Holi Festival 2004

Hindustan Times, 
Thursday, March 11, 2004

Festive Time With Krishna And His Gopis 

Music is and integral part of Holi celebrations. However, if you think that Holi music is restricted to Rang Barse…., you could not be further away from reality. The festival of colours is traced to Brij Bhoomi, the land of Lord Krishna.

Many beautiful songs and poems have been composed, describing the manner in which Krishna played Holi with his beloved Radha and her numerous gopiyan/sakhiyan. The people of Kolkata had a chance to hear some of them during a programme called ‘Aaj Biraj Mein Horire Rasiya….’, an ITC Sangeet Research Academy presentation on its lawns on Holi eve.

The programme was divided into two parts – ‘Holi Thumri Dadra Bandishes’ by the ITC SRA scholars and ‘Basant Bahar’, a Kathak style presentation by Dr Malabika Mitra and her troupe. And unlike most entertainment programmes organised on a holiday, for this show people had gathered in large numbers even before the scheduled starting time of 6 pm. The colourful (as much owing to bright clothes the audience was wearing as for the splashes of Holi colour everywhere) and eager crowd did not go home disappointed that night, the programme ending at around 10 pm.

The thumri and dadra numbers presented during the evening by the young singers of the academy were of the highest order. Little surprise, considering that they were guided by celebrated Hindustani classical vocalist Girija Devi.

The numbers varied greatly in mood and consequently in rhythm and pace. Karat barjori… a thumri in the very old Raga Mishra Kafi is a slow number whereas Chalo guian aaj khele holi re, kanhaiya sang…. sung by eight singers representing eight of Krishna’s sakhis, has more energy. Though a section of the Hindi speaking audience could make out what was being sung in Braj Bhasha, an ancient Hindi dialect, for the rest the mood and meaning was explained before each piece began.

For all of us who have not visited Lord Krishna’s land, at least during Holi, this programme was the second best option. And we grabbed it with both hands.

The Telegraph, 
Friday 12 March 2004

Moods of Holi

Sangeet Research Academy celebrated Holi on March 8 by presenting its scholars’ rendition of traditional bandish under Girija Devi’sdirection. Besides, Kathak exponent Malavika Mitra presented some Holi compositions. The inaugural Bahar Dhamar by Sumana Gupta was followed by a remarkable duet in Basant where Maitreyee Ray sparkled. Rupam Sarkar’s expertise in top-khayal, chorus Misra Kafi thumri and folk were praiseworthy. Piu Mukherjee, too, deserves mention. After Krishna bandana, Malabika, with her troupe, presented an experimental composition based on Basanti Dhrupad. The meend and mood of the raga was expressed through well-synchronised body movements. Malabika portrayed herself as the loverorn nayika and abhisarika.