Under the aegis of “Anvaya Series : Musical links in Lineage” organised by Sursagar , a unique father- daughter pair enthralled the connoisseurs of Hindustani classical music with their sitar and vocal performances respectively.
Vidushi Purvi Parikh , the disciple of Ustads Faiyaz Ahmed Khan and Niyaz Ahmed Khan of Kirana Gharana, commenced her Hindustani classical vocal recital with Raga Shuddh Kalyan. Purvi handled the aesthetic challenges posed by this complex raga with expertise , marked by her serene approach and sensitivity towards its melodic subtleties. Her delineation of the vilambit ektal bandish “Tum bin Kaunkabar le” was characterised by evocative ‘alap’ sequences in the ‘avartans’ cogently executed by Bhushan Parchure on the tabla. Purvi’s melodic improvisations were particularly noteworthy in her lyrically charged ‘sargams’ in the ‘bol-alap’ and ‘boltaan’ sections of the vilambit khayal. Ravindra Katoti on the harmonium explored every shade of emotion with consummate skill and artistry. The ‘raagabhava’ of Kalyan was effectively communicated in the rendition of the traditional drut teen tal composition “Bajore Mandarwa” which has truly become a veritable signature composition in Raga Shuddh –Kalyan. The ‘tarana’ rendered in the same raga had some interesting layakari . This was followed by “Sapana Ban Aye’ a jhaptal bandish of 10 beats in the beautiful night melody Kalavati. Purvi’s rendition of the chota khayal composition “ Ghadi pal chin” in teental , a rhythmic cycle of 16 beats was richly imaginative and lyrical, making it a passionate utterance. Purvi concluded her concert with a plaintive ‘kajri’ , ‘girayi he kali badariyaradhe bin lagena morajiya’ in raga Misra-Pilu, composed and immortalised by the legendary thumri queen Girija Devi .
The vocal recital was followed by Purvi’s illustrious octogenarian father Pandit Arvind Parikh’s sitar recital. Arvind Parikh , one of the leading sitarists of our country with a performing career spanning over six decades, proved that he was an indefatigable performer. An exponent of Etawah-Imdadkhani gharana and disciple of the sitar maestro Vilayat Khan, his sitar recital was deeply soulful and contemplative, highlighting the musical intensity of his gharana.
He began with the somber night melody Raga Poorya , a popular raga in the famous ‘Poorya –Marwa-Sohni’ triad. A fascinating feature of his recital was Arvind Parikh explained the technical aspects of his improvisations as he embarked upon a delineation of alap-jod-jhala in raga Poorya. This musical discourse coupled with musical rendition was greatly appreciated by the audience. Through his dulcet ‘meends’ and myriad combinations of ‘swara ‘ patterns emphasising the notes ‘nishad’ and ‘gandhar’ in Poorya, he successfully sculpted the gestalt of this beautiful raga . After the ‘anibaddh’ mode, he switched on to the vilambit ‘gat’ composition in Poorya. This was followed by cascading ‘taan sequences’ of great elegance in two fast-paced compositions in Drut ektal and Drut teen tal. Pandit Parikh who is also known as a musicologist and a composer par excellence surprised the acolytes of Hindustani ‘raagsangeet’ with his own unique creation , raga ‘Gunji-Kauns’.
Although the raga seemed to bear a great resemblance to the Carnatic melody Charukeshi, Pandit Parikh described it as a combination of two ragas Malgunji and Malkauns. Bhushan Parchure’s scintillating table ccompaniment was another captivating feature of this recital. Pandit Parikh’s sitar recital was followed by an illuminating interactive session, a rewarding experience for the students, practitioners and connoisseurs of Hindustani classical music.
