Annual Surshree Kesarbai Kerkar festival in Goa once again brings to life a rich musical tapestry
Kala Akademi organized the 41st edition of the annual Surshree Kesarbai Kerkar Sangeet Samaroh in Goa from January 1 to January 14. Amid the third wave of COVID-19, the event managed to bring together artistes from across the country but missed out on the presence of a Carnatic exponent, who has been the norm for the past few years.
The celebrations began with the singing of young Goa’s Ritishka Vernekar. Slide guitar artist Deepak Kshirsagar from Baroda displayed a mature understanding of ragas, while Aarti Anklikar Tikekar from Mumbai showcased her mindful approach to music and her diverse training with a rendition of raga Jhinjhoti in the Jaipur-Atrauli style. He also sang the Basant Bahar composition of one of his gurus, Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, before concluding with Raag Bhairavi, in which Pt. An unusual nine-and-a-half beat composition by. The snatching of Chaitanya Kunte, a tappa and a tarana. Anjali said, “This stage, set up in the memory of Kesarbaiji, demands a deeper approach to music and not a lighter performance.”
confident attitude
Day 2 began with the morning raga Ramkali by Dhananjay Hegde from Mumbai, who handled it with a sense of confidence. A solid performer, he doesn’t resort to gimmicks to get attention. He concluded with Raag Alaiya Bilawal. The next artist, sitarist Shakir Khan (the scheduled jugalbandi between him and singer Arshad Ali was cancelled), played the pure sarong with polish. After an elaborate alap and loudness, he probably inadvertently started playing two belated compositions in the raga; One wanted the tempo of singing to be maintained. Ojas Adhia gave a brilliant performance on Tabla Accompaniment (Accompaniment).
The evening recital began with a performance by Sonic Velinger, a Goan flautist. Thereafter, the Mallik brothers of the Darbhanga Dhrupad gharana brought to life the Sham Raga Shree in its grandeur with their skillful singing. Bhai Nishant’s delicate performance was contrasted beautifully in Prashant’s fully loaded voice. The excellent Pakhawaj accompaniment by Mrinal Mohan Upadhyay during the thrust was an added bonus; It was an absolutely uplifting performance.
Popular Bengaluru-based Sangeeta Katti Kulkarni has a ringing voice that attracts attention, but her rendition of the raga Yaman sounded dull. The abhang after that was sung very well. Sangeeta ended surprisingly with the Malkauns. The evening ended with Pt. Yogesh Samsi and two of his disciples, Swapnil Bhise and Chandrashekhar Gandhi playing Kishore’s rhythm. The effortless performance with which the disciples took over from the Guru was the result of impeccable training. A gradual progression of sly tempo, virtuosity and complex lekari performances marked his performance.
played with ease
The performer of the morning session of the concluding day was Goan singer Nitesh Sawant. He acquitted himself well in all aspects of the presentation. Kolkata’s Sarodiya Debashish Bhattacharya played the rare feudal sarong representing the Seniya Shahjahanpur style, handling the raga’s distinctive use of two ‘Ni’ and ‘Dha’ with well-taught spontaneity and making it sound like a more common sarong. Saved, which is now called Madhmad (originally Vrindavani Sarang with a ‘ni’). After Aalap and Jor, the Teen Taal Gaats were embellished with the key stroke work that is the hallmark of his gharana. The accompaniment of tabla by Ojas Adhia added to the concert. Debashish ended with Raga Bhairavi.
The evening began with a concert by Manjari Asnare Kelkar from Nashik. In her youth she was called ‘Choti Kesarbai’ because of her voice and style like that of a great singer. Manjari is still known today for her knowledge of rare bands as much as for her singing.
At the festival, he did not disappoint with Raga Gauri, in which he sang two traditional compositions. His slow Jaipur Tan mesmerized with his controlled pace. The next raga was Rare Daaguri, in which he called the signature type Meluha Kedar is mixed with Raga Patdeep to form a new raga.
This was followed by the performance of another artist from Nashik. Raag Kedara was sung by Prasad Khaparde, who belonged to Rampur Sahaswan Gharana. His rich baritone was pleasing so there was an abundance of sharp notes. He concluded with Raag Pahari. Jyoti Hegde on the Rudra Veena represents a traditional lineage of being a disciple of Ustad Asad Ali Khan, a seventh generation baker. Playing in the Dhrupad tradition, this artist from Dharwad showed glimpses of the left-right hand coordination that was a characteristic of his instrument.
The grand finale of Pt. Samaroh was done by Ajay Chakraborty. He was accompanied by Pt. Yogesh Shamsi on Tabla and Pt. Ajay Joglekar on Harmonium. With only the first two opening notes, he was able to convey to the listeners the raga he was about to perform – Maru Bihag. The majestic ambiance he created, lovingly caressing each note, slowly built up an suggestive picture through the songs that made for an unforgettable experience.
He concluded with a thumri in Bhairavi, gently reminding the audience that traditionally, at a festival, Bhairavi was sung by the last performer. He sang thumri in Banaras style and not in Punjab Ang, in which he has also been trained. His disciple Mehr Parlikar gave him excellent vocal support.
Delhi-based writers write on Hindustani music and musicians.
,