Reviews
Shubhadhwani

I was deeply moved while watching an audiovisual documentary on
the life and works of tabla wizard Subhankar Banerjee, who, at the peak of his
career, succumbed to Covid in 2021. What a huge volume of work in different
fields of life in general and music, in particular, he has left behind! His
best gift to the world of music is a clutch of well-groomed disciples,
including Aarchik, his son.
Inspired by their vocalist mother, Nibedita, both Aarchik and
Aahiri, along with their extended family, competently organised musicals to
mark the birthday of their loving father, followed by his death anniversary
under the aegis of Kajalrekha Musical Foundation and Taalsen Music Academy. These
organisations were founded by the 'young' legend amidst shubhadhwani (auspicious sound). With the same title, the birthday
was fondly observed at the prestigious Vivekananda Hall, Golpark, while the
following event was held at EZCC Hall, Salt Lake.
Ironically, two veteran tabla maestros, Sanjay Mukherjee and
Samar Saha, grabbed the limelight on both occasions. Mukherjee's recital was
oozing with reverence for his art. Starting from a gayaki-anga peshkar, every
mnemonic, phrase, composition or jati came alive with the touch of his agile
fingers. Hiranmay Mitra, disciple-accompanist of the master, also sang through
his harmonium. Such was the charming impact that Mukherjee received a
spontaneous standing ovation from the packed hall. In comparison, Saha, a
believer in edutainment, enchanted his audience with traditional uthhaan,
kayda, baant, and rela with a thrilling combination of teental, jhaptal, ektal,
gat, parans (mostly chakradar) as the final artist of the closing day.
Vocalist Waseem Ahmed Khan gave a vivid account of Agra gayaki by selecting Poorvi, a
gharana-favourite raga, as the opening artist. The raga's intrinsic element of
devotion dominated in his alap, bandish-gayaki (Naiya mori paar karo, slow Ek taal), (Mathura na jaiyo, fast Teen taal) and open, tuneful, heart-rending
pukars reaching out to upper pancham. Ashoke Mukherjee's tabla and Sarwar
Hussain's melodious sarangi encouraged his skill show with adroit accompaniment
during cajoling behlawa, intelligent baant and taans with well-chiseled grains
of varied sizes. He signed off with a lovely portrayal of Gaud Malhar. Shatanik
Chatterjee, Khan's gifted disciple, offered commendable vocal support.
Anjishnu Mukherjee, a talented teen
training with tabla maestro Arup Chatterjee, sprang a pleasant surprise by
going solo and that too on the final day that was dedicated to only tabla. He
was fortunate to have Hiranmay's steady harmonium support that enhanced his
immaculate sense of laya, and his extraordinary taiyari with pristine nikas
vouched for his bright future. Earlier, a group of four young students of
Taalsen Academy, aided by Debashish Karmakar's time-keeping naghma on
harmonium, commenced the second evening with their superb tabla tarpan
(oblation). Among them, Advay Gupta and Debarghyo Das caught the attention for
their contribution's euphoric clarity. Later, Samarpan, another tabla-vocal ensemble offered by the academy's students,
showcased an enthralling monsoon mood through Jhap taal (Megh khayal bandish)
and Teen taal (Des tarana).
A popular sitarist of his
generation, Purbayan Chatterjee is known for experimental music. With Aarchik
Banerjee (tabla) and Pratham Chatterjee (tanpura) he chose to etch Behag in the
final slot of the festival. He began the alap with revealing phrases adorned
with alluring bends, melodious kan, murki, meed, zamzama, and gamak taans. One
expected a lot from this young, brilliant team, but jod onwards, Chatterjee
strayed in the mirage of chords, which did not flatter the raga. His gambits
hardly enjoyed Aarchik's pleasing potential. Rimpa Shiva, the famous lady tabla
exponent and gurubehen of Subhankar Banerjee, could not rise to the occasion
despite her laborious style of execution. PC: Shiladitya Chattoraj