On 17.11.09 Corporate Human Resources of ITC Ltd invited us to host an event showcasing our talented scholars for the Managers Training Programme held at the ITC Sonar. The five scholars who performed were Anindita Deb, Deborshee Bhattacharya and Manali Bose in classical Vocal, Saket Sahu on the Violin and Abir Hussain on the Sarod. They were accompanied by Gopal Mishra on tabla and Rupashree Bhattacharya on harmonium. Abhijit Apasthamb and Sohini Bhattacharya provided tanpura support.

Gurus Pt Arun Bhaduri and Pt Falguni Mitra were present to give encouragement to the scholars. Anindita gave a beautiful presentation of Raga Multani, Saket presented an uplifting Raga Hamsadwani, while Deborshee presented Bihag. Abir played a version of Raga Desh learnt from his Guruji and the concluding performance was by Manali. She sang two bandishes of Raga Rageshri.

The performances were extremely well received and as a token of ITC Ltd’s appreciation, the Gurus were felicitated by Mr Kurush Grant. The scholars were given a token of appreciation by Mr R Srinivasan and the accompanists by Mr Anand Nayak. The evening ended with an elaborate dinner.

The last Wednesday of October ( 28/10/09) brought tabla prodigy Rimpa Siva to the ITC SRA platform once more. Rimpa, who is still attending college, started performing when she was six. All her learning is from her father Pt Swapan Siva, disciple of the Late Ustad Keramatullah Khan of “Farukhabad Gharana”, who has not only trained her but also numerous other well known tabla players of this generation - notably Shubhankar Banerjee. She has already performed all over India and the world and has accompanied maestros like Pt Jasraj and Pandit Hariprasad Chourasia . Honours and accolades have been showered upon her.

Rimpa began with a performance in Teentala. It began with a vilambit gat after which she started her display of various compositions by legendary tabla artistes. The first and second compositions were a Kaida and Rela by Ustad Keramatullah Khan followed by Ustad Abid Hussain Khan’s Kaida. Then she displayed a Tukra by Pt Ananth Nath Bose and Ustad Keramatullah Khan. She concluded with a Chakradhar by Pt Kanai Dutta. She went on to demonstrate Tala Rupak. She used a lot of Bols for her display which added grandeur to her performance. The audience, enthralled by her skill and dexterity, responded with tremendous applause at the end of her recital .

Dr Ronald Kurt visited ITC SRA on 10th October 2009, Saturday as a guest of Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Prof Kurt is Professor for Sociology at the University of Kassel, Germany and is also head of a research project “Intercultural Understanding in Schools of the Ruhr Region”, KWI Essen (Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities).

Prof Kurt showed snippets from his documentary film “Be a Medium” with a special emphasis on “Guru Shishya Parampara”. This film was partly shot in ITC SRA about four years ago. The campus and Gurus were featured for about 10 mins in the film.

Later another documentary by the professor was screened. This is a documentary on a Fusion Music Workshop held in Germany. The film laid emphasis on the divergence as well as convergence in the world of Western as well as Indian music. The film showed a final recital of Fusion music by German and Indian students of Music, a composition by Pandit Madhup Mudgal.

The film show was followed by a recital by our own students. Our Musician Scholar Supratik Sengupta gave a recital on the Sitar after which young Junior Scholar, Subha Ghosh gave a Vocal recital. A gala lunch capped the morning’s events.

Ukrainian ethnomusicologist, Olha Kolomyyets is a lecturer at the Franko National University in Lviv. Faculty of Culture and Arts, currently teaching subjects like Ukrainian musical folklore, World music and the Music of the Orient. Her special interests are Traditional Rites in family life in Ukrainian folk music, Hindustani classical music (vocal genres, especially khayal) and comparative analyses between Ukrainian and world traditional culture. A recipient of numerous scholarships, she has conducted intensive research, participated in many conferences and has had several papers published on her range of subjects. 

Olha poses on the verdant lawns of ITC SRA.

Introduced to the Kirana style of Hindustani Classical Music by a friend in Ukraine, Olha spent 17 days at our Academy in August 2009, researching various aspects of the Kirana gharana, under Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan. Her quest was to describe the gharana itself, its origin and roots; investigate the contribution of the historical figures of the gharana as well as modern musicians; and finally, to analyze the origin and development of the genre, its position among other genres of vocal varieties of Hindustani music and its musical characteristics. Her research is the first of its kind in Ukraine.

During her stay here, she had the opportunity to listen to ITC SRA’s immense archives and take taalim (training) from Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan. She also conducted in-depth interviews with the Ustad to facilitate her study. Thus, she acquired both theoretical and practical knowledge, the latter being a valuable add-on, which helped her go deeper into her research.

Over and above the call of her research, Olha was able to observe and be a part of a day in the life of a practicing musician. This was the highlight of her research trip to ITC SRA – to witness the relationship between guru and shishya, to observe all facets of their professional and personal relationship – a most interesting experience.

Olha interviews Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan with his student, Shounak Chatterjee acting as interpreter.

Over and above the call of her research, Olha was able to observe and be a part of a day in the life of a practicing musician. This was the highlight of her research trip to ITC SRA – to witness the relationship between guru and shishya, to observe all facets of their professional and personal relationship – a most interesting experience.

Olha benefited immensely from all the help she received – from staff, scholars and musicians alike as well as from the library and archives facilities. She was, in particular, very impressed with the extremely well organized program that was tailor-made for her. Thanks to this, her day was filled with numerous interesting activities that gave her a multi dimensional insight into the world of Hindustani Classical Music.

On the eve of her departure, she gave a very interesting presentation to all of us at the Academy – giving us a peep into traditional Ukrainian music.

Sometime in early August, we had yet another visitor, Mr Pierre Grammon. Here is his story :

“Coming from France, one of the main targets of my third trip to India was to listen, enjoy and learn more about Hindustani music and I feel really lucky that I found by lucky chance, the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, where people welcomed me and kindly took some of their time to show me and teach me some aspects of this music that I love.

First, although I am a 32-year-old mechanical engineer working in Paris, France, listening to and playing guitar has been my main passion for years. After concentrating on Jazz (in particular the saxophone player, John Coltrane), I started to discovered Indian classical vocal and instrumental music a few years back. The more I listened to CDs and concerts, the more I loved the melodic and rhythmic subtleties of this highly sophisticated and beautiful music that speak to both to my brain and my heart. My CD player finally playing almost only Indian classical music during the last year, I started to learn tabla in Paris with Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan a few months ago. Naturally, I decided to visit India again during my summer holidays, this time, for a music-focused journey.

I arrived in Kolkata on August the 2nd, and I immediately liked the city's relaxed and cultural atmosphere. On the second and third evenings I really enjoyed a music festival in Jhulanbari Temple. But, during the days, I tried to find a music school without success. Quite by chance, an employeeof the India Tourist Office "Incredible India" told me that I ought to go to the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, in front of the Tollygunge metro station. I decided to go there immediately, without knowing yet at all the prestige tthat the Academy enjoys.

As soon as I entered in the ITC-SRA complex, I noticed, as a good omen, the sculpture of the singing bird on the tabla. While I was trying to explain my case at the reception, I met the webmaster, Ratnaboli Bose who impressed with my interest, immediately took me across to meet Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta. Pandit Dasgupta spoke to me and asked me to come and attend class the following day. Almost immediately, Pandit Dasgupta started to show me the notes on the Sarod. That evening, after a wonderful Wednesday Recital (featuring the Sarod scholar Abir Hossein), I had the great opportunity to meet the ITC-SRA Executive Director, Mr Ravi Mathur who kindly introduced me to Pandit Arun Bhaduri and Pandit Samar Saha, with the authorization to also attend their vocal and tabla classes during my stay.

Although I quickly understood that I was a complete beginner in the middle of really advanced scholars and students, I listened and learnt as much as I could in these few weeks: melodies, rhythms and a fascinating approach to the music purity and creativity. I found all the people really nice and patient with me and I have been particularly impressed by the really respectful relationship between master and pupils.

I would like to thank everybody at the ITC-SRA, and, when I return to France, I will be happy to help the academy by networking with the Hindustani music lovers, musicians or concert organizers community in France.

Thank you very much again,

Pierre”. 

Pierre poses in front of the tabla-koel (cuckoo) sculpture which is the ITC SRA logo, and his "good omen".

The term guru means one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and infuses the light of awareness into our lives. And the word Purnima means full moon day. Guru Purnima celebrates the might of one's teacher or guru through respect and reverence.

Mr Anand Nayak lighting the inaugural lamp

The full moon day in the month of Ashad (mid-June to mid-July) is observed as the auspicious day of Guru Purnima, a day sacred to the memory of the great sage Vyas, to whom is attributed the authorship of the great epic "Mahabharata", the eighteen Puranas, the Brahma sutras and the classification of the four Vedas.

Samarth Nagarkar chanting the Gurupoojan mantra

In ancient India where there were gurukuls or ashrams, it was this day when the shishya venerated his or her guru. In continuance of this tradition, on Tuesday July 7, 2009, the scholars and general class students of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy paid homage to their gurus.

Manali Bose and Sucheta Ganguly singing the invocation

The celebrations began with the lighting of the inaugural lamp by Mr Anand Nayak, trustee ITC-SRA. The gurus were then felicitated in turn, with Samarth Nagarkar chanting the Gurupoojan mantra. This was followed by an invocation by Sucheta Ganguly and Manali Bose.

Scholars in performance

 The students began with a group presentation of a khayal in Raga Bhairav “Guru hamare antaryami”, set to teentala. This was followed by a solo performance by scholar Brajeshwar Mukherjee who sang khayals in Raga Jaunpuri, “Guru charana bina mohe kachhu nahi bhave” in jhaptala and “Prabhu mohe bharosa ek tiharo” in teentala.

Brajeshwar Mukherjee singing Raga Jaunpuri

The programme ended with a sitar-sarod jugalbandi of alap and gat in Raga Bhairavi by scholars Supratik Sengupta and Abir Hossain.

The third Wednesday in May brought ex-scholar Shrimati Rajyashree Ghosh to the Academy. Initiated into Hindustani vocal music at a tender age, she subsequently emerged as a gold medalist both in the B.A. and M.A. in khayal, from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. In 1986 she received the National Scholarship, being trained by Pandit Amiya Ranjan Banerjee.

Later she became a scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, under the able tutelage of Vidushi Girija Devi and Pandit Arun Bhaduri. She also supplemented her talim under Pandit K.G. Ginde. She began the evening’s performance with khayals in Raga Nand, after which she sang a khayal in Rag ramdasi Malhar. She then sang two dadras, one in Raga Piloo and the other in Raga Khamaj. On request she concluded with two Bengali Puratani songs. She was ably accompanied on the tabla by Shri Samar Saha, while Shrimati Rupashree Bhattacharya provided harmonium support..

In the third week of May, the performance of the scholars and general class students of the Academy was evaluated during the annual gradation tests. The process began a fortnight prior to the tests, with the scholars submitting lists of the Ragas learnt during the year. While general class students are expected to present only khayals in these Ragas, scholars are also graded on their ability to present dhrupads and dhamars.

The second Wednesday in April brought a guest artiste to the Academy, Shri K.Upendra Bhat. Beginning his musical career under Sangeeth Vidwan Shri Narayan Pai of Mangalore, Shri Bhat received further training under Pandit Madhav Gudi, a senior disciple of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. In 1980, after moving to Pune, he has been receiving regular talim from his legendary Guru Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

A graded artist of All India Radio, he holds a Masters Degree in Music – Sangeet Visharad and Sangeet Alankar – awarded by Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai. He has performed at most of the prestigious festivals in India and also at UK, USA, Dubai, Bahrain, and the Middle East. Felicitated on the 7th Birth Centenary of Saint Dnyaneshwar, he has also received ‘Musician of the Year Award’ from the Andhra Pradesh Association of North America (2000), a citation during the ‘Millennium Konkani Sammelan,’ held in Chicago (2000) and “Karnataka Rajya Prashasti Award 2008” on the occasion of the “Karnataka Rajyotsav”.

He began the evening’s performance with khayals in Raga Puriya Dhanashri, followed by a thumri in Raga Khamaj. On request he also presented khayals in Ragas Tilak Kamod, Basant and Kalashri. He was ably accompanied on the tabla by Shri Jishnu Sirkar, disciple of Pandit Anand Gopal Bandopadhyay, while Shrimati Rupashree Bhattacharya provided harmonium support.

The third Wednesday in March featured a sitar-sarod jugalbandi by Shri Ganesh Mohan and Shri Pradeep Barot. Shri Mohan’s playing style aims at a synthesis of three Gharanas, as he has learnt from Pandit Gopal Nag, Pandit Manilal Nag, Pandit Ajay Sinha Ray and Pandit Arvind Parikh and is greatly influenced by Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. Shri Pradeep Barot’s approach to music is traditional and yet highly creative. Initiated by his father, he also learnt from Shri Vasant Rai, a disciple of Ustad Allauddin Khan, before becoming a disciple of Vidushi Annapurna Devi. That evening they began with alap, jod, gat and jhala in Raga Shree, followed by a gat in Raga Gavati and a dhun. They were accompanied on the tabla by Pandit Samar Saha.

Ex-scholar Janab Waseem Khan performed in the last Wednesday of the month. Grandson of Ustad Basheer Khan Sahib, he took his initial taalim from his maternal grandfather Ustad Ata Hussain Khan Sahib at the age of six. Thereafter, he learnt from his father Ustad Naseem Ahmed Khan Sahib. In July 1999, he became a scholar of ITC -SRA under erstwhile Guru Ustad Shafi Ahmed Khan Sahib, who is one of his grandfathers. He left the Academy in April 2003, after becoming an A grade scholar. That evening he presented khayals in Ragas Jayjaiwanti, Yamani Nat and Sohini. He was accompanied on the tabla by Shri Sandip Kumar Ray Chaudhuri while Shrimati Rupashree Bhattacharya provided harmonium support.       

Every year, ITC Sangeet Research Academy organises a cultural programme to celebrate the advent of spring. This year’s programme was held at 6.30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, 2009, at the lawns of the Academy. The concert began with vocal performances by ITC-SRA scholars. Guided by Guru Falguni Mitra, scholars Sucheta, Manali, Anal, Deborshee, Adarsh and Pinaki presented a dhrupad in Raga Bahar, teevra tala “Aaj bahata sugandh pavan” and a dhamaar in Raga Adana “Bajata mridanga gavata dhamaar”. This was followed by khayals in teentala, Raga Sohini “Rang na daro shyamji” and Raga Basant Bahaar “Aayi basant ki bahaar” which were sung by scholars Samarth and Sameehan, guided by Guru Ulhas Kashalkar. Scholars Sucheta and Manali and general class students Kasturi, Sohini and Priyanka sang khayals in Raga Desh, teentala “Khelana aaye hori” and Raga Shahana, ektala “Ata jhum jham kar aayi”. Both these compositions were by Guru Arun Bhaduri who had also trained the scholars.       

The seventh ITC-SRA concert at the Sandre Hall, Calcutta School of Music, was held on February 14, 2009. Scholar Sucheta Ganguly, disciple of Pandit Arun Bhaduri, began with khayals in Raga Yaman, ektala “Sumarana tora tu karim rahim”, teentala “Sughara sundarava balamava” and a tarana composed by her guru Pandit Arun Bhaduri. She then presented khayals in Raga.Basant madhya laya, teentala “Piya sang khelori” and drut “Eri, eri, gaili gaili teerata sab nari”. On request she sang a khayal in Raga Hameer, rupak tala “Aaj bajey murali”. She concluded with a thumri in Raga Bhairavi “Rasake bhare tore nain”. Shri Sandip Kumar Roy Chaudhuri ably accompanied her on the tabla while Shrimati Rupashree Bhattacharya provided harmonium support.

This year Basant Panchami, celebrating the advent of spring, was on January 31, 2009. In Bengal this Hindu festival is associated with the worship of Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. At the Academy the occasion was celebrated the following Wednesday. The evening began with a performance by ITC-SRA scholar Deborshee Bhattacharjee, disciple of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. He began with a Saraswati vandana in the dhrupad style, based on Raga Desh, after which he presented another Saraswati vandana in Raga Hansadhwani. The concluding artiste ITC-SRA Guru Pandit Arun Bhaduri presented khayals in Raga Saraswati. They were accompanied on the tabla by Shri Gopal Mishra while Shrimati Rupashree Bhattacharya provided harmonium support.

The third Wednesday in February brought Shrimati Saniya Patankar, disciple of Dr Ashwini Bhide Deshpande to the Academy. She began with khayals in Raga Shree. She then presented khayals in Raga Karnatak Basant, concluding with a Hori. She was accompanied by Shri Swapan Mukherjee on the tabla and Shrimati Rupashree Bhattacharya on the harmonium.

The second Wednesday in January brought a guest artiste to the Academy, Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan ‘Niazi’. Son of the legendary late Ustad Sharafat Hussain Khan Sahib of the Agra-Atrauli gharana, he was initiated into the world of music at the age of five by his father. After his father’s sudden demise, he received guidance from his maternal uncles Ustad Yunus Hussain Khan and Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan. He continues to take guidance from Shrimati Purnima Sen, a disciple of Ustad Sharafat Hussain Khan. A versatile artiste, Ustad Shaukat Hussain can sing khayal, dhrupad, dhamar, thumri, tappa and bhajans with consummate ease. A top grade artiste of All India Radio, he has performed at various concerts in India and abroad. Besides winning accolades as a performer, he is currently the divisional head for vocal music at the Saptak School of Music, Ahmedabad, grooming a new generation of performers in the Agra-Atrauli tradition. He was honoured with the Gaurav Puraskar for the year 2004-2005 by the Government of Gujerat.

He began his performance with khayals in Raga Bihag, vilambit ektala, “Dhun, dhun re” and drut teentala, “Hazrat ali tum ho mahabali”. He then presented khayals in Raga Chandrakauns, “Kanha tumhare karan”, vilambit ektala and “Mori pakad baiyan chhedo”, drut teentala. He concluded with a bandish in Raga Suha-Sughrai “Nainan so dekhi maine”. He was accompanied on the tabla by Shri Gopal Mishra, while Shrimati Rupashree Bhattacharya provided harmonium support.

On December 31, 2008, the Academy invited Vidushi Purnima Chaudhuri to be the guest artiste performing at its Wednesday recital. Closely following the footsteps of her Guru Pandit Mahadev Prasad Mishra of Benaras and with the valuable guidance of Padmabhusan Vidushi Girija Devi, Vidushi Purnima Chaudhuri has received wide acclaim with her thumri, dadra, kajri, chaiti, hori and tappa, emerging as a torch bearer of the Benaras gharana. She also sings khayal which she learnt as a child from Pandit A Kanan. A Sangeet Pravin (M. Mus) from Prayag Sangeet Samity, Allahabad, she is a top grade artiste of Akashvani and Doordarshan and has featured in several National Programmes and Akashvani Sangeet Sammelans as well as on B.B.C. TV and in the films “Meeting a Mile Stone” on Ustad Bismillah Khan (NFDC), “Chokher Bali” and “Herbert”, apart from participating in prestigious Music Conferences in the major cities of India as well as UK, USA, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, France and other cities overseas.

She began the evening with khayals in Raga Shyam Kalyan “Savan ki saanjh mein” and “Neend na avat piya bina”. She then presented a thumri in Mishra Khamaj “Sachi kaho mose batiyan”, followed by “Aaj sakhi sham sundar”, a dadra in Raga Mishra Mand which she had learnt as a child from Pandit A.Kanan. This was followed by a tappa “Veer de janiya”, a thumri in Raga Manj Khamaj “Jag padi main to piya ko jagaye”, a bandishi thumri in Raga Tilak Kamod “Rokona dagar mero shyam” and a dadra “Dagara bicha kaise chalo”. She concluded her performance with “Lagata karajava mein chot” in Raga Bhairavi. She was accompanied by Shri Samar Saha on the tabla and Shri Jyoti Goho on the harmonium.

On December 24, 2008; the Academy had a unique Wednesday recital. The first hour comprised archival recordings. The first recording was that of a recital by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan singing Raga Bhupali at erstwhile Expert Committee Member Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh’s Dixon lane residence. The next recording that was played was a Raga Sagar sung by Pandit Omkarnath Thakur.

The next part of the evening comprised the performance of a percussion ensemble lead by Vidwan S.Sekhar. The Ensemble comprised Vidwan S.Sekhar (Mridangam), Somnath Roy (Ghatam), Subrata Manna (Tabla), K.Gopakumar (Chenda) & Kunal Padhy (Drums). The performance began with a short introductory statement by Pandit S.Sekhar during which after he introduced the members of the ensemble and explained that they would begin in unison and then play individual sequences, building up to a climax. The basic rhythm cycle chosen was aditala, which he demonstrated. He also spoke of the Carnatic tradition of tala vadya kacheri which he had adopted, though the instruments he used were not all strictly in the Carnatic tradition. He also pointed out that his aim was to strive towards highlighting the melodic element along with mathematics.

The group began with an introduction played in unison. After this the performers played 2 rounds of solo portions of the chenda tabla, mridangam, ghatam and finally the drums. The group again played in unison for a short while, building up to the climax wherein the individual instruments played 8 beats, 4 beats, 2 beats and 1 beat in rotation, aesthetically bringing out the changes in tonal quality, the instruments being played in rotation. This was perhaps the first such programme organised at the Academy.

The social aspects of festivals have over the years become increasingly important. One such occasion is the Bijoya Sammilani, the exchange of pleasantries on the conclusion of Durga Puja, the most important Hindu religious festival of Bengal. At the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, this has been celebrated with a special recital with the distribution of sweetmeats and savouries. This year’s programme, which took place on October 22, featured performances by some of the Academy’s Scholars.

Pinaki Bose began the evening with two bhajans. This was followed by Manali Bose’s performance. She began with a Durga Stuti followed by a Bengali Ragaprodhan song written by Shri Sanjay Chakarabarty. She also sang a Bengali composition of late Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh and another written by Gauri Prasanna Majumdar and set to tune by Pandit Arun Bhaduri. She concluded with a Nanak bhajan composed by Pandit Arun Bhaduri. The evening concluded with a sarod recital by Abir Hossain who began with alap, jod, jhala and gat in Raga Pilu. On request, he concluded with Raga Bhairavi.

On September 8, 2008, Ustad Nasiruddin Saami of Karachi, Pakistan, performed at the Academy auditorium. Born in a family of classical vocalists who have been practising their art for more than 730 years, his ancestor Miyan Samath was trained by Hazrat Ameer Khusrau himself and was connected to the Durbar of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Another great personality Qutub Baksh alias Ustad Tanras Khansahib was the musician in the court of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Beginning his training at the age of 10 from his great-uncle Sardar Khan in Lahore, after 5 years Ustad Saami moved to Karachi and trained under his uncles Iftikhar Ahmed and Piaray Khan. His main mentor was Ustad Munshi Raziauddin. A strict follower in the style of his family tradition, his ancestors founded the Delhi Gharana and followed tradition - keeping ‘sur’ as the most important component of singing.

He began the evening’s performance with khayals in Raga Multani. This was followed by a sadra in Raga Adana. He concluded his performance with two interesting taranas. At the interactive session that followed, he pointed out that Hindustani Raga Sangeet is a part of a common heritage because it originated in a place that was neither India nor Pakistan. However, he admits that while the classical music scenario in Pakistan from 1947-1977 was encouraging; the situation gradually deteriorated Nevertheless, he feels that in the last decade things have been looking up, much of the credit going to the “All Pakistan Music Conference”, which has actively promoted classical music. Not only has it bridged the gap between India and Pakistan by inviting Indian artistes to Pakistan, but it has also restored faith among former listeners in Pakistan who are once again eager to attend these programmes.

Not surprisingly, for him the Ustad-Shagird relation is sacred. “The most important thing is the understanding. The Shagird has to read his Ustad’s mind and understand what he wants to convey,” he explains. That evening he was accompanied on the tabla by Shri Gopal Mishra, a faculty member of the Academy, while his sons provided harmonium, tanpura and vocal support.
 

Indian culture places Gurus who impart knowledge, at par with the Gods. Acquiring knowledge forms the basis of a man’s future, so worshipping a Guru is like worshipping truth, knowledge and invaluable experiences. Guru Purnima is a special day celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Ashadh, to pay homage to all Gurus. It dates back to the time of 'gurukuls' or 'ashrams' of ancient India. The day is also known as Vyas Purnima in remembrance of the great sage Ved Vyas, the Guru who wrote the great epic 'Mahabharata', the 18 'Puranas' and classified the 'Vedas' of the Hindu religion. On this day it is customary for students to visit their elders, teachers and guides, in order to show respect to them.

At the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, the only Sangeet Gurukul of its kind in India, where knowledge is transmitted in the tradition of the guru-shishya parampara, celebrations for Guru Purnima were organised at a special Wednesday recital on July 30, 2008. All the gurus were felicitated, with a special offering to the senior-most, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, who is presently celebrating his 100th year. Inaugurating the celebrations, Dr Vidyadhar Vyas, Executive Director, said that there is a great difference between a teacher or instructor and a Guru. The Guru ensures that the shishya can imbibe not only the knowledge he imparts, but is also motivated with the necessary attitudes so that he can continue to excel and improve himself. When the time comes, he can also become a Guru and can continue to preserve and propagate the legacy that has been so carefully and meticulously handed down to him.

The Executive Director felicitated Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, senior-most Guru and Vidushi Dipali Nag, adviser, Scientific Research Dept, while the scholars felicitated Padmabhushan Vidushi Girija Devi, Vidushi Malavika Kanan, Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta, Pandit Falguni Mitra, Pandit Arun Bhaduri, Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan as well as Pandit Vidyadhar Vyas, himself a renowned Guru. This was followed by a vocal recital by Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan. He presented khayals in Ragas Miyan Malhar and Nat Malhar, a chaturang in Raga Rageshree, a Bhojpuri geet and a bhajan. He was accompanied on the tabla by Shri Gopal Misra, while Shri Jyoti Goho provided harmonium support. Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan’s disciples played the tanpuras and gave vocal support. This was the first time that Guru Purnima was celebrated at the Academy.
 

On June 18, 2008, there was a santoor recital.by Pandit Ulhas Bapat of Mumbai. He played alap, jod, jhala and gats in Raga Poorva Kalyan, followed by gats in Ragas Bihagda and Janasammohini. He concluded with a Raga Sagar. Shri Samar Saha provided tabla accompaniment.

June 25, 2008, brought ITC-SRA Guru Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar to the dais. He presented khayals in Ragas Lalitagauri, Surdasi Malhar and Paraj. He was accompanied by Shri Gopal Mishra on the tabla and Shri Jyoti Goho on the harmonium while ITC-SRA scholars Samarth Nagarkar and Sameehan Kashalkar provided vocal support.

The influence of Hindustani Raga Sangeet on other forms of popular music in India and the fact that these music systems are flourishing side-by-side with Raga Sangeet is a well-known fact. In an attempt to understand these systems, find out their relation with Raga Sangeet and enrich our overall understanding of music, a series of programmes are being organised at the Academy.

The first such programme was held on May 8, 2008, celebrating the birthday of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta conducted the proceedings that evening. He has composed several bandishes that were inspired by Tagore songs. Accompanied by Pandit Das Gupta’s explanations, some of his inspired compositions were played by his disciple, scholar Smarajit Kumar Sen, while scholar Manali Bose sang the Tagore songs which inspired these compositions. Tabla accompaniment was provided by Chandrabhan Srisundar.

Another evening commemorating the birthday of Kazi Nazrul Islam, poet-musician-revolutionary-philosopher, was held on May 26, 2008. Vidushi Dipali Nag’s career in Bengali music was launched by the poet’s composition “Megho meduro baroshay”, inspired by the bandish “Morey mandira ab lo” on Raga Jayjaiwanti. The record received an unprecedented response. After she recounted her experiences with the poet, songs were sung by Sucheta Ganguly, Sandip Bhattacharjee, Rupashree Bhattacharya, Samarth Nagarkar and Pandit Arun Bhaduri. Sandip Kumar Ray Chaudhuri provided tabla accompaniment.

The first Wednesday of April featured a sarod recital by Shri Kalyan Mukherjee. He has been trained by such virtuosos as Ustad Bahadur Khan and Pandit Ajoy Sinha Roy. He began with alap, jod, jhala in Rag Marwa and concluded with gats in Raga Puriya Dhanashree. He was ably accompanied on the tabla by Shri Gopal Mishra

The last Wednesday in April featured a vocal recital by internationally acclaimed writer Shri Amit Chaudhuri. Initially trained by Pandit Govind Prasad Jaipurwale of the Kunwar Shyam gharana, he was later guided by Pandit A. Kanan He began his performance with khayals in Raga Puriya Kalyan. He concluded with Raga Jogeshwari. He was accompanied on the tabla by Samar Saha while Rupashree Bhattacharya played the harmonium.

In the second Wednesday in March, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan presented a vocal recital. He presented khayals in Ragas anand shri, Jaitashree, puriya dhanashri, Basant Bahar, Suha Bahar, Adana Bahar, Nayaki Bahar, Madhu Bahar and Shudh Bahar. He concluded with a thumri in Raga Pilu. He was accompanied by Shri Sndip Kumar Ray Chaudhuri on the tabla and Shri Jyoti Gho on the harmonium.

The third Wednesday in March featured a vocal recital by Shrimati Rita Ganguly. She began with a thumri in Raga Kaushik Dhani, then presenting a hori in Mishra Kafi, a thumri in Mishra Kafi and finally a dadra in Raga Bhairavi. She was accompanied by Shri Sandip Ray Chaudhuri on the tabla, Shri Debashish Haldar on the sarangi and Shrimati Rupashri Bhattacharya on the harmonium.

The last Wednesday of March brought the senior-most Guru of the Academy Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan to the dais. He began his vocal recital with khayals in Raga Chhaya Bihag, followed by khayals in Ragas Bhupali and Shankara. He also presented a hori in Raga Khamaj and a chaiti. He was ably accompanied by Shri Gopal Mishra on the tabla and Shrimati Rupashree Bhattacharya on the harmonium.

Sangeet Natya Vaibhav

On March 23, 2008, at Uttam Manch, Kolkata, ITC Sangeet Research Academy organised a programme specially designed with the purpose of presenting about 21 Marathi Stage Songs from popular Sangeet Nataks of Maharashtra. The presentation was by Dr Ravindra Ghangurde, Shrimati Vandana Ghangurde and their troupe from Pune, Naadbrahma. The presentation was in proper costume and make-up along with the accompaniment of organ and tabla, which is typical to the art form. The troupe members were Shekhar Vechlekar (singer, actor), Sanjay Phagare (tabla), Kedar Bhagwat (organ), Pranav Kulkarni (tanpura), Mandar Karulkar (Compere), Siddheshwar Kokare (Drapery), Suhas Kondvilkar (make-up).

For easier understanding, the commentary was in Hindi. In the tradition of Sangeet Nataks, the ‘Nandi’ from Sangeet Manapaman provided the prelude, after which the ‘Ish-stavan’ from Sangeet Soubhadra was presented. This was followed by a special item ‘Sutradhar & Nati’, also from Sangeet Soubhadra. Excerpts of the dialogues from the Sangeet Nataks from which each song was selected, provided the background for each song. In many compositions, the original classical bandish or folk song or kirtan was also presented. Excerpts from Sanshay Kallor, Katyar Kaljat Ghusali, Ranadundubhi, Matsyagandha and others were also presented. During an interactive session the following afternoon, Dr Ghangurde presented the history of the art form and its present-day status in Maharashtra. The session was attended by enthusiastic members of the audience, the press and gurus and scholars of the Academy.

Photo Gallery of the event

Navonmesh Utsav

On March 1 and 2, 2008, an event aimed at presenting ITC-SRA scholars and invited young, promising artistes was held at G D Birla Sabhaghar, Kolkata. The first evening entitled ‘Jugalbandi Jod’ featured 3 duets. The first was a violin and flute duet by Milind Raikar and Abhay Phagde, accompanied on the tabla by Vinod Lele. Playing in the gayakee ang, they introduced Raga Puriya Kalyan and presented ektala and teentala bandishes. They concluded with a dhun in Mishra Manj Khamaj.

The second duet was by ITC-SRA scholars Arshad Ali and Sandip Bhattacharya, disciples of Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan. They presented khayals in Raga Bihag “Chinta na kara re” in jhaptala, followed by “Rajan ke raja maharaja” in teentala. They were accompanied on the tabla by Gopal Mishra while Jyoti Goho provided harmonium support.

The concluding performance was a sitar and cello duet by Subhendra Rao and Saskia Rao de Haas. They presented alap, jod, gats and jhala in Raga Jog, followed by a dhun in Raga Khamaj. Samar Saha provided tabla accompaniment.

The second evening entitled ‘Stree Gaurav’ commemorated International Women’s Day, featuring lady musicians. Chitrangana Agle Reshwal presented a pakhawaj solo. Her presentation included some Nana Panse gharana jhala, farmaishi chakradhar, dhirkit variations from tabla repertoire and a paran with 27 ‘dha’. Nagma in Raga Mishra Mand was played by Hiranmay Mitra.

The second item was a vocal jugalbandi by ITC-SRA scholars Sucheta Ganguly and Manali Bose, disciples of Pandit Arun Bhaduri. They began with khayals in Raga Basant “Nabi ke darbar”, “Eri eri gaili gaili” in ektala and “Piya sang khel” in teentala. They then presented “Ayo ri basant” in Raga Kaunsidhwani. They were accompanied on the tabla by Tarak Saha while Rupashree Bhattacharya provided harmonium support.

The concluding item was a solo Hawaiian guitar recital by Kamala Shankar. She presented Raga Gorakh Kalyan, accompanied on the tabla by Vinod Lele. All the performances were proof that audiences of Hindustani Raga Sangeet have much to look forward to.
 

February 2008

Lec-Dems at the Academy

The week starting February 18, 2008, proved to be a week of great activity at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy.

Prof Clarence Barlow who holds the Corwin Endowed Chair of Composition at the University of California, Santa Barbara gave a lecture-demonstration on Tuesday 19, 2008. A renowned Western music composer, he was born in Kolkata and spent several years of his childhood and youth learning and later teaching at the Calcutta School of Music. Developing an interest in Hindustani music, he composed seven pieces - mainly rondos and fugues, using Raga music. These were presented and discussed with the scholars of the Academy.

On Friday 22, 2008, Prof Arun Chanda of The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, a visiting Fulbright Scholar at the Sardar Patel University, Gujarat, presented a lecture-demonstration on his contemporary compositions. Trained in the Western classical tradition, he is a composer of contemporary music and holds the view that today’s standards of music and non-music are not sacrosanct. What is not considered musical today may well become music in the future. The scholars of the Academy had an interesting afternoon of music listening followed by discussions.

Both the visitors were delegates at the International Symposium ‘Frontiers of Research on Speech and Music’ (FRSM 2008), organised by the Scientific Research Dept., ITC Sangeet Research Academy in collaboration with CDAC, Kolkata, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata and Sir C V Raman Centre for Physics and Music, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

In the second Wednesday in January, Steve Gorn presented a flute recital. A disciple of the late bansuri master Shri Gour Goswami of Kolkata, he has also studied with the late Ustad Z. M. Dagar and continues his studies of the bansuri with Pandit Raghunath Seth of Mumbai, whom he often accompanies in concert. He is a member of the Darbari Ensemble which features Pandit Ramesh Mishra, Ms. Allyn Miner and Pandit Samir Chatterjee. He began his recital with alp, jod, gat and jhala in Raga Marwa, followed by gat in Madhukauns, concluding with a thumri. He was ably accompanied by Shri Gopal Mishra.