Shree Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan: Viraj, Koustabh set the tone for musical night

Day 2 of the 149th Shri Baba Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan started off from the sparkling white pandal laid out on the premises of the Shri Devi Talab Mandir in Jalandhar where music aficionados sat on equally spotless white mattresses laid out for the audience to savour the delights of Indian classical music. After having been held at the Shri Ram Hall on Day 1, the event was organised today at the much bigger customary pandal, in a relief to the audience.

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While the Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan each year is preceded by Harivallabh Sangeet Pratiyogita, a three-day bonanza showcasing talent in classical music from across the subcontinent, the success of this pratiyogita has reflected in the sterling and assured outings of artists who precede the performances of the main sammelan each year.

While the trained tabla of last year’s percussion winner Koustabh Dhar and the surprise mature performance by vocalist Sukhman Singh to the accompaniment of a rousing Sarangi, wowed audience with promising talent on Day 1, Shehnai’s (Mangal Dhwani) earlier ushered in the festival formally.

On Day 2, Ayush Lala’s stirring Santoor and Guramrit Singh’s refreshing recital on the bowed stringed instrument Esraaj -- believed to have been created (from its predecessor, the Dilruba) by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh - were repeat reminders of the talent that the Harivallabh Pratiyogita’s sangeet factory is churning out.

Pt Jasraj’s young grandson Pt Viraj Joshi set off the evening with his rendition of Raga Maru Bihag. Savouring the raga’s winding alaaps, the young Joshi’s sombre, meditative start to the raga, certainly bore a striking resemblance and reminded of his grandfather Pt Jasraj’s soulful style in what was a key event of the day.

On the preceding day, the Mallick Bandhu --- Pt Prashant and Pt Nishant --- of the Dhrupad tradition of Darbhanga-Senia Gharana, rendered an impressive recital steeped in the temple traditions of their 13-generation old lineage. The duo was followed by a jugalbandi, of that rare harmonium as a solo instrument, by Pt Sudhanshu Kulkarni and Pt Sarang Kulkarni.