A. R. Rahman

Attended a concert of A. R. Rahman titled 'The journey, celebrating music'. 

Singers of the concert were Neeti Mohan, Jonita Gandhi, Harshdeep Kaur, Javed Ali, Arman Malik, Hari Charan & Benny Dayal. Accompanying Artists were  Sanket Naik (Tabla), Elin Sandberg (Base guitar), Ranjit Barot ( Drums), Keba (Acoustic Guitar), Asad Khan (Sitar), Gulraj (Keyboard) etc. The concert took place at Dubai Parks on 26th Jan 2018. I attended the concert with Aditi, Mihika, Ravi, Akshata, Pooja, Sameer, Rucha, Prakash, Swati Gauri, Gargi, Priya, Santosh, Vijay, Jyoti, Pratyush, Sucheeta and Jayant.

Concert started with a grand instrumental medley of all his famous songs. First song of the concert was 'Oh nadan parinde ghar aa ja (ओ नादान परिंदे घर आजा)' from film Rock Star. Ranjit's drums were fabulous.  It was followed by 'Mukkala mukabla Laila (मुकाला मुकाबला लैला)'. Neeti Mohan joined Rahman for this song. Neeti, in a stunning red evening gown, then presented 'Chandralekha (चंद्रलेखा)' from film Thiruda Thiruda. I found this one more refined than Anupama's original. ARR then played piano and Jonita Gandhi, in shining blue flowing top and black slacks, sung 'Dil hai chhotasa (दिल है छोटासा)' from film Roja with Neeti.

Rahman then sung 'Dilse re (दिलसे रे)'. He was accompanied by Sitar for this song. This was followed by 'Sathiya (साथिया)'. Hari Charan, in black shirt, white jacket white black floral design,  joined him for the song. Neeti sung her own song  'Jiya jiyare jiyare (जीया जीयारे जीयारे )'. Benny Dayal, in a white shirt, black hat and huge shades, then sung medley 'Kaise muze tum mil gaye (कैसे मुझे तुम मिल गए)' and 'Tuhi meri dost hai (तुही मेरी दोस्त है)'. 

Jonita sung 'Gar tum sath ho (गर तुम साथ हो)'. Rahman then presented 'Inna sona kyun (इन्ना सोणा क्यूं)'. Arman Malik, in black jacket, sung 'Tuhi tu (तुही तु)' from film Dilse. A belly dancer graced the stage with her sensuous dance moves. It was followed by ARR and Jonita's 'Tere bina (तेरे बिना)'. Arman, in stylish red sweat shirt presented medley of 'Matargashti (मटरगश्ती)' and 'Masakkali (मसक्कली)'. Arman and Jonita then sung 'Tuhi re, Tuhi re (तुहीरे, तुहीरे)' from movie 2.0. I heard this song for the first time. 

He asked if audience wants to hear a Malayalam song? Some said yes, some no.  It was presented nevertheless. The song was 'Padakali' from the film Yodha. Benny and Hari sung this duel song originally sung by Sreekumar and Yesudas. Although I did not understand the words, it was very enjoyable and audience loved it. It was the highlight of the concert.

Neeti presented 'Maiya maiya (माया मैया)' from film Guru. Sitariya  then played the theme music of film Slumdog millionaire. A medley titled 'Time machine' was presented. It consisted a mukhda of 'Kehna hi kya', 'Pyar ye jane kaisa hai', 'Kismat se tum', 'Tu bin bataye', 'O bhanware', 'Ye hasin wadiyan', 'Kehne ko jashn-e-bahara', 'Chanda re Chanda re', 'Saans me teri', 'O re chore', 'Ae ajnabi', 'Jiya jale jaan jale', 'Awara bhanware', 'Ghanana ghanan ghan', 'Mitwa sun mitwa', 'Rang de', each. There was a drums jugalbandi in this medley. 

Harshdeep Kaur presented 'Ik omkar', a prayer from Rang de Basanti. It was followed by Qawwali medley. ARR presented 'Phool Khile bagiyan mein (फूल खिले बगियनमें) of Amir Khusru followed by Javed Ali's 'Maula maula (मौला मौला)' and 'Kun faya kun (कुन फाया कुन)'.  Then they presented 'Kwaja mere khwaja (ख्वाजा मेरे ख्वाजा)'. Although this section was good, the tempo of the program was lost. Probably it's position in program was wrong. They should have started the program with this. 

Harshdeep Kaur presented 'Tinga linga linga (टिंग लिंग लिंग)'. Rahman  then presented 'Patakha guddi (पटाखा गुड्डी). 'Tanha tanha (तनहा तनहा) from film Rangeela was presented by Jonita, now in red evening dress, next. 

Neeti, now in black attire, presented 'Rangeela (रंगीला)' in her own style.  This rendition was different from original of Asha Bhosle, but it was very good.  I liked it. Rahman presented 'O humdum suniyo re (ओ हमदम सुनियो रे)'. Rahman presented 'Mustafa (मुस्तफा)'. He forgot one line in this song but recovered quickly. He made the audience sing the vocables in perfect tune, at the end of this song. He then sang 'Hamma hamma (हम्मा हम्मा)'. This appeared to be an impromptu addition. He then sung 'Urvasi (ऊर्वशी)'.

Audience demanded Vande Mataram and he complied by singing the final song of the concert 'Ma tuza Salam (माॅ तुझे सलाम)'. All the audience was on their feet for the grand finale, entire song. 

The concert audience must be more than 10000. Audience went ecstatic when Rahman did anything, even announcement and whenever he began a new song and during the song. In the later part of concert fog joined-in to watch Rahman perform, obscuring view of the audience. Return journey was bad as visibility was about 10-15m due to heavy fog. 

Although it was publicized as 'All Hindi' concert, ARR could not stay away from a couple of songs from other languages. But no one seemed to mind. It was an extravaganza with laser graphics, that hurt the eyes some times, dances and music. We were sitting so far away from the stage that the only way we could recognize the artists was from the strategically placed video screens. Our position did nor allow us to enjoy the dances. 

Names of singers, musicians and back stage staff were displayed in an AV one after another, they were not introduced. So I missed some names. 

It was a very good concert with two flaws. Qawwali should have been at the start and length should have been 15-20 minutes shorter. All the performers were good, Rahman was excellent but Neeti and Ranjit were the stars of the night.

Entertainment rating 8.5/10.

Kay Kay or KK

Attended a concert by Kay Kay or KK titled 'Mesmerizing KK'. Accompanying Artists were Rinku Rajput (Keyboard), Jaydeep Tirumalai (Base guitar), Lindsey Demello ( Drums), Kalyan Barua (Guitar), The concert was organized by  India Social and Cultural Centre as part of their Golden Jubilee Celebrations on their roof top on 21st Dec 2017. I attended the concert with Aditi, Mihika, Pooja, Sameer, Rucha, Neha, Prakash, Swati Gauri, Gargi, Priya, Santos, Ashok, Savita, Saanvi and Ishanvi.

This open air concert was originally scheduled on 8th Dec but was cancelled at last moment due to bad weather and shifted today. 

KK (Krishnakumar Kunnath) is considered one of the most versatile singers in India. He has never undergone any formal training in music. He sung more than 3500 jingles before breaking into Bollywood and has sung numerous hit songs.

Concert started with 'Kya muze pyar hai (क्या मुझे प्यार है)'. Audience instantly responded and sung with him. It was followed by 'Dil ibadat (दिल ईबादत)' and then 'Sach keh raha hai diwana (सच कह रहा है दीवाना)' from film RHTDM.

He then sung 'Tuzko jo paya (तुझीको जो पाया)' composed by Pritam followed by 'Labon ko labon pe (लबोंको लबोंपे)' and 'O humdum suniyo re (ओ हमदम सुनियो रे)'. Then he sung 'Sung hoon tere (संग हूं तेरे)'. I had never heard this song before. 

He sung a song dedicated to all beautiful ladies 'Akhon mein teri ajabsi (आखों मे तेरी अजबसी)' and made them sing. 'Abhi Abhi dilki suni hai (अभि अभि दिलकी सुनी है)' and 'Tuhi meri shab hai (तुही मेरी शब है)' followed suit. 

His famous song 'Yaron dosti (यारों दोस्ती)'. He told how he recorded a song solo while on vacation in Australia, upon urgent request of composer Pritam. He sung that song from film Bajarangi bhaijan 'To jo mila (तू जो मिला)'. It was followed by fast song 'Hai junoon (है जुनून)'. This was interval. 

After interval he narrated a story of how he came to sing one of his most famous songs and then sung it 'TadapTadap ke (तडप तडपके)' from Him dil de chuke sanam. He sung this song with only keyboard and then guitars to accompany.  No rhythm. He sung it with his heart. 

'Hum rahe ya na rahe (हम रहे या ना रहे)' a slow and delicate song was followed by faster 'Khuda jane ke mai fida (खुदा जाने के मैं फिदा)'. He played a small trumpet piece by mouth during this song. 'Jarasi dilmein de jagah tu (जरासी दिलमें दे जगही तू)' followed thereafter. 

The mood changed to rhythmic beats for dancing in the final segment of concert. He sung 'Tune mari entriyan (तूने भारी एंन्ट्रीयाॅ)'. He started with Bengali version and them switched to Hindi. Audience entered the pit and danced, all our kids included. Then came title song of remake of film Don 'Main hun Don (मैं हूं डाॅन)'. He removed his jacket for the next song 'Dus bahane karke (दसरा बहाने करके)'. It was immediately followed by 'Desi boys (देसी बाॅईज)' and 'It's the time to disco (इट्स द टाईम टु डिस्को)'

'Koi kahe kehta rahe (कोई कहे कहता रहे)'.In the Josh, he went out of tune in this song. He introduced the musicians and gave each of them 2 minutes of fame. He concluded the concert with same song. 

It was an experience of re-education Ann's revelation for many. Song is known. Oh! It is sung by KK!

KK, clad in black suit, entranced the audience. To gauge the audience involvement he sometimes missed a line and kept quiet but the audience sung instead and carried the song forward for him to pick up.  Audience needed no urging to sing along. KK's voice has a special quality. His unpretentious attitude won the audience instantly. 

Being a Mallu by origin and the program being in The Gulf, it's commendable that he resisted temptation of singing a Malayalam song. 

All the musicians were good. A concert with just four musicians is a rare deal. But no instrument was found wanting. 

Audio system was very good. Strobe lights from stage on audience were source of eye irritation. Program would have been better without them. 

Audience's sing-along was unprecedented. Audience mostly sang vocables and I realized how many of his songs have liberal dose of vocables. This was one concert where I found it most. 

Entertainment rating 8.5/10.

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D# Fusion: From strings to soul...

Attended a concert titled "D# Fusion: From strings to soul...". Today's performing artists were Troily Dutta (Sarod), A. Rajesh (Ghatam), Jay (Keyboard and Vocal) and Soumen Hazra (Tabla). Aryaman and Aritrika were the child singers who made a brief adherence. The program was organized by  D# Fusion in Embassy of India auditorium on 9th Dec 2017. I attended the concert with Jayant.

As the title suggests, it was a fusion concert. However, it was not the fusion of east and west but the fusion of Indian classical music, contemporary music, Indian folk music and Bollywood classics. It was fusion with a difference. 

Concert started with 'Divinity' a composition in Raag Yaman (यमन). They presented song 'Aadi pujit pad pankaj' followed by a bandish 'Zid na dharo', where Ghatam joined in.  Singers sung good Sargam during this Bandish. 

Second composition was in Raag Maru Bihag (मारू बिहाग) (Attributed to Ustad Alldiya Khan, founder of Jaipur-Atrauli gharana). They presented song 'Pia tora kaisa abhiman' from film Raincoat. Then they played fusion with drums, however, it was a pre recorded track for drums. 

Next they presented a Symphony in Raag Tilak Kamod (तिलक कमोद). The combination of Ghatam, Tabla and Sarod sounded very good. It was a char taal ki sawari with Vilambit in 11 beat cycle and Drut in 16 beat cycle. This included very enjoyable Sawal-Jawab between Ghatam and Tabla.

Here there was a break of 5 minutes that lasted 15 minutes. It broke the flow. I thought it would have been better to skip the break. 

First composition after break was titled 'Serenity'. It was an improvisation of Raag Hemant (हेमंत). Raag Hemant was created by Ustad Allauddin Khan. They presented famous song 'Ye hausla kaise jhuke' from film Dor. Soumen played electronic drums for this song. 

Medley of folk numbers from Rajasthan, Assam, Maharashtra and Bengal was next on agenda. This included Raag Mand (मंद), Dhun probably in Mishra Khamaj (मिश्र खमाज) and Bhairavi (भैरवी).

Concert concluded with a composition 'The eternal joy' based on Raag Hamsadhwani (हंसध्वनी).  They presented 'Bavra man dekhne chala ek sapana' from film 'Hazaron khwahishe aisi' followed by famous Carnatic composition 'Vatapi Ganapati'. There was Sawal-Jawab between Sarod, Percussionists and Vocal during this. 

At this point Sarod chords snapped. It was a difficult moment. But rest of the performers showed presence of mind to continue with Vatapi Ganapati until she restored the chords. This one was real impromptu. Then they took up where they had left and reached crescendo to conclude inn a high note. 

Why the name D# Fusion? Sounds different! Well, D# for D Sharp note and D'Fusion of music. Creative and Innovative!

Concert started almost one hour late. Previously declared Ghatam player, Kadir, could not participate due to unforeseen reasons, so Rajesh was flown in from India for this concert. He is a professional artist and obviously played well. 

Soumen used two Tablas. However, rather than changing, he arranged both in front of him and played the one he required. He also played drums and demonstrated his versatility. 

Jay, the vocalist, used keyboard for chords. If he had played keyboard it would have become more profound.

Triolee plays Sarod very well. She had to under play to stay with the group. She has potential more than what was on display. I would like to see her play pure classical solo Sarod. 

Audio system was very good. A guy was taking photos of artists throughout the program, disturbing them. Attendance was about 75.

Local artists have shown that they can create content at par with others. Encouragement is due. Well done!

Gauri Pathare (Vocal)

Attended a concert of Gauri Pathare (Vocal) accompanied by Rigved Deshpade (Tabla) & Niranjan Lele ( Harmonium) organized by Anubhooti at ISC, Abu Dhabi, on 25th Nov 2017. Attendance to the concert was @ 90.

Gauri Pathare is disciple of Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki and Pandora Padmatai Talwalkar. Niranjan is disciple of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar and Rigved is a disciple of Pt. Ramdas Palsule.

Bada khayal of the concert was Raag Gawati (गावती).  Compliments to the singer for choosing off the beaten track raag. She sung bandish 'Aas lagi tumhare charan ki (आस लागी तुम्हरे चरण की)' in Taal Ektal (एक ताल). She started with a good meend and displayed all the fine nuances of the raag.

Second bandish of the raag was 'Hamari paar karo sai (हमरी पार करो साई)'. This one too was very good. Both the Bandishes were of her guru Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki.

Chota khayal of the concert was Raag Shree (श्री). She sung bandish 'Hari ke charan kamal (हमरी के चरण कमल)' in madhyalay Jhaptaal (झप ताल). I think this was originally sung by Pt. D. V. Paluskar. Second bandish of Raag Shree was Vidushi Padma Talwalkar's 'Chalore mai Ram Siya darasanko (चलो रे माई राम सिया दरसन को)' . Both the Bandishes were crisp. 

She then presented a raagmala 'Durga mata Bhavani devi (दुुुुर्गा माता भवानी देवी)'. A praise of all the goddesses. 

In the second half she switched to semi classical and presented two Hori's consecutively.  First was 'Rangi saari gulabi chunariya re (रंगी सारी गुलाबी चुनरीया रे)' in Raag Mishra Pahadi (मिश्र पहाडी) and Taal Dadra (दादरा). This song became famous after it was included in movie Gulab Gang.

Second Hori was Girija devi's 'Rang darungi Nandke laalan pe (रंग डारूंगी नंद के लालन पे) ' in Raag Tilak Kamod (तिलक कमोद). I remember that Dr. Kavita Gadgil presented this Hori in Anubhooti concert in 2014. Both these were known compositions, Gauri sung them very well; so audience liked them very much. 

She then presented two Marathi songs of Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki. First was Raag Bhoop (भूप) based, Natyageet 'Maze jeevan gane (माझे जीवनगाणे)'. With majority of audience being Marathi, this was bound to be a hit.

Second song was Raag Deshkar (देशकार) based famous 'Abeer gulal udhalit rang (अबिर गुलाल उधळीत रंग)' written by Sant Chokhamela. Audience recognized the song and applauded as soon as she started the song.

Concert concluded with a Bhairavi (भैरवी). This was again a Natyageet (नाट्यगीत)  'Kare aisi maya lawili mala (का रे ऐसी माया चालविली मला)'. This was originally sung by Jyotsna Bhole (ज्योत्स्ना भोळे) for the play 'Kone eke kali (कोणे एके काळी)' and was composed by Master Krishnarao (मास्टर कॄष्णराव). Bhairavi always stirs emotions in you that are beyond words. This was no exception. 

Gauri is a fine singer. Years of hard work is evident in her gayaki. She handled difficult patterns very well. I liked her harkat's very much. Her singing style was a blend of Kirana and Jaypur gharanas and it highlights specialities of both. She encouraged accompaniests from time to time and applauded when they did something special. She was humble and gave credit of her achievements to her Gurus.

Niranjan is one of the very talented and established Harmonium player of his generation. He was in his element and drew multiple applauds from the audience.  His Harmonium literally sang. Generally the common audience is known to applause Tabla and usually Harmonium is a distant second. Here Harmonium was applauded more than Tabla. It says a lot about the Harmonium player as well as the audience. It should be noted that many of the disciples of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, Niranjan included, are doing very well. 

Young Rigved also deserves praise. He is an epitome of Work-Passion balance. He works in Infosys and pursues his passion with equal vigour, ignoring neither. He too was applauded by audience and Gauri. If he continues his graph, he has a great future.

Humility was the most heartening aspect of the artists. Thus they were liked off the stage too. 

Special mention should go to the audience. They applauded and encouraged the artists with well placed claps and appreciation. Gauri ji acknowledged the knowledgeable (दर्दी) audience after the concert. 

The concert lasted for little over 2 hours. Sound and lights were good. This was Anubhooti's 12th concert. It came after a gap of 1.5 years. 

Trivia: A fly was flying on the stage during the concert, occasionally troubling artists. It appeared as if it was also fluttering to the tune of music and instead of joining audience chose to be in the lime light.

A very satisfying concert.

Disclosure: I am a founder member of Anubhooti.

Pankaj Udhas (Gazal)

Attended a gazal concert by Pankaj Udhas. 

Accompanying Artists were Visual Dhumal (Keyboard), Rashid Mustafa Thirkawa (Tabla), Nirmal Pawar (Side rhythm), Nasir Sajjad Hussein (Mandolin), Ninad Mulaokar (Bansuri). Ashish Choube was in charge of Sound and Vimal Joshi handled light and stage. The program was organized by  India Social and Cultural Centre as part of their Golden Jubilee Celebrations on their roof top on 16th Nov 2017. I attended the concert with Aditi, Mihika, Sucheeta, Jayant, Pooja, Sameer, Rucha, Prakash, Gauri, Jyoti, Pratyush and Vijay.

Gaurav Sharma was called on stage to talk about Pankaj Udhas before the concert. He cracked one joke and spent few minutes on stage screaming, without giving any information about Pankaj Udhas.

Concert started with 'Aap jinke karib hote hai (आप जिनके करीब होते है)'. This song was not as good as it normally is. It was followed by Mumtaz Rashid's gazal 'Niklo na benaqab (निकलो ना बेनकाब)' and 'Diwaron se Milkar rona accha lagat hai (दीवारोंसे मिलकर रोना अच्छा लगता है)'. He then presented Anwar Farukhabadi's famous gazal 'Sabko malum hai main (सब को मालुम है मैं)'.

He then shifted to his film song from movie Sajan 'Jiye to jiye kaise (जिए तो जिए कैसे)'. He sung this one slower than the film version. He then presented one of his most famous 'Chandi Jaisa rang hai tera (चांदी जैसा रंग है तेरा)'. Audience applauded as soon as he started and continued throughout the song. 

There was a very long interval after this song that included speeches and felicitation. This long interval broke the flow of concert. This should have been done before the concert.

First gazal after the break was 'La pila de sakiya (ला पिलादे साकीया)'. Next was 'Aur aahista kijiye batein (और आहिस्ता कीजीए बातें)'. This slow song was followed by one of his most famous 'Hui mehengi bahuthi sharab ke (हुई महंगी बहुत ही शराब के)'. Keyboard player shone in this song with his fast fingers. He then sung 'Tum kitni Sundar ho (तुम कितनी सुंदर हो)'. Audience clapped as soon as he started with 'Na kajre ki dhar (ना कजरेकी धार)'.

Then he presented his most famous song 'Chitthi aai hai (चिठ्ठी आई है)' from film Naam. It was undoubtedly best song of the concert and audience experienced goose bumps.  

He then presented a medley of 'Aaiye barishon is mausam hai (आईए बारीशोंका मौसम है)', 'Sharab cheez aisi hai (शराब चिजही ऐसी है)', 'Aaj fir tumpe pyar aaya hai (आज फिर तुमपे प्यार आया है)' and 'Aye gamein jindagi (ऐ गमे जिंदगी).

Concert concluded with 'Ghungroo toot gaye (घुंगरू टूट गए)'. Musicians were introduced during this song. 

Earlier Pankaj ji said that the audience assumes that the gazal singer imbibes alcohol before the program to come in mood but the inebriation of claps of audience is more than enough for him and alcohol is not required. Well said!

Pankaj ji's voice was shaky at the start of the concert. It stabilized a lot during the concert.  Let's just say today was not the best of his days. 

All the musicians were good. Tabalji drew audience applause multiple times. Side rhythm and Bansuri was good and so was the key board. However, Sajjad Nasir was too good with mandolin. He was the pillar of concert. 

Audio system was very good. Despite it being an open air program there was no deterioration of Sound quality. But the volume of instruments was high, should have been a little low. Sometimes it became harsh and overshadowed vocals. 

Entertainment rating 7/10.

Kaviteche paan (कवितेचं पान)

Attended a concert titled "Kaviteche paan (कवितेचं पान)". 

Artists were Madhurani Prabhulkar, Sharwari Jamenis and Kaushal Inamdar, who also played Harmonium. The program was organized by Maharashtra Mandal Abu Dhabi at  Embassy of India auditorium on 29th Sept 2017. I attended the concert with Aditi, Sucheeta, Jayant, Pooja, Sameer, Swati, Prakash, Jyoti and Vijay.

Madhurani has been doing a web series with same title on you tube. It had become a rage.  This was the first live program of 'Kaviteche pan (कवितेचं पान)'. 

Program started with a very meaningful prarthana 'Hich amuchi prarthana (हिच अमुची प्रार्थना)'. This song has become immensely popular recently, from movie Ubuntu. Music of this movie is by Kaushal.

Mangesh Padgaokar's hilarious poem 'Tumche kay gele? (तुमचं काय गेलं?) followed up by another one by same poet, a romantic one, 'Maj navhate thauk (मज नव्हते ठाऊक)' by Sharwari. Kaushal presented 'Paus (पाऊस) by Kavivarya Shankar Vaidya. Madhurani presented a very short, but beautiful, poem 'Chatri (छत्री)' by Guru Thakur. Kaushal presented two poems of by Naresh Patil. 'Mazya chatak maitara (माझ्या चातक मैतरा)' and 'Hindkalale abhal (हिंदकळलं आभाळं)'. Sharwari enacted the later with her dance that enhanced the beauty. 

Suresh Bhat's two poems 'Ajun kahi (अजुन काही)' and 'Geet asawle tuzyasathi (गीत आसावले तुझ्यासाठी)' were presented by Kaushal followed by 'Sajan dari ubha (सजण दारी उभा)' enacted by Sharwari and sung by Madhurani.

Kaushal presented Prof Ashok Bagwe's 'Rangat ye tarangat ye (रंगत ये तरंगत ये)' where the poet commands the words and the words comply. This was a special poem where poet uses two words with difference on one letter but very  different meaning in every stanza, a fantastic word play.  Then they presented Vaibhav Joshi's 'Tari pan (तरी पण)' and Saumitra's 'Tuze maze lagna (तुझं माझं लग्न)'. It was followed by Arun Kolhatkar's poem 'Ektepan (एकटेपण)' and Sanjeevani Bokil's 'Mazya hirwya mahera (माझ्या हिरव्या माहेरा)' enacted by Sharwari and music composed by Madhurani. This one brought tears in the eyes of some. 

'Maza zoka (माझा झोका)' by Ashok Bagwe was followed by Shashi Dambhare's two poems 'Chahachya kapasobat (चहाच्या कपासोबत)' and 'Kshama (क्षमा)'. Kaushal presented a sphut (स्फुुुट) he authored, where he assigned various drinks to various singers based on similarities in characteristics. It was too good. It was followed by Mahesh Keluskar's 'Ranat zimma paus (रानात झिम्म पाऊस)' composed by Kaushal. Sharwari presented 'Ajun nahi jagi Radha (अजुन नाही जागी राधा)' about love of Kubja for Krishna.

It was followed by 'Smarashil Radha (स्मरशिल राधा)' of Kusumagraj on Kubja sung by Madhurani and performed by Sharwari. Kaushal presented famous 'Pruthviche premgeet (पृथ्वीचे प्रेमगीत)' of Kusumagraj composed by Kaushal. Sharwari presented another poem of Kusumagraj 'Ahi-Nakul (अहि नकुल)', a fight of Serpent-Mongoose. Wow! What a poem. It was graceful, picturesque and Sharwari brought out alive by her expressions. Madhurani then presented GaDiMa's hilarious poem, a dialogue between two dogs, pine old and one young.

  

Kaushal presented first 12 lines of a very long poem 'Mohini (मोहिनी)' of Balkavi for which he composed music. This one brought the tempo bit down. Madhurani presented 'Ti  mhanali (ती म्हणाली)' of Sanjay Chaudhari about mother and her daughter. Sharwari performed while seated, without getting up. 

Kaushal presented famous 'Tukobachya bhetis Shakespeare ala (तुकोबाच्या भेटीस शेक्सपीयर आला)' by Vinda Karandikar. Madhurani presented 'Darshanala ala? (दर्शनाला आला?)' by Kusumagraj. Sharwari presented Ravindranath Tagor's  prose translated by Khanolkar.

Program concluded with very famous Marathi abhiman geet (मराठी अभिमान गीत), a song that underlines greatness of Marathi language.  It is composed by Kaushal, recorded in 11 studios, sung by more than 450 singers and played by more than 70 musicians. This song had become an iconic song since its release. There was a long applause and standing ovation at the end. 

This program featured many unknown poems. They were appreciated by audience for their quality, the presentation and not because they were known.

Madhurani is an actress and has also composed music. She conceptualized this program. Kaushal is a well known music composer, a good singer and had brains. Sharwari is an actress and an accomplished Kathak dancer. Her expressive dance, subtle expressions and skill were exceptional. She performed without rhythm. Her performance took the program to a different dimension making it exquisite. She was the icing on the cake. 

What was unique about the artists? None of them is uni dimensional. All of them are multi talented and multi faceted. That's why they were able to bring that additional X factor to the program. They delivered with conviction. Their pauses, semi pauses and repeats were timed perfectly. Their expressions emphasized all the important punches and delicate phrases. 

What was unique about the program? It's a niche thematic program. Poets don't present their poems but presenters select poems from various poets and present them. Although this program was not string into a theme, outs informal nature and brilliance of the actors made it a memorable one.

Special mention should go to audience.  Although the auditorium was not full, the ones who attended were good. Audience was knowledgeable, appreciative, understood the finer nuances and liked the performance. There was evident with wah-wah, kya-bat-hai, aa-ha and clapping. Artists crave for such applause. 

MMAD committee should be appreciated for having the creativity to request the artists to start performing this program live and conceptualizing a program dedicated to poems. Its rare to get to attend such literary programs. Committee deserves a big applause.

A memorable evening. 

Entertainment rating 9/10.

Shivkumar Sharma (Santoor) and Zakir Hussain (Tabla)

Attended a concert of Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (Santoor) and Ut. Zakir Hussain (Tabla). They were playing together in Pune after 5 years and this was also the golden jubilee of association of these two legends. They were accompanied by a person on Tanpura whose name was never declared. The program was organized by Sa va Ni Sur Sangeet at Mahalakshmi lawns, Pune on 15th July 2017. I attended the concert with Sarang, Meenal, Jiten, Dhanashree, Subhash Risbud and Ravi.

Concert started with Raag Bhoop. He played traditional Aalap and Jod for 20 minutes. It was followed by two compositions. First one was a Dadara in Jhap taal and second was a Tarana based Bandish in Ek Taal. These two took another forty minutes. 

Zhakirji was applauded on this first touch to Tabla. There was a big applause at the end of the Raag. It was raining during the concert. Panditji made a hilarious comment that he did not know that Raag Bhoop brought rains. 

Second Raag of the concert was Mishra Shivranjani. He played a Dhun in this raag first. The concert ended with a Drut Gat. A small girl of about 6-7 years was trying to dance on this gat.

Its always a delight to watch these maestros play individually. When they play together it ought to have been a treat. Howe ever, thrice there was a mismatch between the artists. Its unprecedented.

Mahalakshmi lawns is an open area close to water body. As a result there was a mosquito menace and audience clapped individually for all the wrong reasons (mosquito bite). The concert was originally organized at Pandit farms and was changed by the organizers three days before the concert. Reason unknown. However organizers had the decency of apologizing for this. Seating area was an elongated rectangle pendal, as a result I could hardly see the faces of performers from my seat. There were about 60 fans in pendal, half of them out of order and remaining ineffectual. If this program was in summer or even spring, it would have been very hot.

Acoustics were impacted by external noise. Some band was playing outside creating a lot of ruckus. Even the artists were distracted and said so. Such concerts should be held in a closed auditorium with good acoustics.

Although the maestros were playing, audience could not enjoy due to non artist related factors mentioned above. 

Entertainment rating 7/10.