10-day All-India Bhaskar Rao Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan concludes at Tagore Theatre

10-day All-India Bhaskar Rao Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan concludes at Tagore Theatre

Ramesh K Dhiman

CHANDIGARH

The 53rd All-India Bhaskar Rao Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan concluded at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, Chandigarh here on Sunday with a memorable vocal jugalbandi by Mishra bandhus and a dazzling Kathak dance performance by Vidha Lal and troupe

The concluding day of the mega event witnessed a mesmerising vocal jugalbandi by Pt. Ritesh and Pt. Rajnish Mishra brothers, powered by a stellar Kathak dance performance by eminent Kathak danseuse Vidha Lal and troupe. The musical bonanza turned out to be a unique melodic experience for the tricity music lovers.

U T Home Secretary Nitin Kumar Yadav was the Chief Guest on the occasion.

Kendra Senior Vice-Chairman Prof. Arun Grover, SNA Awardee Guru Dr Shobha Koser and Secretary Sajal Koser, felicitated the chief guest on the occasion with bouquet, scroll, shawl and a memento.

The star maestros of the musical evening – Ritesh Mishra and Rajnish Mishra, aka the ‘Sun and Moon’ of Banaras Gharana, who performed with incredible precision, learnt the subtle nuances of the craft under the stewardship of the legends, Padma Bhushan late Pt. Rajan Misra (Father) and Pt. Sajan Misra (Uncle). Both the performing maestros with
their academics at Delhi University, Delhi, had been learning music since their childhood days of yore with the strains of tanpura, sarangi, tabla and the haunting voices of their forefathers pouring in at their in their ears at home.

Suffused with a deep knowledge of the typical Indian Ragas the duo rendered Khayal, Tappa, Tarana Bhajans and other classical genres, one after the other, casting a spell on the audience.
They have also performed at a host of high-end concerts, the world over.

Vidha Lal, a disciple and daughter-in-law of renowned Guru and recepient of the coveted Sangeet Natak Akademy Award, Geetanjali Lal of Jaipur Gharana is a name to reckon with in the specific genre.

Vidha has emerged as a shining star in the field of Kathak . A graduate from the Lady Sri Ram College For Women, New Delhi, Vidha is an empanelled artiste of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR ) and an ‘a-grade artiste at the Delhi Doordarshan Kendra. Vidha has earned a well-deserved acclaim from the connoisseurs of music and dance for her brilliant solo performances in India and abroad.A recipient of the Sri Krishana Gana Sabha Endowment Award 2010, Chennai, Vidha has also made it to the Guinness World Record For taking most numbers of Kathak Spins (103) in an incredible one-minute slot In 2011.
She has also received a surfeit of other prestigious awards for her performances par excellence.

The evening programme started with the vocal recital by Ritesh Mishra and Rajnish Mishra, popularly known as Mishra bandhus. The duo chose raga Maru Bihag which was heightened by a traditional Aalap, followed by a mesmerized bandish “Payian tori laagi rahun…” set to Vilambit Laya ek taal. They moved on to present a crisp bandish “Raat ke alsaye piyarwa…” , a fast-paced composition set to teen taal in their soulful voices. After this engaging presentation, they doled out another well-meaning bandish “Sagun ban boli re koyeliya…”, composed in Drut Laya set to Teen Taal, got a humongous applause from the audience.

They also presented Rangili Bandish “Mori chunari rang dari dekho Shyam…” coinciding with Holi, the Festival of colours, which evoked a full-throated encomium. Senior Well-known harmonium exponent Pandit Dharmanath Mishra accompied them on harmonium and Pradeep Sarkar on tabla.

After this spectacular presentation, Vidushi Vidha Lal and her troupe took to the centre stage and regaled the audience with their stunning Kathak performances. They started with an invocation to the Goddess Durga amidst a vigorous chanting “Om ayeen Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Vichhe…” in which they described the three feminine powers through this dance sequence. This was composed by Guru Geetanjali Lal and choreographed by Vidha Lal.

The second rendition was Ullhas based on Bhav Paksha “Albela Sajan Ayo…” a beautiful portrayal of mythological saga of love and longing featuring Radha – Krishna, which was well received by the audience.

This was quickly followed by Hori Dhamar, which was presented solo by Vidha Lal, depicting Radha Krishna’s Holi narrative, which was highly applauded. The presentation was an amalgam of incredible expressions, immaculate footwork and abhinaya and a stupendous style of presentation is the strength of Vidha’s dance performance. She concluded with a composition based on the theme of Holi “Aaj Rang Hai…” a pure Sufi rendition. Muskaan, Stuti Pandey, Nidhi Kakkar and Anamika Mandal participated in the troupe of Vidha, while Hiren Chate accompanying them on tabla, Salman Warsi on Pakhawaj, Suheb Hasan on vocals and Aamir Khan on Sarangi.