Organised by the Banyan Tree, ‘Barkha Ritu,’ was a musical celebration not only dedicated to preserving and nurturing green India but was also a tribute to the late maestro Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.
The evening began with a recital by Abhishek Raghuram, a disciple of P. S.Narayanaswamy. He took up an extensive and intricately woven alapana in Varali, laced with gamakas, in a rich voice filled with emotion. At one point, he seemed to be completely lost in his music and came up with complex rhythmic patterns.
The second composition in Chakravaham was rendered skilfully as he worked on the grace notes, making it enjoyable for the audience. . Neyveli Narayanan (mridangam) and Vishal Sapuram (chitraveena) provided excellent support.
The shift from Carnatic music to a Hindustani flute recital of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia was marked by an overwhelming welcome from the audience, who relished the oeuvre of the globally renowned artist. .
Saraswati-Malhar, a combination of two ragas from the South and North was the tour de force of the evening. The beginning was alap and jod to the accompaniment of pakhawaj keeping to the dhrupad tradition. The silence and pauses in the lower notes added to the magical effect. Bird-like sounds on the flute endorsed the theory of Pandit Damodar in ‘Sangeet Darpan’ about how each note’s origin is from the sound that birds make. Pt Chaurasia’s avid movement on pancham was like the call of the koel and his recreating of the rishabh was like that of a chatak’s in the rainy season.
The combination of both gandhars and the two nishaads showed beautiful traces of Jog, and finally with the coming of the shudh dhaivat on its way to the taar saptak Sharaj, he declared Malhar. The khayal ang was presented as he played in unison with the tabla to the seven beats of rupak. The small phrases were created with aplomb and tihais were used impeccably.
The two ustads on the pakhawaj and tabla packed enough punch. Bihag was yet another wonderful experience with a short piece ‘Lat uljhi hai suljha de more balma’. The composition was followed by a neat exchange between Chaurasia and Ram Kumar Mishra (tabla), with Pt. Bhawani Shankar joining in. Vivek Sonar (flute) with his appropriate melodic interludes proved to be a true sishya.
On popular request, Panditji played the Pahadi, which was like a serenade. There were delicate traces of Shivranjani and the beautiful phrases evoked nostalgia and hope.
