvarali, was a shade faster than Ahir Bhairav. The khayal was in ek taal and gave a brisk and polished image of the raag. The concluding two pieces were in Sindhu Bhairavi, another vivacious and vibrant raag that was both classic and breezy with its enticing glides and sweeps.
The tabla artist D. Chandrajith almost captured the attention of the audience with his sparkling beats by creating rhythmic fire works. At many junctures, both Janardhan and Chandrajith competed with each other for honours and none can gainsay that both of them came out with flying colours.
