Aadi Anant Festival of Music, a joint initiative by Citi-NCPA, brings Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar and his disciple and son Sameehan Kashalkar in a concert to highlight and celebrate the Guru-Sishya tradition of transmission of musical knowledge and performance skills.
Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, is perhaps the tallest Khayal vocalist today. His rigorous taleem under doyens of the three oldest gharanas – Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur – has resulted in a remarkable musicianship which combines effortlessly and with true artistry the stylistics of the three gharanas. We have come to expect authentic, hard core raagdaari from him, but equally his music is evocative of colours and emotions from the deepest recesses of our being.
He is also one of the few musicians today who can take on an “anvat” raga (rare/complex raga) and give it a gripping rendition. He explains: “Savani Nat, Pat Manjari, Pat Bihag, Khat, many Jod ragas, etc. are anvat ragas. Traditionally Agra and Jaipur specialise in these raga-s. Though I enjoy singing the great ragas such as Yaman, Darbari, Malkauns, I also find anvat ragas attractive. They are rare because it is hard to make an impact with these ragas, but they are artistically challenging and intellectually stimulating. Not many are keen to receive taleem in these ragas nowadays and they are becoming even rarer.”
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The evening will begin with a short performance by Sameehan Kashalkar after which Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar will take the stage; following this the Guru and Sishya will perform together.
This seventh edition of Aadi Anant offers a varied fare as it travels to five cities – Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad – including a collaboration between Khayal and Manganiyar music, percussive explorations and a Carnatic concert. Says Dr. Suvarnalata Rao, programming-head, Indian Music, NCPA: “Chennai has a reputation of receiving and supporting hard core classical music so much so that every Hindustani musician aspires to perform here. This is the reason we chose to present this event here. We are fully confident that the city will support us by turning out a full house. If Chennai does not support classical music, where then is hope left?”
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Tickets for the concert to be held at the Music Academy, Chennai, on January 27 are available at https://in.bookmyshow.com/pune/events/citi-ncpa- aadi-anant-festival/ET00068785