Classical music greats to congregate at Patiala

Shailaja Khanna

CALL it gurus’ blessings: Classical music lives on in Punjab. This is despite various gharanas associated with Punjab having gone into oblivion: not many would be aware of these gharanas such as Talwandi, Kapurthala and Sham Chaurasia. But the music remains. The evidence lies in the interiors of the state where folk songs based on ragas — Asa, Jaunpuri, Des, Kafi, Sindhura and Sindhu Bhairavi — are sung. All this could be because all Sikh gurus were trained musicians. There are nearly 1,500 verses in Guru Granth Sahib; each verse is to be recited in a particular raga. All daily prayers, except Japji Sahib, recited at dawn and dusk are composed in raga. 

The royal patronage is gone; only a benevolent streak shows the way. Patiala is hosting a six-day heritage festival starting Feb 21. A brainchild of chief minister Amarinder Singh, the festival is contoured by Anita Singh, who is from the same Kapurthala royal line that supported classical music. The previous editions of the festival, which was last held in 2010, took place in Amritar, Patiala and Kapurthala. “People forget that the only other language used in compositions in the Hindustani idiom apart from Braj bhasha, is Punjabi. The objective of the Patiala Heritage Festival is to bring about awareness among people, especially the artist community,” says Anita Singh. 

The festival will feature several top-ranking artists in classical music and dance. The day starts with versatile composer-poet-lyricist, Dr Madan Gopal Singh, and his band of ‘Chaar Yaar.’ The genre is sufi-classical. The lyrics are in Punjabi. The next day features senior Patiala gharana exponent Pt Ajoy Chakravorty, followed by Banaras’s Pt Channulal Mishra. 

The following days will also witness Ustad Shujaat Khan, Rampur Sahaswan gharana vocalist Ustad Rashid Khan and sufi-inspired kathak exponent Manjari Chaturvedi. “I am happy the festival has been revived. It was a shame that with the change of government, the festival was discontinued. My family has had close links with members of the Patiala house. It’s an honour to perform again,” says Shujaat, who has performed in previous festivals. 

Manjari Chaturvedi would dance to Punjabi compositions of 16th century sufi mystic Baba Bulleh Shah, in a production titled ‘Bulleya, the dance of the mystics.’ This was premiered in Delhi last year. Featuring music sung by authentic Punjabi quawwals, the group includes Hindu, Sikh as well as Muslim musicians; a rarity today, but completely in line with the music traditions of Punjab. 

“It is widely believed that Baba Bulleh Shah used to dance while he sang his own spiritual compositions. Even now in Kasur (Pakistan), where he belonged, men and women dance to his compositions at his ‘mazaar’. This is indeed unique, so I decided to pay tributes to this saint through my art,” says Manjari.

The penultimate day would start with another vocal recital by Banaras doyens Pt Rajan & Sajan Mishra, followed by Mewati vocalist Pt Jasraj. The next day will feature quawalls from Hyderabad, the Warsi Brothers, and end with Punjab’s popular artist, Harshdeep Kaur. 

The venue is Qila Mubarak, the original home of the Patiala royal family. The fortress was built by the founder of the house, Baba Ala Singh. The stone-walls of the 18th century fort will be lit up to provide a backdrop to the grand festival, showcasing the best the country can offer in Hindustani classical tradition.