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Noida: Literature festivals generally call for classical and semi classical kind of entertainment programs, as it goes well with the mentality and thinking process of writers and poets.
A Sitar recital by Dr. Sudeep Rai was the second day presentation of 2nd Global Literary Festival Noida 2016 as the representative of India art and culture.
Dr. Sudeep Rai is one of the leading Instrumentalists of India a disciple of Sitar Maestro Padmabhushan Pt. Debu Chaudhuri, Sudeep has been acknowledged by connoisseurs as a worthy Successor to his Guru’s tradition. Sudeep has performed in various cities in India at prestigious places in Music Conferences organized by renowned organizations.
He is the recipient of prestigious Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan Gold Medal, Ustad Zahur Ahmed Khan Samman and has been awarded with prestigious Saraswati Samman on various occasions. Later Sandeep Marwah presented him with the participation Certificate of 2nd GLFN.
Concerts and workshops on the appreciation and understanding of Indian musical instruments are part of an ongoing festival at IHC. Samiksha Raj reports.
Did you know that on the eve of India's independence, shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan splashed euphoria with his melodious tunes in the sprawling premises of Red Fort, Delhi? Hindustani classical vocalist, Pt DV Paluskar sung the most emotional version of Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, which still reverberates in every ear. These are undoubtedly the golden moments of music in India. Sound of Music, a musical event celebrating Indian classical music (June 23-26 & 30, Indian Habitat Centre), takes a foot forward to revive the glory of classical music. The musical extravaganza comprises a series of musical concerts and workshops on recognition, cognition and appreciation of instrumental music with eminent and world acclaimed musicians. It is an initiative by the NGOs Sakshi and SIET to create greater awareness about Indian classical music among the urban middle class youth.
Shakeel Ahmed, a vocalist at the event who would be enlightening the audience with his wealth of knowledge on thumri, dadra and sufi asserts, "Indian classical music is the foundation of music and if you wish to turn your back at something that's considered a building block, then you fail to qualify as a musician or for that matter as a music lover."
Rabindra sangeet, carnatic, qawwalis and ghazals are fading away from public consciousness as there are hardly any takers for these. Pt Vijay Shankar Mishra, one of the facilitators of the event feels the youth isn't alone to be blamed for the dwindling state of Indian classical music. "People don't understand the mystic depth of Indian classical music. The musical sensibilities are not understood by one and all. Everything requires hard work and here the masters in the field and experts associated with classical music need to put that extra effort in infusing the youth with valuable knowledge about Indian classical music and motivate them for voluntary participation," says Mishra. He also identifies southern parts of India and the states of Bengal, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh (particularly Benaras) as the Indian regions which welcome Indian classical music with open arms and contribute in preserving this prized heritage of the nation.
Renowned artistes like Pt Ravishankar and many others have been seen performing more at international venues than at home. There seems a kind of indifference among the Indian audience, especially the youngsters who find classical music boring. The facilitator also voices his concern for the Indian artistes who are recognised by the West before they could be acknowledged in their own country. There is an urgent need for the Indians to understand the importance of their culture and heritage and they need to respect something that belongs to them. Satyajit Ray received an Academy Award overseas before being awarded the Bharat Ratna in India," says Mishra.
Pt Vijay Shankar Mishra winds up on an optimistic note applauding the initiatives of associations like Spic Macay and Shram in standing with Indian classical music and musicians and taking forward our rich culture and tradition. He is also happy with the fact that now artistes are financially sound and can demand money for their own concerts unlike yesteryears when they were only at the beck and call of rajas and maharajas.
It's one thing to take a private class to learn a musical instrument, but quite another when, at your behest, ace ustads and top-notch musicologists get ready to render their knowledge to eager enthusiasts. That's the kind of opportunity India Habitat Centre is presenting by organising its latest event, called Sound of Music, a workshop, introducing various musical instruments like wind instruments (flute, shehnai, nagaswaram, clarionet, saxophone), plucked string instruments (sitar, santoor, sarangi, sarod), bowed instruments (violin, dilruba, esraj, cello) and percussion instruments (drums, tabla, manjira). It's a session wherein all participants will learn to recognise and familiarise themselves with the nuances of each instrument. "I would like to get musical prominence of Indian classical music back into our culture and take it to an audience that appreciates and upholds it in its entirety. Our motive is to take these extremely talented musicians like Dr Sudeep Rai, Ghulam Ali, Abhay Rustum Sopori and others, to people, who would like to know more about them and respect the traditions they embrace," says Mridula Satish Tandon, the president of Sakshi, an NGO working for underprivileged communities to promote health, education and community development, and also the president of Siet, the organising and implementing partner of the event, along with IHC.