The entire music world today concedes that the name Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty is synonymous to glitzy showmanship; and the showman admits that during his musical journey, spanning four decades now, he has faced all types of audiences which fall in almost a dozen different categories! To a great extent, the maestro sees to it that each category gets what it wants. Recently, ITC Sangeet Research Academy featured Chakrabarty, its first scholar-turned senior guru, in its ‘Wednesday Recitals’ held recently.
This is a weekly baithak held at the Academy’s auditorium right from its inception in 1978. It featured numerous concerts of legendary musicians once a month to guide the scholars. The rest of the weeks were reserved for the young scholars who, after the initial training, were expected to perform before their gurus, expert committee members, discerning music-lovers and fellow students who would also actively participate in organising and presenting the event. All this was planned to help the scholars to learn every aspect of a musical presentation including ushering the guests, compeering, looking after the sound system, providing accompaniment to fellow musicians, etc. This is an ongoing process till date with very little changes; because based on these recitals each scholar is evaluated by the team of experts.
In fact, Chakrabarty began his journey from this prestigious platform that saw him grow much beyond the hall’s capacity to accommodate his fans. For years, therefore, this intimate baithak, by the musicians, for the musicians and of the musicians, missed Chakrabarty’s magical presence on the stage. But, despite the challenges thrown by his immense popularity, SRA authorities went ahead to revive the olden baithak-parampara (sit-in tradition) by placing several close circuit televisions for the overflowing crowd of listeners which, despite the inadequate seats and sweltering heat, kept swelling to savour this memorable recital.
Memorable, because evidently, the category of initiated audience even at the huge, formal conferences organised by the master’s alma mater inspires him to remain grounded as a humble devotee of serious music; what to say of a baithak that promised to bring him in such close proximity where one expected to cut the flow of candid expressions with knife; and one did!
Within the limited space of the stage, Chakrabarty looked happily comfortable flanked by Sandip Ghosh (tabla), Meher Parlikar and Deborshee Bhattacharya (tanpuras), Brajeshwar Mukherjee (harmonium) and Paramananda Roy (flute) — all young and steadily rising brilliant musicians, flowering both as vocalists and accompanists under his valuable guidance. Going by the mood of the overcast evening sky that suggested a welcome outpour, Chakrabarty began his recital with raga Megh.
Telling effect
The heavy meend-laden, long (at times octave-covering) gliding phrases moved slowly like the rain-bearing clouds and etched the raga’s sombre character with telling effect despite the chadhi (faster than usual) laya of the jhumra based composition “Aakul Birahan Ke Nainan”. The morchhana-based glimpses of Bhupali, Durga, Dhani and Malkauns followed by sargam based behlawa and power-packed gamak taans completed the picture.
The broad-faced tabla remained unobtrusive up to this point but the apparent change of mood with medium-paced Jhap taal bandish “Garaje Ghata Ghana” unleashed an inspired solo round. This, a favourite of Agra Gharana, was taught to Chakrabarty by Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan. While exhibiting the delighting patterns of aamad (arrival) laced with tihai and saath-sangat (anticipated tabla collocation), Chakrabarty also displayed the way Agra Ustads would apply the Komal Gandhar and Sahakari Nishad (higher shruti of the usual Komal Ni). After few complex rhythm-pattern encrusted taans, he reverted to the gliding melodic phrases to pave the way for “Radhe Aaye Megh”, a fast composition set to Shool taal.
On popular demand, he chose to sing Nand, another Agra favourite raga that Patiala ustads did not include in their repertoire; but when sung by Ustad Amir Khan in Kirana-Indore style, it had entranced a young Chakrabarty! Exploiting the bends of the meandering gait of the raga an extremely emotive aochar led to a self-composed bandish set to Ekwai tala (16 beats with a curious gait, beautifully exploited in the famous Yaman bandish “Kinare Kinare”).
A Pilu thumri, accompanied by the flute and high-pitched tabla, arrived next with leisurely, soulful bol-banav, sargam and a few heart-rending pukar-like phrases. The typical ornate style of Punjab was used very sparsely; but the full-blooded laggi built the crescendo before closure. Encores led the maestro to sing the immortal “Hari Om Tat-Sat” in which he simply poured his soul to uplift the melodic beauty to soaring heights of piety. This kind of “play to the gallery” is the need of the day.
