Reviews

Celebrating Youth: Swara Samrat Festival 2023

Celebrating a decade marked by achievements and triumphs, with unwavering enthusiasm, the Sreeranjani Foundation presented the 11th edition of the Swara Samrat Festival (SSF) at Kolkata's Nazrul Mancha from 15-17 December 2023.

 

The festival included performances by both lesser-known young artists and well-established veterans. Notably, 97-year-old Sangeet Acharya Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, former Head of the Department of Vocal Music at Rabindra Bharati University, was a prominent figure. Despite his age, he performed with the vigour of someone much younger. Bandyopadhyay, who had taught leading vocalists like Ajoy Chakrabarty, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contributions.

 

The evening also saw the cover of Tablawala, the autobiography of tabla maestro Kumar Bose, transcribed by his nephew and disciple Rohen Bose.

 

Later, Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, ably supported by Samir Chatterjee (tabla) and Shubhrakanti Chattopadhyay (harmonium), presented a sterling rendition of the raga Jaijaiwanti, replete with classic silsila and measured nuances in slow-paced Ektal composition, followed by fast Teental khayal. The exceptional clarity of fast taans, steeped in melody, dumbfounded those who heard him for the first time.


The younger participants were as impressive. Kathak dancer Sandip Mullick, the sole representative of the dance fraternity in this festival, mesmerised the audience with his crystal-clear nikas and pin-pointed sense of timing. Beautifully complemented by Rupak Bhattacharya's tabla and Sunando Mukherjee's sarod; his presentation of thaat, amad, and gat in Teental was delightful. After madhya laya, Nishant Singh (pakhawaj) gave another dimension to Sandip's interpretation of Ardhanareeswara as Siva-Shakti and Moh-Maya-Moksha.  Adopting an abstract theme inspired by Indian philosophy, he delivered a notable performance by reciting a poem alongside an impressive display of rapid tatkaar before concluding. Arindam Bhattacharya's vocal support during the performance was praiseworthy.

 

The jawari of Rahul Deshpande's melodious open voice, rich with finer nuances of khayal and ghazal did wonders to his chosen raga Marwa. Nikhil Phatak supported the debutant in Kolkata on the tabla and Milind Kulkarni on the harmonium. Encores led him to sing his hit film song in khayal form (Kirvani) and a Nirgun a la Kumar Gandharv, the legend whose birth centenary is being celebrated this year. His daughter and sishya, Kalapini Komkali offered tributes to her father, ably assisted by Ramendra Solanki on tabla and Anirban Chakraborty on the harmonium. She concluded with a Kabir bhajan. Unlike her father's honeyed tone, she has a robust, deep voice dipped in sur. 



      

 

Suman Ghosh's presentation of Charukesi stood out for avoiding showy elements often found in contemporary performances. Instead, he focused on conveying the essence of the raga with sincere emotion. Accompanied by Gaurishankar Karmaķar on tabla and Gourab Chatterjee on harmonium, Ghosh immersed himself in the profound meaning of the lyrics. His rendition of a Patadeep-based composition from his collection of Haveli Sangeet was truly moving.

 

Vocalist duo Ritesh and Rajnish Misra, known for their emotional depth and a touch of showmanship, showcased their efforts by effortlessly traversing three octaves while developing Shree. They didn't fail to maintain the traditional silsila and poignant voice modulation like their late father Rajan Mishra. With a Nanak Bhajan, they closed their recital, which was as well coordinated as the elder Mishra Brothers Rajan-Sajan.

 

Shiraz Ali Khan, perhaps the youngest among the participants of SSF, paid melodic tributes to his grandfather Ali Akbar Khan by presenting a pleasant Bhimpalasi and a sweet Kafi dhun. 

 

The festival also featured a strong presence of Carnatic music. Celebrated violin brothers Ganesh-Kumaresh, accompanied by maestros Patri Satish Kumar on the mridangam and Trichy Krishnaswamy (ghatam), treated the listeners with varnam (Jog, Adi tala), raga and tanam in Poorvikalyani, a composition set to seventeen beats, composed by Kumaresh followed by tani. The expertise of the quartet on their respective instruments was stunning.


 

The jugalbandi between slide guitar maestro Debashish Bhattacharya, supported by Tanmay Bose on the tabla (Hindustani classical music) and Carnatic violinist Ambi Subramaniam supported by mridangam vidwan V.V. Ramanamurthy, was equally entertaining. Their first choice was an exploration of Haimavati in alap and jod (tanam). The guitar reverted to alap within the jhala segment, and the violin stuck to taans. It inspired them to strike up a dialogue and finally play together. Next was Kalavati, with a composition of Debashish, which became the exploration ground for different jatis. The longish tani avartanam between tabla and mridangam had its solo rounds and melodic dialogues.

 

The final day was scripted by tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. He participates in SSF almost every year and pays homage to 'Swara Samrat' Ali Akbar Khan. Apart from the musicians or enthusiasts across genres, Zakir Hussain never fails to attract even the lay listeners who flock to the auditorium in thousands to 'see' him.

 

His solo tabla rendition in Teental began with Peshkar and remained rooted in traditional values, accompanied by Sabir Khan on the sarangi. During the complex phrases, Sabir Khan's melodic and rhythmic sense was laudably steady.

 


The recital by veteran violinist N. Rajam and her daughter-disciple Sangeeta Shankar, supported by tabla maestro Kumar Bose, evoked the intrinsic pathos of raga Bageshri and concluded the with Bhairavi.

 

Post retirement from Doordarshan, tabla maestro Sanjay Mukherjee, accompanied by Hiranmay Mitra on the harmonium, showcased the unique style flowered under guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Deftly accompanied by Hiranmay Mitra's harmonium, he played some of the awe-inspiring compositions of his guru with incredible ease.


Sarod exponent Debojyoti Bose is perhaps the only one who represents Gwalior Bangash Gharana in the city. Joined by Swapan Chaudhari's classic tabla, he demonstrated the nuances of Shyam Kalyan and offered a beautiful Tilak Kamod gat composed by Ali Akbar Khan.        


Shahid Parvez on the sitar mesmerised the listeners with Charukesi followed by Shahana and a Piloo dhun with Shubhajyoti Guha on the tabla. Flautist Rupak Kulkarni and his versions of Bhimpalasi, followed by its sister raga Hansakinkini, was accompanied by his tabla partner Hindole Majumdar. The delicate beauty of the second raga was remarkable.

 

Basant Kabra, on the sarod with Fazal Qureshi on tabla, presented raga Puria Kalyan, followed by a Majh Khamaj dhun set to Roopak. USA-based Sanjay Banerjee, better known as a successful organiser but lately seems to have taken his music rather seriously, displayed his musical talent with a melodious rendition of Madhuwanti. Parimal Chakraborty expertly supported him on tabla and Anirban Chakraborty on the harmonium.     

 

Madhumanti Maitra, a disciple of Amiya Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, a vocalist and an experienced anchor, hosted the entire festival with exemplary grace, enhancing its appeal.


 Pc: Avishek Dey

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