Veteran musicians to pay tribute to Indian classical ragas at 'Bandish'

Pandit Birju Maharaj will depict the aspect of bhava (emotions) through abhinaya (acting)

Indian classical music and dance share a cordial relationship of artistic exchange. When Pandit Birju Maharaj agrees to perform on his father Acchan Maharaj's iconic compositions, you can gauge the magnitude of the concert. A group of artistes, from different gharanas and literature, representing the classical music text, will trace the evolution of old compositions at a concert, titled Bandish, over three days.

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Music and myth
Vocalist Shekhar Sen, a bhajan exponent who is going to perform with Maharaj, is of the opinion that classical music compositions are a representation of Indian culture. "Both Hindustani and carnatic music are the pillars of Indian tradition. The compositions, or what we call bandish, are being sung for centuries. You cannot ignore our culture," he says. He believes the concert will showcase how music travelled from one generation to the next.

Shekhar Sen

"In order to celebrate the ethnicity of classical music, you need to inherit the legacy from your ancestors, who grew up on these ragas. I am passing on what I learnt from my parents [Dr Arun Kumar Sen and Dr Aneeta Sen]," he adds. Sen will perform songs on Krishna by Meerabai, Chandra Sakhi and Taj Bibi.

"All the compositions are set in different ragas like Bihag, Des and Tilak Kamod," adds the 56-year-old. "I will perform a few compositions like Main Toh Saaware Ke Rang Rachi," he informs. "Most of Meerabai's songs were translated because she wrote in the Mewari dialect. I plan to talk about the history of her work." Sen will also present a form of savaiyya (verses that rhyme) through the songs of Bibi.

Padma Talwalkar

Concert for education
Padma Talwalkar, trained in khyal, feels the concert will be a workshop for young musicians. "We do learn techniques but music goes beyond knowledge and grammar. Today's youth is interested in classical music but they lack proper guidance. There are not many gurus who are capable of authentic training these days," says the 68-year-old, who will present Shree, Multani, Chayanat and Jogkauns ragas in her signature style. She will also pay tribute to Jagannathbuwa Purohit and her mentor, Gajananrao Joshi. "Gajananbuwa guided me with the bandish, Chalo Ri Mayi, which I will perform at the recital."

Rashid Khan will sing compositions of Nissar Hussain Khan, while Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramaniam will portray raga-based film songs by iconic composers like RD Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Ismailâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Darbar.

On July 7 to July 9, 6.30 pm
At NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call 66223737
Entry Rs 512 onwards