Young Musician Giridhar Udupa’s biennial program covers diverse genres for an enriching experience
Young Musician Giridhar Udupa’s biennial program covers diverse genres for an enriching experience
Girdhar is an exponent of the Udupa Ghatam, which is accorded the status of Upa Pakkavadyam (secondary instrument) in Carnatic music festivals, but the bi-annual festival started by the young musician four years ago is one of the finest in the country. The three-day event usually features Hindustani, Carnatic and Fusion performances and draws huge turnout, despite having tickets.
The fourth edition of the festival was held recently at Chaudiya Hall, and Pt. Yogesh Samsi on tabla, Mattanoor Shankarkutty Marar on chenda and Bengaluru Amrit on kanjira. An unusual combination, it was interesting to see how each instrument conveyed the same theme differently. Percussion has always taken center stage at the event, where greats like Zakir Hussain, Umayalpuram Sivaraman and Karaikudi Mani have performed before.
This was followed by a performance by sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. To present a leisurely concert featuring his favorite ragas including a longtime collaborator Pt Kumar Bose, Durga, Khamach, Raageshwari and Miyan Malhar, the veteran musician. His singing was a highlight, a tarana composed by him in Bahar before playing on the sarod.
Vocal and Veena
On the second day senior vocalist Bombay Jayashree and veena exponent Jayanti Kumaresh, a popular combination, were both trained in the Lalgudi tradition. He created magic with his uninterrupted flow of musical ideas. An unusual, heartwarming composition was Pallavi, which they jointly composed in the raga Bihaag, Adi Taal, with the lyrics of ‘Udupa Vadana Sri Krishna Gopal Giridhar’, in praise of Giridhara Udupa, who was influenced by this sentiment. were, were created.
Actually, musicians who become curators do a better job than event organizers. Giridhar joins a very long list of musicians who organize concerts. In this version, there were two such musicians. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan organized the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Memorial Festival. It used to be held in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata (for an amazing 13 days). Yogesh Samsi from last 15 years with his singer-composer father Pt. Dinkar Kaikeyi in Mumbai. While festivals organized by musicians are usually meant to celebrate a guru, Giridhar’s inspiration is somewhat different.
access
Giridhara’s father, Ullur Nagendra Udupa, a Yakshagana artist, always wanted to learn Mridangam, but did not get the opportunity in his native village in north coastal Karnataka. So he moved to Bangalore. His realization that opportunities to learn and hear artists live were important, inspired him to start a music school in 1975.
Giridhar worked to widen the reach of music to old age homes, schools and remote villages in Karnataka. “But I do not have money to fulfill my dream. My festivals are a means of raising money. They are sponsored and driven entirely by ticket sales. The culture of listening to classical music in India should be changed. Why should people expect free music? I keep ticket prices high because my goal is to provide the best. Sometimes the organizers and event management companies do not realize the expectations of the audience. Musician-organizers know what fellow actors want, and what chemistry can be created with whom. For example, the final day’s concert featured solo performances by Louis Banks and Sivamani, and a group performance (incidentally, there was an additional spontaneous jam on stage by Girdhar and Sivamani).
The Udupa Festival has also been held in Denmark and Poland. But having versions of the festival in other cities is not easy. Giridhar says that it takes too much time and being a busy musician he cannot cope. They have already booked the Chowdia Hall for 2024 and are planning the artist line-up.
Delhi-based writers write on classical music.