Art Forms and the Artistes

Biraha

Biraha is one of the most important forms of folk music that exist today, especially in Northern India. Biraha is the form of music sung by the Ahir community. Ahir as a community are people who raise cattle for milk.

One of the most famous folk singers of the region, Ram Kailash ji has been singing for at least the last six or seven decades and singing for All India Radio since 1949.
He has traveled to almost all parts of the country with his group and been honored with many awards. Though he mainly sings the ‘Biraha’ form- his repertoire is vast and includes all forms of the region.

His style is full of expression. Not only does he compose verses on the spot – relevant to the time of singing, he also sketches the picture of the song for the audience. With very subtle, graceful body movements and voice modulation – he is an institution in himself.

Margi Madhu

Margi Madhu is a Koodiyattam Maestro. He is one of the first artists to be trained at Margi Foundation, based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He learnt Koodiyattam at Margi under Padmashree Ammannur Madhava Chakiar and Moozhikulam Kochukuttan Chakkiar. Margi Madhu was trained in Koodiyattam in a rigorous and traditional way. He has performed in many national and international venues, including the prestigious Kennedy Center at Washington DC, USA in June 1977. Margi Madhu has also performed for the International jury of UNESCO. Margi Madhu also took part in the ‘Fusion of Art Show’ in Singapore, in 1998.

Koodiyattam

Koodiyattam is the only surviving classical Sanskrit theatre in India, now recognised by UNESCO as a Human Heritage Art. Kulasekhara Varma Cheraman Perumal, an ancient king of Kerala, is known as the creator of koodiyattam in its present form. His book Aattaprakaram, considered to be the most authentic work on this unique art form, describes the modes of performing Koodiyattam.

Ganesh and Kumaresh

Ganesh and Kumaresh are a well known duo of violin players who are a part of the South India music fraternity (Carnatic music). They are best known as modern contemporary artists who have done lot of service to “Sastriya Sangitam”. The Carnatic Music name limits its reach and appears to confine itself to a limited area whereas the name Sastriya Sangitam gives it the legitimate dignity and honour, and enlarges its reach to the entire universe. They are a dynamic duo of violinists, who have carved a niche for themselves in this era of great violinists. The brothers have gone deeper into the realm of the music and brought out a refreshingly original content and style for the instrument.

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello. The double bass is often described as a member of the violin family, though its tuning and other characteristics share much with the viol family.

Madhubani:

Madhubani painting is a style of Indian painting largely practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar and is thought to have originated at the time of the Ramayana when King Janak commissioned artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, to Lord Ram. Madhubani paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs, and the themes generally revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and religious plants like tulsi are also widely painted, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally no space is left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs.

Shanti Devi is a talented Mithila (Madhubani) painter balancing imagination and creative design sense. She has a unique eye for color and is highly innovation. She is painter of great repute all over the world. Her painting of FIVE FISHES was selected as design for Hermes scarf at Hermes sellier Paris, France. She has participated in many festivals, workshops and art exhibitions in India and abroad. She received certificate for appreciation at AMERICAN EMBASSY SCHOOL, Delhi in 2002 and since then participating each year in summer camp for children. She is a member of the Hast Kala Samithi since 1998.

FOLK FEST FORTNIGHT (Aug 30-Sept 10) during VIRASAT 2010

While SPIC MACAY lays greater stress on the classical forms, it recognises the multitudes of folk arts and crafts of the country. Therefore, with a view of exposing students to these, SPIC MACAY introduced folk art and craft forms as part of its repertoire as early as 1986. It encourages programmes through individual events of FOLK FESTS and CRAFT Workshops and also given the fact that they are becoming rarer, there has been a growing demand from institutions across India to expose their youth to these endangered art forms, and in recent years, over 20% of all SPIC MACAY events showcase folk art forms. This is being supported by an impetus from different agencies like the ICCR, and the Zonal Cultural Centres (EZCC, NZCC, etc) to preserve these art forms.

The rich tapestry of popular and rare folk art forms presented by Spic Macay to students include Chhau Dances – Seraikala, Mayurbhanj, and Purulia Chhau (Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal), Gujarati Devotional Music, Gurbani (Punjab), Haridasu (Andhra Pradesh), Harikatha

(Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra), Kabir Gayan, Kalaripayattu (Kerala), Kalbelia (Rajasthani Folk Dance), Maan Akhyan (Punjab), Manipuri Folk, Natyasangeet (Maharashtra), Pandavani (Chhatisgarh), Prahlad Natak (Orissa), Punjabi Folk Dance, Qawwali, Raas (Gujarati Folk), Rajasthani Folk, Shankhavadyam (Orissa folk), Sufi (Rajasthan, Punjab, UP, MP), Thoorpu Bhagvatham (Andhra Pradesh), Yakshagana (Karnataka), Yakshagana Gombeyata (Puppetry).

In Pune, in the last few years, SPIC MACAY has showcased Yakshagana (Karnataka), Yakshagana Gombeyata (puppetry from Karnataka), the Langas and Manganiars (Folk music of Rajasthan), Pandvani (Chhatisgarh), Purulia Chhau dance (West Bengal) and Natya Sangeet (Maharashtra). Art and Crafts Workshops conducted at Pune in the last few years include Pattachitra (Orissa), Block Printing (Gujarat) and Kalamkari (Andhra Pradesh).

SPIC MACAY is conducting the Folk Fest Fortnight for the next two weeks from August 30-September 10. The folk form being showcased during this Virasat 2010 are Biraha, a rare, yet expressive folk music from Northern India with Ram Kailash Yadav ji, from Uttar Pradesh and the folk art beign show-cased is Madhubani from Bihar by Smt Shanti Devi. Concerts by Ram Kailash Yadav ji (Biraha) will be held at DPS and ICFAI (Aug 30), FTII (Aug 31), IIBR Chinchwad (Sept 1). Madhubani Workshops by Smt Shanti Devi (Madhubani) will be held at DPS and Balkalyan Sanstha (Aug 30-Sept 4) and Janta School, Vishrantwadi and Symbiosis College of Management Studies, SCMS (Sept 6-11).

VIRASAT 2010

10 Aug	Bholanath Mishra	Hindustani Vocal	SCMS(Vimannagar)	3pm-5pm
18 Aug	Sharvari Jamenis	Kathak	Delhi Public School	10am-12noon
30 Aug	Ram Kailash Yadav	Biraha	Delhi Public School	10am-12noon
30 Aug	Ram Kailash Yadav	Biraha	ICFAI Business School	6pm-8pm
30 Aug- 4 Sept	Shantidevi	Madhubani	Delhi Public School	8am-10am
30 Aug- 4 Sept	Shantidevi	Madhubani	Balkalyan	12noon-2pm
31 Aug	Ram Kailash Yadav	Biraha	Vidya Pratishthan,Baramati	10am-12noon
31 Aug	Ram Kailash Yadav	Biraha	FTII	6pm-8pm
1 Sept	Ram Kailash Yadav	Biraha	IIBR	6pm-8pm
6 Sept-11 Sept	Shantidevi	Madhubani	Janata School	——
6 Sept-11 Sept	Shantidevi	Madhubani	SCMS(Vimannagar)	3-5pm
8 Sept	Rajendra Kulkarni	Flute	Vidya Pratishthan,Baramati	10am-12noon
15 Sept	Margi Madhu	Kudiyattam	COEP	6pm-8pm
16 Sept	Margi Madhu	Kudiyattam	Tolani Maritime Institute	6pm-8pm
16 Sept	Ganesh and Kumaresh	Violin	IIBR	6pm-8pm
17 Sept	Ganesh and Kumaresh	Violin	Global International School	10am-12noon
17 Sept	Ganesh and Kumaresh	Violin	Gokhale Institute	6pm-8pm
17 Sept	Margi Madhu	Kudiyattam	NCL-IISER	6pm-8pm
18 Sept	Ganesh and Kumaresh	Violin	Sahyadri School	6pm-8pm
25 Sept	Rithadevi	Odissi workshop	Sahyadri School	3-5pm

Heritage 2010: A report

SPIC MACAY Pune Chapter, in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) conducted the Heritage-2010 series from 15th to 30th of January, 2010. It was a series of concerts, lec-dems, workshops, talks, walks and film screenings aimed at showcasing our rich heritage in all its forms to the youth of Pune, especially targeted at foreign students.
The series was inaugurated with a divine concert by Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia at COEP, followed by a magnificent overnight on the next day which was started off by Pt. Birju Maharaj and ended by Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan. Sri Ajit Gupte, Deputy Director General of ICCR, and Dr. Kiran Seth, were present to inaugurate the series. The next 14 days saw concerts by many illustrious artists, including masters like Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt, Smt. Ileana Citaristi, Prof. TN Krishnan, Sri. TN Seshagopalan and Smt. Darshana Jhaveri. We also had Olav Dale’s Quartet, a Jazz group from Norway, who performed to enthusiastic audiences all over Pune. Shri Gurappa Chetty and Smt. Karuna Chitrakar conducted craft workshops and Shri Jamil Khan and his troupe enthralled crowds with their soulful Sufi songs. There was a second overnight concert at MITSOB on the 29th of January that was started off by Smt. Darshana Jhaveri and Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and ended by Smt. Padma Talwalkar.
Those two weeks of the Heritage series, and the month of preparation before it are full of cherished memories for all the volunteers involved in it. It was a tremendous undertaking, and a great opportunity for all of us to learn a great deal from some of the most illustrious citizens of our country. The series also got quite a bit of media coverage for SPIC MACAY, and has ensured that we have a much stronger presence in the minds of youth in Pune.

Some figures that describe the magnitude of Heritage-2010
·    75 Events split as – 46 concerts, 7 workshops, 4 talks, 4 walks and 14 film screenings
·    52 events were conducted during 16 days (Jan 15th – 30th) – 46 concerts, 3 workshops and 3 film screenings – the remaining happened during February.
·    Events held at 26 institutes, reaching out to over 16,000 people, including over 1500 foreign students.
·    26 main artists, 7 of them being from Pune
·    A total of 56 outstation artists hosted
·    2 overnight concerts – on the 16th (at COEP) and 29th (at MIT) of January

List of Artists (in alphabetical order) who contributed to Heritage-2010 in Pune –
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan – Hindustani Vocal
Smt. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande – Hindustani Vocal
Shri. Baha’ud’din Dagar – Dhrupad – Rudra Veena
Pt. Birju Maharaj and Smt. Saswati Sen – Kathak
Smt. Darshana Jhaveri – Manipuri
Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia – Flute
Smt. Ileana Citaristi – Odissi
Shri. J. Gurappa Chetty – Kalamkari Painting
Shri. Jamil Khan and Troupe – Sufi Music
Smt. Karuna Chitrakar – Patua Painting
Pt. Nayan Ghosh – Sitar
Olav Dale’s Quartet – Jazz
Smt. Padma Talwalkar – Hindustani Vocal
Shri. Rajendra Kulkarni – Flute
Smt. Ritha Devi – Odissi
Shri. Sarwar Hussain – Sarangi
Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar – Dhrupad Vocal
Su. Sharvari Jamenis – Kathak
Shri. Shaunak Abhisheki – Hindustani Vocal
Smt. Sucheta Chapekar – Bharatnatyam
Prof. T N Krishnan – Carnatic Violin
Shri. T N Seshagopalan – Carnatic Vocal
Shri. Uday Bhawalkar – Dhrupad Vocal
Shri. Venkatesh Kumar – Hindustani Vocal
Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt – Mohan Veena
Smt. Yogini Gandhi – Odissi

List of Institutes that hosted programmes in Heritage 2010 –

Colleges
Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC)
Bharati Vidyapeeth’s New Law College
College of Engineering, Pune (COEP)
Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER)
Institute of International Business and Research (IIBR)
MITCON Institute of Management
MIT Institute of Design (MITID)
MIT School of Business (MITSOB)
National Chemical Laboratory (NCL)
Ness Wadia College of Commerce
Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce
Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC)
Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS)
Sinhagad College, Vadgaon
School of Fashion Technology (SOFT)
Symbiosis College (Vishwabhavan)
Tolani Maritime Institute, Talegaon
University of Pune
Vishwakarma Institute of Technology (VIT)

Schools
DAV Public School
DPS, Ahmednagar
DPS, Kondhwa
Global Indian International School
Janta School
Jnana Prabodhini Navnagar Vidyalaya
Sharadanagar, Baramati

Being a SPIC MACAY Volunteer by P.Sruthi

“So, who’s getting the banners?” “Who’s picking up the artists?” “Who’s arranging the sound and lights?” “Which concert are you coordinating today?” “Most importantly, who is getting ‘the eye’?”…… this is about all we, in SPIC MACAY Pune, were talking about for the two weeks of the Heritage-2010 Series. Like always, SPIC MACAY does not need any major event manager to run the show. We, as a bunch of enthusiastic young college goers (or wait, we did miss a few days of college during that time!) managed to conduct 70 events in 15 days at over 25 institutes in and around Pune. Conducted from the 15th to the 30th of January, it was the biggest festival ever in Pune in terms of the number of events, depth and breadth of coverage.

Looking back, we indeed had some of the richest experiences of our lives in those times. Sometimes, there was no one from the institute to conduct the concert and SPIC MACAY volunteers had to do everything, right from cleaning up the concert hall to dropping off the artist! There were times when the hall was engaged for some other purpose until about 20 minutes before the concert began. We can never forget the times when a compeering team mispronounced the names of the artists or the time we nearly forgot to pick an artist up from the airport! However, apart from a few such glitches, we were able to pull off the event quite successfully.

I joined SPIC MACAY, Pune Chapter in November and Heritage Series was just round the corner. The weekly meetings then seemed like a fish market – everyone had lots to say and no one waited for the other to finish! During my winter vacations, I helped with making a souvenir that would be distributed during the series. It consisted of writing up profiles of all the artists who were to perform in the Heritage Series and also compiling short write-ups about each of the art forms. Apart from being an eye-opener for me, this little task was also great fun to do, especially when I got to read some amusing true life incidents of a few artists. I drew a great deal of motivation from these people who, against all odds, reached great heights in their respective arts, purely driven by their passion and love.

I returned to Pune five days before the Heritage Series started and was amazed to see the activity going on. Immediately after my return, my friend and I got stuck at the printer’s office for three days, compiling and making finishing touches to the souvenir. Meanwhile, those handling publicity were having a  hectic time – running all around getting posters and hoardings prepared and put up. I remember the pride I felt when I stood on Senapati Bapat road one night and stared happily at our hoarding put up there… After a lot of phone calls and e-mails, the first press conference was held four days before the series began. Those handling the finances were constantly talking to different companies for sponsorship. Coordinating with artists, arranging vehicles for picking them up from airports and stations, conducting orientation programmes for the volunteers from the institutes hosting concerts – all these formed an essential part of organising the series. A friend and I even fought over which one of us got to receive the artists at their hotels! Many of us were permanently on our mobile phones, and on the road.

D Day arrived – on 15th January the Heritage Series kicked off with the inaugural concert by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia at COEP. That was the first time I participated in a concert being organized, and it was a lot of work. The evening was made even more memorable for me when Kiran Seth-ji asked some of us to sit on the stage and listen. I felt so thrilled to sit so close to the great master and enjoy his amazing Bansuri.

But that was just the beginning. On the following day was the over night concert at the same venue. This time, there was much more work to do as there were six concerts lined up one after the other! It began with a breath-taking performance by Pandit Birju Maharaj and his disciple Smt. Saswati Sen, both front ranking Kathak dancers. It was a fantastic performance – the hall was so full that people were sitting on the floor all the way up to and on the stage. One dazzling performance followed another, and before we knew it, the next day had dawned and Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan was singing the last bhajan of the overnight.

All in all, it was a marvellous beginning to the colossal event to follow. From then on, each one of us attended at least one concert everyday to make sure everything was taken care of. There were some taking care of publicity, some writing articles and updates about the concerts to the newspapers, some coordinating with the artists, some coordinating with the institutes, some taking care of the finance and sponsors, some looking after the website and many more. Each and every volunteer contributed a great deal and worked with dedication and perseverance.

But the most rewarding part of the whole event was the interaction with the artists. I could not believe that these people, in spite of their distinction and renown, were so modest and affable. They were so glad to talk to us youngsters. Personally, some of my most memorable moments were – chatting with Prof TN Krishnan over dinner and finding him a very jovial, grandfatherly person; conversing with Shri Sarwar Hussain over tea after a tiring day and discussing the various aspects of Carnatic and Hindustani music; chatting about movies with Smt. Ileana Citaristi over lunch after a concert; getting lyrics of the poetic Sufi songs and discussing their meanings with Shri Jamil Khan; chatting away in my mother tongue (Kannada) with Shri Venkatesh Kumar; discussing the various dance forms of India with the iconic dancer Smt. Ritha Devi; commenting on Twenty20 cricket with Shri Sankaranarayanan, Mridangam player over dinner and many, many more.

The euphoria during the first concert, students overflowing for the Birju Maharaj concert, some sparsely filled halls, spending hours with friends in a Cafe and discussing the various issues regarding the series, the satisfaction gained from watching inspired people signing up as volunteers for our organisation, sitting on the stage and listening to maestros perform, making long-lasting friends – all these moments are priceless. I received lessons in handling manpower, resource management, finance, communication, publicity, advertising and most importantly, values and morality – something that you cannot learn in any college or school. In this way, I think SPIC MACAY gave me much more in return than what I had contributed, and I shall forever treasure those wonderful moments. I now proudly call myself a SPIC MACAY Volunteer.

- Sruthi Polali

Special Overnight Series at MIT Group of Colleges on January 29, 2010

The second overnight concert series is being held at the Dyaneshwar Hall of the MAEER’s MIT Group of Colleges. The artistes performing during the overnight concert are –
·    Padmashri Darshana Jhaveri (Manipuri)
·    Padmashri Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena)
·    Shri M Venkatesh Kumar (Hindustani Vocal)
·    Ustad Baha’uddin Dagar (Dhrupad – Rudra Veena)
·    Smt Padma Talwalkar (Hindustani Vocal)

All these artistes and many other eminent artistes of different genres contribute immensely. Apart from giving their truly inspiring performances, they also contribute by their time and money, since these concerts are conducted totally free of cost for the students. They believe that all our art forms are a means of meditation and connecting with one’s inner self or a higher force. They also take the effort to reach out to the youth by demystifying the arts, since youth say that they stay away from these concerts due to a lack of understanding of the technicalities of the art form.

Since many of the programmes are either during the day or evening, many of the ragas which are sung or played specially in the night or early morning, are not heard by the people today. Some examples of late night ragas are Bihag, Shankara, Darbari Kannada, Sohini, Paraj. Some examples of early morning ragas are Lalit, Jogiya, Bhairav, Ramkali and Gunkali. “One who sings knowing the proper times remains happy. By singing ragas at wrong time one ill-treats them. Listening to them, one becomes impoverished and sees the length of one’s life reduced”.

Padmashri Vishwamohan Bhatt

Creator of the Mohan Veena, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (born 1952) is one of the greatest and most expressive slides players in the world. He is the foremost disciple of renowned Sitarist, Pt. Ravi Shankar. By incorporating elements of sitar, sarod and veena, and by adding more strings to a Hawaiian Slide Guitar, he has designed the Mohan Veena and Vishwa Veena.
Some outstanding features of Bhatt’s style are his natural ability to play the ‘Tantrakari Ang’ (instrumental style of music) and incorporate the ‘Gayaki Ang’ (vocal style in instrumental music) on Mohan Veena. With his electrifying music, he has always mesmerized the audiences, be it in the United States of America, Europe, Gulf countries or his motherland India.
He won the Grammy Award in 1994 along with Ry Cooder for their World Music Album, ‘A MEETING BY THE RIVER’. He has received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the Padmashri Award, apart from many other accolades and honors. In India, he cherishes performing for the SPICMACAY, the Saptak Festival at Ahmedabad and the Sawai Gandharva Fest at Pune. Apart from being a star performer, he is a master composer too. As an excellent collaborator, he did a historic jugalbandi with a Chinese Ehru player Jei Bing Chang, has also combined with ace American Dobro guitar player Jerry Douglas.

Mohan Veena:

The Mohan Veena is a highly modified Hawaiian slide guitar invented by Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt. By incorporating elements of sitar, sarod and veena, and by adding more strings, he has designed the Mohan Veena and taken it to unbelievable heights. According to Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, “The integration of the features of other classical instruments into a single instrument with a touch of acoustics engineering produces a different feeling.” Outstanding features of Mohan Veena are its natural ability to play the ‘Tantrakari Ang’ (instrumental style of music) and incorporate the ‘Gayaki Ang’ (vocal style in instrumental music). Thus, this new Indianised instruments is sending waves of awe and wonder with its versatile and diverse form.

Sri Venkatesh Kumar

Prof. M Venkateshkumar hails from Bellary district in Karnataka. From a young age, he was strongly influenced by his father, who was a renowned artist. Impressed by his genuine dedication to music, Pt. Puttaraj Gawayi took him on as a pupil in his gurukul. After years of rigorous training, M. Venkateshkumar effectively inherited the Kirana and the Gwalior gharana singing styles with all its nuances. He also received a post graduate degree in music from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.
Prof. Venkateshkumar is gifted with a mellifluous, robust and vibrant voice, rich in tradition and deep in devotion. His vast experience and deep-rooted commitment has made him a name to reckon with. He has performed at all major music festivals in India and has also been invited to perform at the AKKA Kannada Sammelan in Florida.
Currently, he teaches music at the Karnatak College of Music, Dharwad. He is the recipient of several titles such as Swarashree, Sangeet Sudhakara, Sangeeta Ratna, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award (1999), Karnataka Sangeet Natya Academy Award (2007), Vatsalathal Bhimsen Joshi Award 2008 among others.

Sri Baha’ud’din Dagar

Baha’ud’din Dagar hails from the Illustrious Dagar family, and represents the 20th Generation of the Dagar parampara of the Dagarbani school of Music. The Dagar family has made great contributions to Indian music, having started and sustained one of the 3 major traditions of Dhrupad – the Dagar school. Baha’ud’din Dagar is a master of a very rare instrument, the Been, more popularly known as the Rudra Veena. His father, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and uncle, Ustad Zia Fareeduddin Dagar, had both studied vocal music, the sitar, and the Been, from his grandfather, Ustad Ziauddin Khan. They kept the Dagar tradition alive and were instrumental in reviving it through their students.
Baha’ud’din Dagar began his training with his father at the age of 11. He learnt with vocal music as a base, and continues to practise with vocal music even today. His father passed away when he was only 20 years old, so his training was continued with his uncle.

Rudra Veena (Been):

The Rudra Veena is an ancient plucked string instrument used mainly in Dhrupad music. It has a long tubular body made of wood or bamboo, with two resonators made of hollowed out gourds attached under the ends of the tube. Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar was one of the greatest exponents of the Rudraveena in the 20th Century. He modified the instrument a bit, and changed the posture of playing it. Traditionally, the Been is played with the artist sitting on his knees (in the Vajrasana). However, he started holding the Rudraveena with the lower gourd on his lap and the upper behind his shoulder. This posture gives greater agility to the artist, allowing for more controlled and impactful strokes.
As said by Baha’ud’din Dagar, “Our instrument is meant for delivering the maximum musical value with the minimum number of strokes.” The Rudra Veena is a very rare instrument these days. However, interest in the instrument is being revived in the gurukuls and the masters of today.

Smt. Padma Talwalkar

Padma Talwalkar, one of the most note-worthy Hindustani vocalists of India, received training in Khyal (classical) gayaki (vocal) in three main styles or gharanas: Gwalior, Kirana and Jaipur. She initially learnt under Pt. Gangadhar Pimpalkhare. Later for a few years, she trained under Moghubai Kurdikar of the Jaipur gharana. Later she learnt under Pt. Gajananrao Joshi, a master of the Jaipur, Agra and Gwalior gharanas. Therefore, her singing assimilates and depicts the best of all the three diverse styles of singing. Padma’s talent attracted recognition while she was still a student in the form of the Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Scholarship, and then the prestigious Kasarbai Karkar Fellowship of the National Centre of Performing Arts. Since then, Padma has given various concerts in the country and abroad, besides being a popular broadcaster over the radio and television.

Hindustani Classical Music:

Hindustani Classical Music, indigenous to North India is a subtle integration of the concepts of Raag and Taal. Raag is the intricate system of scales and associated melodic patterns which correspond with moods, colors, seasons, and hours of day and night. Raags express melodic structure whereas the taal organizes the rhythm.

The Hindustani music reached its zenith during the rule of the Mughal emperor Akbar mainly due to Mian Tansen, who was one of the nine jewels in his court. It was during this era that Hindustani music, like an ever flowing river, absorbed many streams of varied musical cultures to make it richer, more colorful yet retain its pristine purity, beauty and grandeur.
The two main vocal traditions in Hindustanic music are dhrupad, the purest of all, and khayaal, with a romantic content and elaborate ornamentation. Among the two, Khayaal developed as a more popular alternative as it contains both slow and lively compositions, though it retains its classical character. A typical vocal concert is accompanied by the percussion instrument, Tabla, which maintains the taal.  Apart from singing the usual classical composition (Bandishes), the depth of imagination and creativity of the performer is revealed in the aalaap (elaborating the raga) jhod (variations) and jhala (rapid rhythmic singing).
Hindustani Music is also played on a number of instruments which include the stringed instruments – Sitar, Sarod, Sarangi, Mohan Veena, Rudra Veena, Violin, the wind instruments – Bansuri, Shehnai and the percussion instruments – Tabla and Pakhawaj.

Latest updated schedule Virasat 2010

28-Jan	10.00 am	Darshana Jhaveri	Manipuri	Sharadanagar, Baramati
28-Jan	6.00 pm	Darshana Jhaveri	Manipuri	Jnana Prabodhini, Nigdi
28-Jan	10.00 am	Jamil Khan	Sufi – Folk	Janta School, Vishrantwadi
28-Jan	7.00 pm	Jamil Khan	Sufi – Folk	NCL-IISER (NCL Audi), Pashan Rd
29-Jan	11.00 am	Darshana Jhaveri	Manipuri	U’sity of Pune (Namdeo Sabhagruh)
29-Jan	Classical Overnite 9.00pm – 6.00am	Darshana Jhaveri	Manipuri	MITSOB, Paud Road, Kothrud
29-Jan		Vishwamohan Bhatt	Mohanveena	MITSOB, Paud Road, Kothrud
29-Jan		Venkatesh Kumar	Hindustani Vocal	MITSOB, Paud Road, Kothrud
29-Jan		Bahauddin Dagar	Dhrupad – Rudraveena	MITSOB, Paud Road, Kothrud
29-Jan		Padma Talwalkar	Hindustani Vocal	MITSOB, Paud Road, Kothrud
30-Jan	10.00 am	Vishwamohan Bhatt	Mohanveena	Global School, Pimpri
30-Jan	6.30 pm	Vishwamohan Bhatt	Mohanveena	VIT, Bibwewadi
Heritage Walk
Sundays	10.00 am	Pune’s Heritage Monuments	Heritage Walk	MITID, Loni Kalbhor
27-31Jan	10.00 am	Pune’s Heritage Monuments	Heritage Walk	DPS, Kondhwa
Music and Dance Workshops
27-29 Jan	11-1pm	Sayeeduddin Dagar	Dhrupad – Vocal	College of Engineering, Pune
8-10 Feb	11-1pm	Rita Devi	Odissi	College of Engineering, Pune
Film Classics
28-Jan	5.30 pm	Aparajito	Film  – Satyajit Ray	COEP Seminar Hall
29-Jan	5.30 pm	Apur Sansar	Film  – Satyajit Ray	COEP Seminar Hall
16-Feb	6.30 pm	Roshomon	Film  – Akira Kurosawa	Tolani Maritime Institute, Talegaon
17-Feb	6.30 pm	The Hidden Fortress	Film  – Akira Kurosawa	Tolani Maritime Institute, Talegaon
18-Feb	6.30 pm	Seven Samurai	Film  – Akira Kurosawa	Tolani Maritime Institute, Talegaon

SPIC MACAY conducts Dhrupad workshop by Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar at COEP, Jan27-29

Ustad H. Sayeeduddin Dagar was born on 20th April 1939 in Alwar, Rajasthan.  He belongs to the unbroken lineage of illustrious Dagar family of Dhrupad music propagated by Baba Behram Khan Dagar of Jaipur. He has kept this tradition vibrantly alive and represents the 19th generation in this tradition along with brothers Late Padmabhushan Ustad N. Aminuddin Khan Dagar, Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Khan Dagar, Late Ustad N. Zahiruddin Khan Dagar and Late Ustad N. Faiyazuddin Khan Dagar. His father Late Ustad Hussainuddin Khan Dagar (alias Tansen Pandey of Kolkata) was his first guru, from whom he started learning at the age of six. After the death of his father in 1963, in Kolkata he learnt extensively from his uncle Late Padmabhushan Ustad Rahimuddin Khan Dagar. Later he took training under his brothers and considers himself a student of Dhrupad.

About Dhrupad
Dhrupad (origin Brijbhasha and Sanskrit dhruvapada’ meaning the ‘true song’ or ‘the song of truth’ = “Dhruvatara”, the evening star or the star that is fixed and never trembles + “Pada”, word or poetry)
Dhrupad is a form of Hindustani Classical music, or “margi sangeet”, as distinct from “deshi sangeet” or folk music. It is a highly developed classical art form, with its own complex grammar and sets of rules. Its current format is still in the same traditional style as it was when it started thousands of years ago.

Have you ever wondered? The Dagars are muslims but sing dhrupad, which actually has Hindu texts of Gods and Goddesses, sung with syllables from some mantra. What better example of the co-existent and liberal traditions of India?

Sufi singer Jamil Khan at Virasat 2010

Shri Jamil Khan is a sufi singer hailing from Bikaner, Rajasthan. He comes from the tradition of Langas and Manganiars, a muslim community dedicated to the Sufi music. From a young age he has trained in the art and has reached sublime heights with his music. Along with his troupe, he is able to bring out the emotive power of the Sufi Poetry. He performs his art in order to lose himself in his music and draw closer to the Divine. He has performed many times for SPIC MACAY and all around the country. Get elevated by the elegant and rhythmic swing of Shri Jamil Khan’s Sufi music at any of these venues

27-Jan     6.30 pm     SIMC, Viman Nagar
28-Jan    10.00am    Janta School, Vishrantwadi
28-Jan     7.00 pm     NCL – IISER (NCL Auditorium), Pashan Road

Sufi music is a genre of music inspired by Sufism its philosophy, and most importantly by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafez, Faiz, Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah and Kabir. The Thar Desert of Rajasthan, a north western state of India, holds many secrets in her heart. Sufi Music is one of the most wonderful of the art forms that originated there. The Manganiar and related Langa communities are a few of the most talented and note-worthy artists of this art form. They are Muslim communities who have a most unique style that can dazzle you. Large families of singers, dancers and musicians travel the desert and sing heart wrenching songs of love, worship and praise. The culture of Hindus and Muslims is interwoven beautifully and their innocent performances move you. The drama of the desert unfolds in each note, making this unique music very popular among youth of India and across the border in Pakistan.

SPIC MACAY showcases the best from East and West borders of India to Pune youth on Jan 27-28

SPIC MACAY (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth) in association with ICCR (International Council for Cultural Relations) is proud to present a sumptuous display of folk and classical art forms from the eastern and western extremities of India as a part of its Heritage 2010 festival on Jan 27 and 28. Manipuri dancers from the Eastern tip led by Padmashri Darshana Jhaveri and Shri Jamil Khan and his troupe of Sufi musicians from the Western frontier of India, Bikaner district in Rajasthan, bordering Pakistan.

Darshana Jhaveri is one of the founder members of Manipuri Nartanalaya at Bombay, Calcutta and Manipur, established in 1972 and ever since, she has been actively associated with it in teaching, creative productions performances and publishing 17 books. She received many honors and awards including Vishwa Gurjari Award, Nritya Vilas, Hon. Doctorate from City University of Los Angeles, Natya Praveena, Nritya Mallika just to name a few. She is the recepient of the prestigious National Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and President’s Award Padmashri. A leading Manipuri dancer, Darshana Jhaveri is a senior disciple of Guru Bipin Singh. Along with her renowned Jhaveri sisters, she devoted herself to Manipuri dance at a young age. Since 1958 she has been regularly giving performances in India and abroad. For more than thirty years she has been assisting her guru in his teaching, research and choreography. She has been closely associated with the teaching and other activities of Manipuri Nartanalaya at Calcutta, Mumbai and Imphal. She has published many articles and has co-authored Manipuri Nartan and Manipuri Tla Prakash. Witness these exhilarating performances at any of the venues

27-Jan     6.30 pm       Symbiosis College      (Vishwabhavan), SB Road
28-Jan     10.00am     Sharadanagar, Baramati
28-Jan     6.00 pm      Jnana Prabodhini, Nigdi
29-Jan     11.00am     University of Pune (Namdeo Sabhagruh)