The stage is set where doyens of Hindustani classical music will come together for one festival celebrating art and Indian culture. Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, vocalist Shubha Mudgal and many more artistes will perform at the 37th Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan in the city.
“In the North, there was a period when Hindustani music was hardly heard in concert halls. It was during such a low period that Pandit CR Vyas started this festival in the memory of his guru Jagannath Buwa Purohit alias Gunidas. He not only gave classical music a new lease of life but also induced fresh blood by bringing youngsters into its fold,” explains Pandit Jasraj.
Along with the stalwarts, the fest also gives an opportunity to up and coming artistes to showcase their talents like Sanjeev and Ashwani Shankar, Dhananjay Dhaithnakar, Bharathi Pratap, Rafique and Shafique Khan, Sabir Khan and Dilshad Khan. “It’s the right opportunity for us to pay our respect to all of these great musicians, and performing on this stage is like getting blessed by all of these Godly figures at once,” says Sanjeev.
So have the artistes decided what they will perform? “It depends on the artistes who are performing before and what ragas they play. A musician never decides what is to be played. But I have some traditional ragas in mind like jor alat followed by two compositions,” say Bhatt.
However, Mudgal, who performs today with Bhatt says, “I have been studying two forms of vocal music for several decades, namely khayal and thumri dadra. I look forward to presenting both these forms during my recital at the Sammelan.”
The fest will conclude on Tuesday with a sarangi duet by Sabir and Dilshad Khan of Sikar Gharana who will share the stage with the one and only tabla legend, Ustad Zakir Hussain. “We have performed in many festivals but it was a long-time wish come true for us to perform in this event and share the stage with Ustad Zakir Hussain,” says Sabir Khan.
When and Where: December 6, 7 and 10 at Nehru Centre Worli from 6.30 pm onwards
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