The making of monsoon-inspired melodies

Shounak Abhisheki and Anand Bhate performing at Barkha Ritu
| Photo Credit: Courtesy: Banyan Tree

Thematic concerts have made music-listening an exciting experience. Curators are forever looking to present music in new ways. Banyan Tree’s Barkha Ritu is a pioneer of sort as far thematic concerts are concerned. They explored the ancient connect between monsoon and music through this series, which entered its 23rd edition this year.

In Delhi, the festival opened with a vocal jugalbandi of Shounak Abhisheki and Anand Bhate. Despite belonging to different gharanas and having different voice pitch, the Pune-based duo have performed together before. Shounak is the son of Pt Jitendra Abhisheki whose singing style combined features of various gharanas, including Agra and Jaipur. In addition, he was one of the most prolific teachers and composers, with a vast repertoire, and a rich legacy. 

Anand Bhate is a Kirana gharana singer having been a disciple of Pt Bhimsen Joshi. His vocal dexterity and fine breath control result in intricate taans.

Hearing both of them together was a pleasure, as each brought a different slant, making the concert enjoyable and multi-layered. 

The concert started with Shounak singing raag Mian ki Malhar. His delineation, highlighting unusual aspects, created a wholesome picture of the raag. The rare madhya laya composition ‘Sakhi kaase kahoon’ by Pt Ratnakant Ramnathkar ‘Premrang’ was in Jhaptaal. His evocative rendition allowed to experience the raag in all its dimensions.

The second Teen taal drut bandish was again not an oft-heard one. A composition by Pt Sharad Chandra Arolkar, Shounak began unusually from the twelfth beat, like many instrumental compositions. The lyrics of the antara ‘dharak dharak chateeya’ were sung with gamak movements, which echoed clearly on the tabla played by Bharat Kamat. On the harmonium, Suyog Kundalkar was careful not to intrude during the raag delineation. Abhed Abhisheki as an accompanying vocalist showcased his prowess. Though the duration recital was less than 30 minutes, it lingered on.

Anand Bhate sang Surdasi Malhar; a Malhar attributed to saint-composer Surdas. This Malhar has a more devotional appeal. Though Mian ki Malhar, composed by Tansen around the same time, became popular and is today regarded as the Malhar, Surdasi has its own beautiful flavour. Anand sang a slow, prolonged and traditional Ek taal composition, showcasing the Kirana gharana feature.

The drut Teen taal ‘Badarwa barasan’ was redolent with breath-taking swaras. Suyog on the harmonium frequently stepped in, confident of his role to enhance the music. This 30-minute exposition was exquisite, quite different Shounak’s, who used raga vidya to captivate the listeners. 

Both singers well known for their abhangs concluded the concert singing together ‘Abhir gulal’. Tuned by Pt Jitendra Abhisheki, this abhang never fails to uplift the spirit of the audience.

The evening concluded with a concert by sitar exponent Shujaat Khan, accompanied by two young Delhi-based tabla artistes Shariq Mustafa and Zuheb Ahmed Khan.

Shujaat Khan with Shariq Mustafa and Zuheb Ahmed Khan
| Photo Credit:
Courtesy: Banyan Tree

Shujaat decided to play raag Bihag instead of another Malhar. He said concerts themed on the monsoon tend to get boring with the focus being only on Malhars. His Bihag was expansive and lyrical. In the jor section, he chose to present rudra veena-inspired stroke work, with a dhrupad-style tabla accompaniment. Shujaat shared his playing was inspired rudra veena maestro Ustad Dabir Khan, whom he had heard as a child. Shujaat concluded with Bhairavi.