Delhi’s biggest and most popular classical music festival entered its 25th year. Named after Swami Haridas, the father of Hindustani music, and his most iconic disciple Tansen, the Swami Haridas Tansen Sangeet Nritya Samaroh is a glittering affair, drawing crowds of over 3,000 people despite the cold weather.
As usual, it featured stalwarts — Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Begum Parveen Sultana, Uma Sharma and her students, Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt and his son Salil with the Manganiyars, Pt Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt Venkatesh Kumar, Ustad Shujaat Khan, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Pt. Tejendra Narayan Mazumdar.
Organiser and veteran Kathak dancer Uma Sharma used to collaborate with Sri Gopal Goswami of the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan for the Sammelan. However, with the passage of time, the character of the festival changed. Uma broke away to create the Samaroh. She “wanted to present classical music in all its hues”.
Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar who performed at Swami Haridas Tansen Sangeet Nritya Samaroh, in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Of course, Uma misses the ambience of Vrindavan, where the festival was originally held. “The first time, there were very few of us performing. This was inside Nidhi van, in front of Swami Haridas’ samadhi. We had to get permission to perform there.”
Later the festival expanded; to an open pandal. “The simple, unquestioning, eagerly- accepting audience was so refreshing.”
At the launch of the festival in Vrindavan, Sri Shrivats Goswami of the Radha Raman mandir spoke of the musical link between Vrindavan and Delhi.
For Uma, it’s been a long, arduous journey. “I was alone, but had the support of friends. When we moved to Delhi, we started with Ustad Asad Ali Khan’s concert in the basement theatre of the India Habitat Centre. When we finally moved to Modern School’s Sir Shankar Lal Hall, there were just 10 people to listen to Alam Khan. I was despondent and literally cried. But the audience slowly reposed trust in us, and now every edition of the festival draws a full house.”
The venue now (Sir Shankar Lal Hall) is a large circular space with baithak seating as well as chairs. According to Uma, “I don’t want to hold this anywhere else since this venue has become synonymous with the festival. We get this hall totally free; for which I am grateful. The dates are available only in January, when it is usually freezing, but that doesn’t stop the audience from attending.”
Most artistes are repeat performers. Pt. Channulal Mishra does not sing now, but Uma wistfully wishes he would come again, just once. “I remember the informality of our artistic interaction – he just called out to me from the stage ‘Uma behen, aayiye, bhaav bataaye’ (Uma come up and show bhaav to these lines). I could not refuse, and went up the stage with the pallu tied around my waist, and danced to ‘Rang sari gulabi’,” she recalls.
The inheritors of the Tansen tradition are always invited. Pt Vishwamohan Bhatt and Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia are a must. “The younger generation needs to hear these veterans who have created their own path in music. I always insisted on Ustad Aashish Khan coming from the U.S. for our festival. But, I hear he does not play much now.”
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, uniquely having been trained in the musical tradition of Tansen from both his ‘beenkar’ and ‘rababiya’ descendants, is another regular at the festival, with his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash.
“This time, I was not able to invite a Dhrupad artiste. I plan to in the next edition, which will be a four-day event. I also may include a Carnatic musician. The roots of music and dance are the same. We had Bharatanatyam in Vrindavan, I remember,” says Uma.
The Swami Haridas Tansen festival has an informal feel. If the front rows remain vacant and the sponsors for whom seats are reserved don’t turn up, youngsters seated on the floor in front are permitted to occupy them. Uma remains determined to not make it a ticketed event, as “I want youngsters to hear the best without bothering to buy a ticket”.
With three artistes every evening, the time allotted for each musician has decreased. However, one remembers earlier editions of the festival going on well around midnight.
Shared memories make the venue a space for time-tested music and artiste-audience camaraderie.
Ustad Shujaat Khan played a thumri in Tilak Khamod, which his father Ustad Vilayat Khan played decades ago at this festival. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In this edition, Ustad Shujaat Khan played a snatch of a thumri in raag Tilak Khamod that Uma Sharma had done abhinaya to when his father Ustad Vilayat Khan played it decades ago at this festival.
The festival this year concluded with the strains of Pt Ulhas Kashalkar singing the immortal Bhairavi thumri ‘Baju band khul khul jaaye’.
