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| Before the curtains rise tension rises |
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Contemporary classical music has taken on a new life and vigour with
ITC-SRA's music festivals during the last 3 decades. Many celebrated
artists have played a significant role in this endeavour- Pandit V G
Jog, Smt Girija Devi, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Hari Prasad
Chaurasia, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Smt Protima Bedi, Pandit Brij Bhushan
Kabra and many others, along with ITC-SRA's own renowned gurus and
scholars.
From 1979, every winter ITC-SRA has been organising a tour in which
artistes and scholars travel together in a bus in a spirit of learning
together and perform in different towns. It is a special experience that
is integral to the collective living and learning at ITC-SRA.
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| ITC Awardee of the year inaugurates the Sammelan by lighting the
Manideep |
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During one such tour, Pandit Jog, Shivji, Hariji, Vijay Kichlu, Zakir
Hussain and Krishna Chowdhury were walking together through a narrow
lane in Patiala.
Suddenly people from behind started shouting. A bull
came charging. Before the galaxy of musicians could move out of the
bull's way, the bull hit Panditji. Panditji fell down, but immediately
got up and started running towards the bull. Vijay Kichlu shouted, "Panditji,
what are you doing?" Pat came Panditji's reply: "I am going to ask the
bull if he got hurt".
Many Sammelans have been organised in remote nooks and corners of the
country that were hitherto oblivious of the melodious strains of Indian
Classical music.
The ITC Mini Sangeet Sammelans, now known as ITC
Mangaldeep Sammelans are tours of a different kind. Travelling together,
artists have performed in small towns and cities across the country:
from Patiala and Kurukshetra in the North, to Guntur, Bijapur,
Pondicherry, Mysore, Mangalore and Manipal in the South. Concerts have
also been held in Goa, Bharuch, Latur, Banaras, Lucknow, Kanpur,
Mirzapur, Kotah, Alwar in the West and in Bankura, Basirhaat,
Murshidabad, Silchar, Ranaghat, Uttarpara, Agartala and Jamshedpur in
the East.
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| Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar in recital |
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| The Darbar Hall of Baroda Palace was once the venue for our
Sammelan |
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| An exhibition of photographs add interest to a Sammelan |
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Awards for Excellence
Forty-one luminaries of Indian Classical Music have been honoured with
ITC awards during the annual ITC Sangeet Sammelans in Delhi, so far.
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| A rare cluster of ITC Awardees |
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This includes legends like Bari Moti Bai, Rahimuddin
Dagar, Siddheshwari Devi, Hirabai Barodekar, Nisar Hussain Khan, Dilip
Chandra Vedi, Krishna Rao Shankar Pandit, Sitara Devi, Semangudi
Srinivasa Iyer, Thanjavur Brinda, D K. Pattamal, Alla Rakha Khan.
Similarly, sixty musicians have been honoured in Maharashtra and
thirty-one in West Bengal.
