Decided to attend a concert on 24 Aug at NCPA, Mumbai. Was supposed to be accompanied by R and two other people, but they all ditched last minute, so headed off alone. (There was no way I was going to miss a concert by Pt. Shivkumar Sharma! Even if it meant I had to go all alone!). Thanks to R, who always takes the bleakest view of the traffic situation in Mumbai, I ended up reaching Churchgate more than an hour earlier than required! With nothing better to do, I decided to check out the tiny Sarvodaya Book Stall inside the Churchgate Station. Sarvodaya is known for its collection of odd reads, but what I was looking for turned out to be not just odd, but also out of print! Did manage to find a few other good books though.
Couldn't spend much time at the book stall. It's really difficult, when you have huge crowds milling about you! So finally took a shared cab and reached NCPA, with still a lot of time to spare. Chose to settle down at a nice spot on Marine Drive and was treated to a rather amusing lover's tiff (quite a common sight around here)! Now, I am totally against eavesdropping, but can you be blamed of eavesdropping when someone is screaming at the top of their voice and creating a public spectacle? Anyway, the antics of the couple kept me entertained for a while and I killed the remaining time enjoying a lovely cup of coffee. And then, at last, headed for the concert.
The concert was organized in the memory of Mrs. Kiran and Mr. Jagdish Khanna by their family members (no, they are no Page 3 celebs or something like that. Just some nice individuals who loved music and who have loving family members surviving them) with a desire and hope to see peace and tranquility prevail over this world. And who better than Pt. Shivkumar Sharma to transport you into such a peaceful and tranquil world!
Born on Jan 13, 1938 in Jammu, Shivji not only rediscovered the Santoor, a little known, obscure folk instrument of the mountains, but also in a way reinvented it, by making numerous changes to the traditional instrument thus rendering it suitable for playing classical ragas. He has indeed, single-handedly, put the Santoor on the global stage. Panditji's relentless pursuit of excellence has earned him several national and international awards and honors, including both the Padmashree (1991) and the Padmavibhushan (2001). For all the recognition and success, Shivji remains a tremendously humble and jovial man. 'Research has proved that excessive exposure to cell phones causes brain damage. But exposure to music causes no damage! So why dont you put away your mobiles and enjoy the music instead?' he quipped, as someone's cell phone rang out aloud.
Just as I was getting ready to enjoy the upcoming treat of scintillating music, my nostrils were assaulted by a hideous stench! Giving away my extra passes turned out to be both good and bad. Good cause the passes ended up going to people who were obvious music lovers. Bad because the seat next to me ended up being occupied by someone who stank like he had just waded through all the gutters of Mumbai! All my life I have ridiculed women who roam around bathed in perfume that one can smell a mile away. And here I was now, desperately praying for precisely such a woman to walk in and save me! Sadly, no such thing happened. But thanks be to God who gave me the forethought of carrying a stole. After securely covering my nose with two rounds of cloth (which still did not manage to keep out the odor entirely), I let the music of Shivji take over my senses.
In keeping with the theme of the concert, Shivji chose to start the evening with Raga Bhoopali (or Bhupali), also known as Raga Bhoop, a beautiful evening raga evoking a devotional mood. The same raga in Carnatic music is known as Mohanam. Starting with an alap, jor and jhala, Shivji followed it up with a second composition in Raga Bhoopali, gat in Roopak Taal. After a brief break during which Shivji retuned the Santoor (and the audience relieved their bladders), he chose to play three compositions in Raga Mishra Shivranjani, a light classical raga. Interestingly, this raga can convey different moods depending on the tempo in which it is played, Panditji informed us. When played in a slow tempo, this raga conveys melancholy; in a medium tempo it evokes feelings of love and romance; whilst in a faster tempo the raga infuses the listeners with joy. Naturally, the maestro chose to play this raga in a faster tempo. And my joy was undoubtedly doubled considering that the stink-man next to me had disappeared during the break and had not returned!
Panditji enthralled the audiences, as ever, and at the end of three hours, we were left wanting to hear more of this incomparable genius. It just struck me that even to give a three hour long performance at the age of 73 is a commendable feat in itself! It is surely the eternal nature of music that keeps Shivji young even at this age!
God bless Shivji and the Khanna family, because of whom I could enjoy this wonderful treat!
Couldn't spend much time at the book stall. It's really difficult, when you have huge crowds milling about you! So finally took a shared cab and reached NCPA, with still a lot of time to spare. Chose to settle down at a nice spot on Marine Drive and was treated to a rather amusing lover's tiff (quite a common sight around here)! Now, I am totally against eavesdropping, but can you be blamed of eavesdropping when someone is screaming at the top of their voice and creating a public spectacle? Anyway, the antics of the couple kept me entertained for a while and I killed the remaining time enjoying a lovely cup of coffee. And then, at last, headed for the concert.
The concert was organized in the memory of Mrs. Kiran and Mr. Jagdish Khanna by their family members (no, they are no Page 3 celebs or something like that. Just some nice individuals who loved music and who have loving family members surviving them) with a desire and hope to see peace and tranquility prevail over this world. And who better than Pt. Shivkumar Sharma to transport you into such a peaceful and tranquil world!
Born on Jan 13, 1938 in Jammu, Shivji not only rediscovered the Santoor, a little known, obscure folk instrument of the mountains, but also in a way reinvented it, by making numerous changes to the traditional instrument thus rendering it suitable for playing classical ragas. He has indeed, single-handedly, put the Santoor on the global stage. Panditji's relentless pursuit of excellence has earned him several national and international awards and honors, including both the Padmashree (1991) and the Padmavibhushan (2001). For all the recognition and success, Shivji remains a tremendously humble and jovial man. 'Research has proved that excessive exposure to cell phones causes brain damage. But exposure to music causes no damage! So why dont you put away your mobiles and enjoy the music instead?' he quipped, as someone's cell phone rang out aloud.
Just as I was getting ready to enjoy the upcoming treat of scintillating music, my nostrils were assaulted by a hideous stench! Giving away my extra passes turned out to be both good and bad. Good cause the passes ended up going to people who were obvious music lovers. Bad because the seat next to me ended up being occupied by someone who stank like he had just waded through all the gutters of Mumbai! All my life I have ridiculed women who roam around bathed in perfume that one can smell a mile away. And here I was now, desperately praying for precisely such a woman to walk in and save me! Sadly, no such thing happened. But thanks be to God who gave me the forethought of carrying a stole. After securely covering my nose with two rounds of cloth (which still did not manage to keep out the odor entirely), I let the music of Shivji take over my senses.
In keeping with the theme of the concert, Shivji chose to start the evening with Raga Bhoopali (or Bhupali), also known as Raga Bhoop, a beautiful evening raga evoking a devotional mood. The same raga in Carnatic music is known as Mohanam. Starting with an alap, jor and jhala, Shivji followed it up with a second composition in Raga Bhoopali, gat in Roopak Taal. After a brief break during which Shivji retuned the Santoor (and the audience relieved their bladders), he chose to play three compositions in Raga Mishra Shivranjani, a light classical raga. Interestingly, this raga can convey different moods depending on the tempo in which it is played, Panditji informed us. When played in a slow tempo, this raga conveys melancholy; in a medium tempo it evokes feelings of love and romance; whilst in a faster tempo the raga infuses the listeners with joy. Naturally, the maestro chose to play this raga in a faster tempo. And my joy was undoubtedly doubled considering that the stink-man next to me had disappeared during the break and had not returned!
Panditji enthralled the audiences, as ever, and at the end of three hours, we were left wanting to hear more of this incomparable genius. It just struck me that even to give a three hour long performance at the age of 73 is a commendable feat in itself! It is surely the eternal nature of music that keeps Shivji young even at this age!
God bless Shivji and the Khanna family, because of whom I could enjoy this wonderful treat!
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