After the heartwarming response to the Secret Masters Sessions that began in April last year and concluded in March this year, First Edition Arts (a company that curates and promotes Indian and international performing arts programmes) is back with Secret Masters Sessions Encore. The impetus for the series was to highlight lesser-known masters of music who have made an immense contribution to Indian classical music but remained on the margins over the years. The quarterly concerts featured stalwarts like Arun Kashalkar, Narayanrao Bodas, Jayashree Patanekar and Sharad Sathe. Just like the first season, Kashalkar’s concert will commence the second season of the series.
Beyond the margins
The septuagenarian, who is also a prolific composer, is known for his original and rich gayaki and unique style of presenting the khayal. His gayaki incorporates the best elements of the Agra gharana (intricate bol-baant and treasure trove of compositions), Jaipur gharana’s aesthetic and offbeat taan patterns and the Gwalior gharana’s melodic swings. He has command over an astonishing range of raags, including rare and complex ones from all these three gharanas.
Devina Dutt, an arts writer who founded First Edition Arts along with Pepe Gomes, a musician and filmmaker, in 2012, says the Secret Masters Session made them aware that there was an audience that was gradually building and listeners were invigorated after attending these concerts. So, rather than giving each of these artistes just one concert, First Edition wanted to take the idea further and ensure that they reach out to a wider audience through a second season. What has worked in their favour is the atypical nature of the concert. “We have only had one artiste perform for the entire evening and the concerts last for three-and-a-half hours. These masters had so much to offer and they hadn’t been heard enough, so anything short of a full length solo concert did not sound right to us. Our job is to bring the musician and audience closer together. Indian classical music derives a lot of its energy from the way listeners respond to it. The musician takes creative and aesthetic decisions in the moment. For the circle to complete itself, the listener is vital. We structured the concerts keeping all these factors in mind,” shares Dutt.
An avid concertgoer herself, Dutt discovered Kashalkar at a home baithak in Mulund last year. “When I heard him sing, I felt it was so different from what we usually hear. I was struck by the deeper and more complex quality of music.” She adds that contrary to popular notions, youngsters form a major chunk of their audience. “There is a big myth that classical music is difficult and complex, so young people don’t attend such concerts. But we totally disagree with it. Younger people are drawn by the richness and beauty of the undefiled music. Most organisers think the audience will not sit for long as they don’t enough confidence in the artiste. But we have complete confidence in the artiste and the art form,” asserts Dutt.
New partnerships
For the second season, First Edition Arts has collaborated with the Indian Music Group (IMG) of St Xavier’s College. Dutt says, “IMG is one of the prestigious music organisations in the city. It is closely linked to the journey of Indian classical music in Mumbai. We reached out to them and told them the musicians will strike a chord with their audience and students. It was like a synergy.”
Dr Bhaskar Saha, convener of IMG and assistant professor of lifesciences and biochemistry at St Xavier’s College, says, “This is the first time the IMG is collaborating with another organisation. What appealed to us was the fact that both First Edition Arts as well as we have the same goal to promote Indian classical music. We thought it was ideal for us to collaborate and gauge how the audience responds.”
Dutt and her team plan to take the artistes to Chennai and Kolkata in the near future. Working on the music concerts series has been an eye-opener for Dutt. “It made us realise that we as curators have to look beyond the obvious. The job of a curator is to go out there and look, discover and experience music. We should spare musicians of all ages the ignominy of seeking concerts from organisers,” she emphasises.
Art curator Aditya Ruia, who has attended the first season says about Kashalkar, “He is a brilliant artiste who uses his own innovation in the ragas and presents them in a technically different way. As per the Hindustani classical music tradition, the 24 hours of the day are divided into eight quadrants of three hours each and there are specific ragas for each of the periods. Nowadays concerts do not follow this format. They try to squeeze in maximum number of ragas in an hour-and-a-half. That way, the artiste is not allowed to unfold the structure of the raag.” What Ruia is clearly delighted with is the return to tradition with this particular series.
Arun Kashalkar will perform this evening as part of The Secret Masters Sessions Encore this evening at 6 p.m. at St Xavier’s College. Entry is free.
