In a slow, unobtrusive fashion Sangeet Natak Akademi Chairman, Shekhar Sen is revving up the Sangeet Natak Akademi activities.
One onerous task is the digitisation of the existing musical archives, which remains incomplete. The precious recordings of yesteryear are in danger of succumbing to the vicissitudes of time unless they are transferred to a digital format.
Recently, hours of recording the King of Kathak, Pandit Birju Maharaj was undertaken spread over four days of recordings. Sen said recording masters of instrumental music too was on the cards.
Last week, Padma Vibhushan Girija Devi, known affectionately as “appaji”, was recorded over a period of three days. Not only has she been a prolific performer for the past nearly 70 years, but another huge achievement is her plethora of concert singing students. Her musical generosity to her numerous students is well known, with several students being leading singers today, including recently awarded Padma Shri Malini Awasthi. Several of them, including Awasthi, Dr Mansi Mazumdar, Dr Shalini Ved, Rita Dey and Sunanda Sharma joined her in the archival recording sessions. These covered old dhrupads, khayals, tap-khayals, chaitis, thumris, dadras, jhulas, barah masis, wedding songs and much more.
The grand culmination was a concert at Kamani auditorium, which happened to be on Appaji’s 87th birthday. The glittering evening was attended by several senior artists and featured vocal recitals by six senior disciples, ending with a short concert by the doyen herself.
Sunanda Sharma started the evening with a teen taal khayal in which she embellished her recital with several sargam tans. Next was Rita Dey with a rather provocatively titled “jao wahi tum sham jahan saari raat jage” in Mishra Khamaj. Her powerful voice and slow “phirat” around the notes was well taught. Girijaji’s first Guru was Pandit Sarju Prasad Mishra, and his great grand sons Rahul and Rohit are now learning from her. They presented a traditional tap-khayal in Aiman, followed by an even less sung tap-tarana in the same raga. Dr. Manasi Mazumdar sang a soulful mishra Tilak Kamod thumri, with a lot of “chain”. Next was Dr Shalini Ved’s chaiti “chait maas chunari rangaye de o rama” sung with a spirited verve. Malini Awasthi sang a Mishra Pilu “laagi bayareeya main soee gayi re, saiyan duar se phir gaye” made famous by Rasoolan Bai in an earlier era.
Finally the Guru herself took the stage, to a spontaneous standing ovation. In her poignantly nostalgic address she recalled that the first time she had sung in Delhi was in 1952 at the Constitution Club.
Her presentation was like mellow old wine, redolent with the wisdom of absorbed experiences, which filled her music with emotion, “bhaav”. Her innate spirituality has seeped into her music. As she puts it, “jahan bhaav nahi, vahan Bhagwan nahi.”
Her first piece was the ever popular “thare raho banke shyam” in Mishra Khamaj. Then she sang a Mishra Kafi holi. On request she sang the ever popular “Diwana kiye shyam” which many decades earlier was always requested of the great Sidheshwari Devi. The thumri legend ended with a Bhairavi bhajan composed by saint Ekrang Mian.
On the harmonium was her Gurubhai Pandit Dharamnath Mishra, himself a most talented singer, whose deft touch on his instrument makes magic. His knowledge of raga makes him initiate so many new musical thought processes or “rastas” in his accompaniment, that it is truly a pleasure to hear him. On the tabla was Shubh Maharaj from Banaras.
