A burst of culture

Mindless violence, grisly murders, sickly attacks on religious gatherings and free-thinkers – is that what we have been reduced to? The answer is an emphatic NO, because the success of the Bengal Foundation Classical Music Festival 2015, that concluded on Wednesday morning, has once again shown that the light of sensibility and civilisation still glows within us, and if nurtured properly, will lead us out of the abyss that we have fallen into.
Without realising it, Dr. N. Rajan, that revered virtuoso of the violin, pointed out the path out of the abyss. She very aptly reminded us that music is the ultimate medium for promoting peace, understanding, and acceptance across cultures, because it needs no translation. It transcends language and speaks directly from the heart to the heart, if only one cares to listen.
And she did just that in her rendition of Raga Bageshri. In explaining her own art, Dr.Rajan spoke about the difference between the traditional style and her characteristic 'gayaki' style that emulates the vocal form. Her mastery of expression, empathy with the audience, and her sophisticated yet humble demeanor spoke volumes, and inspired even some of the youngest there to give her a standing ovation.
This was her first appearance at the Bengal Foundation Classical Music Festival, and we fervently hope that it will not be her last, because now more than ever, we need the hope, the aspirations and the ideals that she represents.
The sheer physical beauty of that remarkable instrument called a Veena, fondly described as a bass sitar, is matched only by its passionate tonality. In the hands of Jayanthi Kumaresh, its bass tone evokes a pathos that touches the soul, and its ululations play with the heart.
With her explanations of the ragas she had selected to play, and her renditions of Raga Kamarvardani and Raga Kapi, Jayanthi Kumaresh left the vast audience in no doubt that her art was a touch of the divine, far removed from petty human pursuits. The depth of thought and feeling that her art form stimulates makes our obsession with religious, ethnic, and political differences pale into insignificance, if not into the ludicrous.
The most remarkable and versatile musical instrument on Earth is the human voice, and this was amply demonstrated in musical phrases by Pandit Ajoj Chakrabarty, in the dhrupad by Pandit Uday Bhawalkar, and in a raga by Vidushi Kaushiki Chakrabarty.

In his awe-inspiring voice, Pundit Ajoy Chakrabarty’s rendition of a raga by Ustad Bade Gulam Ali reminded the audience that no instrument can come anywhere close to the range of the human voice, or can match the intensity of feeling that it can evoke.
Pandit Uday Bhawalkar took it even further in Raga Yaman by reaching a bass so deep that it stirred the darkest and most desolate of feelings, then he gently lifted the spirits to a mellow balance of acceptance before springing to a high that made the sun shine through! It reiterated the necessity of accepting the delicate fusion of desolation and elation in life – a fact that most of us try to ignore.
The thoughts, the ideas, but most of all the wonderful possibilities that that these artists described were a world removed from the world outside the venue, where petty politicking, greed, and bigotry hold sway.
The highlight of the classical music festival this year was easily the appearance of that demi-god of the tabla, the pride of Euterpe, Ustad Zakir Hussain. With his reputation preceding him, he appeared on stage to a roar of welcome from the audience, in a stadium that was packed far beyond capacity.
The aura of his presence was magnetic, and an otherwise restive audience came to attention and settled into pin drop silence the moment he struck the first notes.
A group of teenagers, who had been chatting away – completely impervious to disapproving stares – suddenly fell silent when Zakir Hussain struck out on teentaal.
Unlike the artists before him, his presentation was informal, and he struck an immediate chord with the audience through his verbal descriptions, his humour, and his mastery of the tabla.
The teenagers stood with their mouths open when his tabla described a train leaving a station, picking up speed, shooting out steam, and blowing a whistle. They were riveted by a description of a thunderstorm, lightning and thunder, and rain falling in torrents on a variety of surfaces.
They were dumbstruck by the tabla describing a wheel-mounted cannon, and the sound of it firing a shell.
The teenagers were bowled over completely by Zakir Hussain’s genius on the instrument when he interspersed his playing with the theme from the Pink Panther movie, and a tune by a European classical music composer! They could not believe it was possible to do that on a tabla.
Their eyes had been opened and their respect for the Indian classical musical form had gone up many a notch! But more importantly, they had experienced something profound, something so sophisticated and powerful that it made the intolerance and bigotry that we face ever day seem inane. They had got a taste of culture and civilisation.
That is the point of it all – culture and civilisation. Our heritage is culturally rich, and we like to think that we are civilised, but that is becoming more and more unconvincing when we see what is happening around us.
The only way to reverse the steady degradation of moral, ethical and social values is by revamping our educational system and promoting culture, because the two go hand in hand. Of course it is a tall order, but do we have an alternative?

A burst of culture

Mindless violence, grisly murders, sickly attacks on religious gatherings and free-thinkers is that what we have been reduced to? The answer is an emphatic NO, because the success of the Bengal Foundation Classical Music Festival 2015, that concluded on Wednesday morning, has once again shown that the light of sensibility and civilisation still glows within us, and if nurtured properly, will lead us out of the abyss that we have fallen into. Without realising it, Dr. N. Rajan, that revered virtuoso of the violin, pointed out the path out of the abyss. She very aptly reminded us that music is the ultimate medium for promoting peace, understanding, and acceptance across cultures, because it needs no translation. It transcends language and speaks directly from the heart to the heart, if only one cares to listen. And she did just that in her rendition of Raga Bageshri. In explaining her own art, Dr.Rajan spoke about the difference between the traditional style and her characteristic gayaki style that emulates the vocal form. Her mastery of expression, empathy with the audience, and her sophisticated yet humble demeanor spoke volumes, and inspired even some of the youngest there to give her a standing ovation. This was her first appearance at the Bengal Foundation Classical Music Festival, and we fervently hope that it will not be her last, because now more than ever, we need the hope, the aspirations and the ideals that she represents. The sheer physical beauty of that remarkable instrument called a Veena, fondly described as a bass sitar, is matched only by its passionate tonality. In the hands of Jayanthi Kumaresh, its bass tone evokes a pathos that touches the soul, and its ululations play with the heart. With her explanations of the ragas she had selected to play, and her renditions of Raga Kamarvardani and Raga Kapi, Jayanthi Kumaresh left the vast audience in no doubt that her art was a touch of the divine, far removed from petty human pursuits. The depth of thought and feeling that her art form stimulates makes our obsession with religious, ethnic, and political differences pale into insignificance, if not into the ludicrous. The most remarkable and versatile musical instrument on Earth is the human voice, and this was amply demonstrated in musical phrases by Pandit Ajoj Chakrabarty, in the dhrupad by Pandit Uday Bhawalkar, and in a raga by Vidushi Kaushiki Chakrabarty. In his awe-inspiring voice, Pundit Ajoy Chakrabartys rendition of a raga by Ustad Bade Gulam Ali reminded the audience that no instrument can come anywhere close to the range of the human voice, or can match the intensity of feeling that it can evoke. Pandit Uday Bhawalkar took it even further in Raga Yaman by reaching a bass so deep that it stirred the darkest and most desolate of feelings, then he gently lifted the spirits to a mellow balance of acceptance before springing to a high that made the sun shine through! It reiterated the necessity of accepting the delicate fusion of desolation and elation in life a fact that most of us try to ignore. The thoughts, the ideas, but most of all the wonderful possibilities that that these artists described were a world removed from the world outside the venue, where petty politicking, greed, and bigotry hold sway. The highlight of the classical music festival this year was easily the appearance of that demi-god of the tabla, the pride of Euterpe, Ustad Zakir Hussain. With his reputation preceding him, he appeared on stage to a roar of welcome from the audience, in a stadium that was packed far beyond capacity. The aura of his presence was magnetic, and an otherwise restive audience came to attention and settled into pin drop silence the moment he struck the first notes. A group of teenagers, who had been chatting away completely impervious to disapproving stares suddenly fell silent when Zakir Hussain struck out on teentaal. Unlike the artists before him, his presentation was informal, and he struck an immediate chord with the audience through his verbal descriptions, his humour, and his mastery of the tabla. The teenagers stood with their mouths open when his tabla described a train leaving a station, picking up speed, shooting out steam, and blowing a whistle. They were riveted by a description of a thunderstorm, lightning and thunder, and rain falling in torrents on a variety of surfaces. They were dumbstruck by the tabla describing a wheel-mounted cannon, and the sound of it firing a shell. The teenagers were bowled over completely by Zakir Hussains genius on the instrument when he interspersed his playing with the theme from the Pink Panther movie, and a tune by a European classical music composer! They could not believe it was possible to do that on a tabla. Their eyes had been opened and their respect for the Indian classical musical form had gone up many a notch! But more importantly, they had experienced something profound, something so sophisticated and powerful that it made the intolerance and bigotry that we face ever day seem inane. They had got a taste of culture and civilisation. That is the point of it all culture and civilisation. Our heritage is culturally rich, and we like to think that we are civilised, but that is becoming more and more unconvincing when we see what is happening around us. The only way to reverse the steady degradation of moral, ethical and social values is by revamping our educational system and promoting culture, because the two go hand in hand. Of course it is a tall order, but do we have an alternative?