A Classical Music Festival Inspired By Glorious Era Of Overnight Dussehra Concerts In Patna

Not many outside Bihar would know about its enviable legacy of overnight music sessions during Dussehra in Patna, now a lost tradition. Until about half a century ago, most of India’s well-known classical musicians could be found performing on stages set up in the by lanes adjacent to Puja Pandals across many prominent locations in the city. It would not be an exaggeration to say that whether an artist had made it to the A-list of performers in the country could safely be judged by the fact whether s/he was invited in Patna during Dussehra. These overnights attracted large audiences comprising of both connoisseurs and amateurs familiar with the etiquettes of attending a classical music concert. Sadly now, this is a remnant of a bygone era and it is particularly ironic given the fact that Bihar has nurtured music traditions in many cities such as Darbhanga, Bettiah, Gaya, Ara, Dumraon, Bhagalpur, Madhubani, and Muzaffarpur. But that is a story for another time.

Not all is lost and a handful of cultural organisations in Patna are trying to revive the old tradition of high quality classical music concerts by presenting some of the finest talents in Patna. One such entity Navras School of Performing Arts led by Dr. Ajit Pradhan, city’s renowned cardiologist had recently organised Navankur. The 2-day music festival took place on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th December in the picturesque green backyard of College of Arts and Craft on Vidyapati Marg, a street named after Bhakti poet Vidyapati, also known by the sobriquet Maithil Kavi Kokil who lived in the 13th and 14th century in north Bihar.

The festival started on 4th Dec evening with a Violin recital by Nandini Shankar accompanied on the Tabla by Ishan Ghosh, both from Mumbai and representing their own rich music legacy. Nandini started her recital with Raag Patdeep, a late afternoon melody. Her playing made subtle use of Meend (glide) and Gamak (quick oscillation) to bring alive the imaginative human voice on Violin. She skilfully combined left and right-hand techniques on the bow and string, respectively making her Violin sing Bandishes rather than play Gats. Ishan’s prodigious Tabla playing, a fine balance of dexterity and maturity, was a treat for Patna’s music lovers. It was heartening to see the audience occasionally bursting in to applause whenever the artists arrived on the Sam together after a flight of spontaneous improvisation. Following the main piece, Nandini played a Tarana in Ada-choutal, a lesser heard Taal these days, followed by a short yet sublime Yaman and two Thumri including the iconic Na Manungi which she first hummed in her melodious voice making evident the Gayaki-ang or singing inspired playing.

Next, Omkar Dadarkar from Kolkata took the stage to conclude first day with a Hindustani classical Khayal recital. A young maestro having trained in Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur Gharanas, he started with Raag Chhayanat as the main piece. After a brief alap, he launched the traditional Bandish Tan Man Dhan Sab Varungi set to Vilambit Ektal demonstrating the systematic note by note unfolding using signature melodic phrases of the raga. He was accompanied on Tabla and Harmonium by Vinod Lele and Vinay Mishra respectively. Seeing manual Tanpuras being played by two music students from the city, besides one by the vocalist himself was reassuring in today’s times when artists are completely switching to electronic ones. Omkar initially seemed a bit disturbed by the noise creeping on the stage from outside, however soon after managed to regain his concentration. His well-rounded singing was characterised by a voice that flows across the three octaves with ease as well as incredible precision and clarity in Taans even at higher speeds. The Vilambit piece was followed by a Madhya laya Teental, Ae Ri Malaniya Gund Lao Ri and a Drut laya Tarana also in Teental. He then presented a mesmerising Jaijaiwanti in Bageshwari ang. Many in the audience seemed familiar with the ‘Prempiya’ (nom de plume of Ud. Faiyyaz Khan of Agra) bandish, More Mandir Ajahu Nahi Aye in Madhya laya Teental. He then sang two compositions in Bageshwari, Badra Tu Ja set to Addha and Beg Beg Aao Aao set to Ektaal. He concluded his recital with a 150-year-old Marathi Natya Sangeet composition Radhadhar Madhumilind which not only struck an emotional chord with the audience but also proved his versatility as a vocalist beyond doubt.

Omkar who stayed back the next day to listen to other artists said, while online music festivals and now hybrid mode is a part of the new reality we have to live with, they simply cannot match the vibe of in-person sessions. Such 2 hrs long in-person session is a rarity these days.

While the two recitals took place, visual artist Sanatan Vatsayan poured his inspiration on canvas making colourful abstract paintings. It was fascinating to see visual art taking aural inspiration and developing right in front of the eyes. Mr Tripurari Sharan, veteran bureaucrat and presently Chief Secretary in the Govt. of Bihar maintained his encouraging presence throughout and while thanking the artists for their memorable recitals said, ‘Words are not enough to describe the blissful feeling’.

Day two started with a serene morning session which was reasonably well attended given it was Sunday. Most music concerts take place in the evenings and both the artists, as well as audiences, seldom get a chance to experience morning and daytime ragas. Vocalist duo Kashyap Bandhu of Benaras Gharana started their recital with the invocation of Om, a short alap in the majestic pre-noon Raga Jaunpuri followed by a Vilambit Ektal ‘Baaje Jhan’. They unhurriedly developed the raga in unison with the quaint atmosphere that held the audience in attention. This was followed by Jiyara Laraje, a composition set to Adhha taal to which they did complete melodic as well poetic justice. Jaunpuri sojourn ended with Madhya laya Teentaal bandish Pyare Kanhai ko Na Maro. Diwakar’s voice travelled effortlessly through the scale in fast Taans. And Prabhakar complimented this with his big range traversing 3 octaves. Next was Sadarang’s Bandish in Alahiya Bilawal, Man Harwa followed by Bade Ram Das’s Langariya Hum Sang Na Karo in Vrindavani Sarang, both set to Madhya Laya Teentaal. They belted many more bandishes one after the other such as Balam Tore Sang Na Jaungi where the movement of bandish suggested clouds conjuring up rains and Radhe Tumhre Nain in Gaud Sarang set to Adhha taal followed by another one Chedo Na Nind Mohe Uchat Jaat in Madhya laya teentaal, a Sanadpiya composition. The duo demonstrated their mastery over many ragas by immediately switching from one to another and quickly establishing them with the audience. A moved Dr. Pradhan quoted a description of Gaud Sarang from Raag Kalpdrum, a historic text on Hindustani classical music. Justice Mihir Jha thanked the artists while the audience gave them thunderous applause.

Vinod Lele said, I try to go and play with the main artist as if we are meeting in a friendly way and not for a duel and together we try to meet the raag and taal themselves. Prabhakar, elder of the singer duo echoed this sentiment and said even among the brothers, there is no competition, and they try to complement each other with love and respect. Only then the music can take form of worship and touch the hearts of listeners.

The evening and concluding session of the festival had Sarod and vocal recitals by Pratik Shrivastava and Sawani Shinde, respectively. The evening started a little late and as a result Sarod session was relatively shorter and the finale vocal item went on till late in the night towards the end of which, some members of the audience were seen leaving. Pratik started his recital with an immersive Jhinjhoti, an evening melody particularly popular among Sitar and Sarod players. He approached it more from a mood and feel of the raag perspective than only virtuosic possibilities on the instrument. His balanced hands produced the glides with precision, handled the base notes delicately and showed great understanding and control over sound dynamics creating a sense of sonic depth. He started with a gat in Vilambit Teental, accompanied by Ishan Ghosh on Tabla. He concluded his recital with Raag Hemant comprising of short alap, and two compositions in Teeltal, slow and mid-tempo, respectively.

Ishan said, it’s critical as a musician and even more as an accompanist to listen to the main artist, feel their music and then respond. Each artist is different and even the same artist is not the same each time, which makes listening and openness indispensable.

The concluding presentation of the evening, as well as the festival, was Hindustani classical khayal recital by Sawani Shinde from Pune. She started her recital by invoking the pleasant and soothing melody of Gorakh Kalyan through an elaborate alap incorporating Re-Ta-Na syllables reminding of the ancient Dhrupad style. She sang a self-composed Vilambit ektal Tum Bin Lage Na Mora Jiya followed by Dr Ramashrey Jha’s Sajan Bin Banwri set to Addha and Gund laao Maliniya set to Drut Teental. Sawani’s stage presence is particularly mentioned worthy, reflecting poise and confidence and interacting with her accompanists enjoying every musical moment. Vinay Mishra occasionally launched in to his own melodic interpretation of this beautiful raga which earned a ‘kya baat’ from the others on stage. In the end, she obliged requests and sang a Thumri in Khamaj and a Ghazal by Shobha Gurtu, showcasing her versatility as a vocalist.

As the curtain came down, Dr SK Jha, a noted music scholar accurately summarised the quality of music presented over the 2 days by saying, ‘these artists may be young in their age, but their music is mature like that of a maestro’. Participating musicians that are among the young maestros in the country, an enthusiastic response from the music lovers who showed up in good numbers for all the sessions, and Dr Pradhan passionately leading Navras from the front were among many things that made this music festival a memorable one. We can remain hopeful that more such programs are regularly organised in Patna and other cities in Bihar in future to bring back its glorious musical past.

(Sumeet is a Dhrupad vocalist, music collaborator, festival curator, researcher and writer)