Now in its seventh year, the Bandish festival at NCPA has always paid tribute to the greatest Indian composers. This year won’t be any different.
On July 8, classical vocalist Venkatesh Kumar will present compositions by the legendary Sadarang-Adarang duo, jewels in the court of Mohammed Shah Rangile. Later that evening, Ajay Chakraborty will pay tribute to Kolkata-based maestro Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh. The following day, ghazal maestro Hariharan will render the poetry of Mirza Ghalib, Mir Taqi Mir, Momin, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ahmed Faraaz.
The finale, on Sunday, will focus on Hindi film songs based on classical ragas. Singer Parthiv Gohil will present tunes by the legendary Shankar-Jaikishen, S.D. Burman and Roshan.
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A week before the concert, rehearsals have already begun. After a hectic session, Gohil says: “A lot of preparation has gone into this show. Everybody is familiar with the melodies, so we have to work hard on the actual presentation.”
The Bhavnagar-born singer, now settled in Mumbai, had done a similar show at NCPA two years ago. But that time, he hadn’t focused on specific composers. He recalls: “The evening was called Raag Rang. Basically, we chose some great old and new films songs based on ragas.”
This year, why did he specifically select these three music directors, instead of Naushad, O.P. Nayyar or Madan Mohan, who are also identified with Hindustani tunes? Gohil replies: “I am a fan of all of them, but many people have already performed their classical repertoire at concerts. I discussed with NCPA’s Indian music programming head, Suvarnalata Rao, and we both felt it would be ideal to focus on Burman-da, Shankar-Jaikishen and Roshan, many of whose pieces are also rooted in classical melodies.” Gohil will be accompanied by vocalist Jahnavi Shrimankar, while a chorus will appear on some songs. The group will have sitar, flute, keyboards, tabla, pakhawaj and percussion. The singer explains: “The format is simple. We shall choose specific ragas and highlight what songs each composer has created. We shall have Yaman, Darbari, Ahir Bhairav, Piloo, Pahadi, and Bhairav, among others. I won’t be explaining the technicalities, as the aim is to cover some 25 songs in two and a half hours.”
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The set list will include Manna Dey’s Shankar-Jaikishen’s ‘ Jhanak jhanak tori baaje paayaliya ’ from Mere Huzoor (in Raga Darbari) and ‘Rasik Balma’ from Chori Chori (in Shuddh Kalyan), and even Roshan’s ‘ Man re tu kaahe na dheer dhare ’ from Chitralekha (in Yaman Kalyan) and S.D. Burman’s ‘ Poocho Na Kaise ’ (in Ahir Bhairav) from Meri Surat TeriAnkhen .
“I was always fascinated by the use of classical ragas in film music,” says Gohil. The classical training came early. At ten, he started learning from Bhanuben Solanki, Dakshaben Mehta and Laxmipati Shulka. Later, he studied under dhrupad maestro Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar. “He guided me in terms of technical purity and virtuosity,” he says. The exposure came when he was adjudged runner-up in the TV show Sa Re Ga Ma (1998). Later, he had a few film offers, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas and Saanwariya . Currently, he is focusing on concept-based shows and singles released on music videos.
Two prestigious projects are lined up. The first is a music video of an adaptation of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s ‘ Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor ’, where Gohil has blended traditional and modern styles. In December, Gohil will be travelling to the U.S. to render Hindi film songs along with a New-York-based symphony orchestra.
While simultaneously singing for Gujarati films, Gohil’s priority is to do live shows, like the one at NCPA. “Classical music is in my blood and Hindi film music in my heart. I listen very closely to the arrangements, and also follow Beethoven, Mozart and Yanni to help my own education,” he says. Keeping all this in mind, the Sunday concert promises to be special.
Bandish takes place at the Tata Theatre, NCPA, from July 8 to July 10. Parthiv Gohil will be performing on the last day. See bookmyshow for details.
The author is a freelance music writer