Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

Pandit Taranath Foundation is the brainchild of the famous Sarod Maestro Pandit Rajiv Taranath, who is its Managing Trustee – named after his father. Besides being a leading Sarod player himself, Rajiv Taranath has a penchant for organising music festivals in Hindustani style in Mysuru and Bengaluru.

He is presently stationed in Mysuru and organising three or four music programmes here every year, thus encouraging youngsters in the line and also with a sprinkle of stalwarts once in a way. He has pupils in America also and he visits that country every year. I have the privilege of offering a venue for small baitak kacheris in the first floor hall of my residence in Saraswathipuram (chairs and squatting capacity to about 80 connoisseurs). The sessions are usually in the mornings for two-and-a-half hours from 10 am onwards. I am beholden to Rajivji for this.

In the above series, the Foundation had organised a grand Hindustani Sitar-Vocal concert by the famous youngster Ustad Hafiz Balekhan on Sunday, the 25th instant, at the above venue. Ustad Hafiz is the younger brother of Ustad Rais Khan (settled in Pune) and the brothers give individual and duet concerts also. Ustad Nisar Ahmed from Dharwad gave Tabla support while Pandit Harikrishna Purohith was on the Harmonium.

Ustad Hafiz commenced his Sitar concert with a number in the beautiful ‘Ahir Bhairav’ Raga and delineated in detail all the beautiful strands of this number on the string instrument, over which he seems to have mastery. The next number was in raga ‘Pilu’ and came out very diligently. I do not know why it was that while he played Ahir Bhairav the only accompaniment was Tabla and Pandit Purohith joined him on Harmonium afterwards.

A ‘Thumri’ followed and was elegantly handled by the Ustad. A Ghazal “Chupke Chupke” followed in quick succession.

At this juncture, Pandit Taranath asked Hafiz Khan to turn to vocal keeping the string instrument on his lap for support and lo! a surprise sprang on the over seventy-five strong connoisseurs when the Ustad started to sing “Nara Janma Bandaga Naalige Iruvaga Krishna Enabarade,’ a Purandara Dasa number in Raga ‘Mishra Charu Keshi’. Wide applause greeted this number. This proves, if proof if necessary, that music knows no religion or language and we have ample evidence for this in our own Jesudas, American John Higgins Bhagavathar and Ustad Fayaz Khan, all of whom have enthralled the connoisseurs by their singing. The concert ended with the usual Bhairavi.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 29th, 2016