Supriyo Dutta conveyed the essence of Ustad Amir Khan’s music in an internet live performance to have fun Pt. Vijay Kichlu’s ninetieth birthday
To have fun Pt. Vijay Kichlu’s ninetieth birthday, Sangeet Ashram, Kolkata, organised an internet occasion. Kichlu, a famend musician and musicologist, is the founder-director of Sangeet Analysis Academy. Throughout his 25-year tenure on the academy, he skilled a number of classical musicians of reputation. After relinquishing the submit in 2002, he based Sangeet Ashram, an organisation that grooms listeners of classical music.
The occasion targeted on Ustad Amir Khan – the path-breaking modernist and the founding father of the Indore gharana.
The essence of his music was highlighted via a important appreciation of a few of his favorite compositions. As an alternative of enjoying Khansaheb’s fashionable data, the bandishes had been rendered by Supriyo Dutta, a younger and proficient follower of Khansaheb.
Effective mix of kinds
This was a frightening activity, however the vocalist’s deft dealing with could be attributed to his coaching below Acharya Ramakrishna Basu (a disciple of Ustad Amir Khan), Pt. Vijay Kichlu and Subhra Guha. His wealthy voice conveyed a high-quality mix of the nuances of the Indore and Agra gharanas. He was brilliantly supported by Indranil Mullick (disciple of Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri) and Jyotirmoy Banerjee (disciple of Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty).
Dutta commenced with ‘Baje niki ghunghariyan’ (Bilaskhani Todi). Regardless of the raga’s pathos-ridden character, Khansaheb would carry out the frivolous fantastic thing about this composition along with his taans; as a result of that is apparently a love music. In response to Sufi philosophy, the supreme being is a fascinating lover.
The following bandish, ‘Mana ke panchhi’ (Gurjari Todi) created an atmosphere of calm, a high quality that outlined Khansaheb’s music. Dutta subsequent moved to a devotional bandish in raag Bairagi adopted by a uncommon Khansaheb composition that options his pen identify, ‘Sur rang’. Most of his compositions corresponding to ‘Jinke mana raam biraje’ (Malkauns) don’t carry this moniker and are sung by musicians throughout gharanas.
Regardless of being a traditionalist, Ustad Amir Khan didn’t hesitate to experiment. He integrated minor adjustments within the lyrics of conventional bandish to swimsuit his type and temper. To spotlight this side, Dutta sang a Jog bandish, ‘Saajan extra ghar aaye’. For the Agra gayaki’s bol-baant, the staccato-oriented ‘ata mana sukh paave’ fits finest, however Khansaheb went on report with ‘jiyara at sukh pave’ as a result of the phrase ‘jiyara’ suited his elaboration higher. Other than this delicate strategy to lyrics, he would interpret raags from a novel angle. One such instance is raag Marwa. Historically an uttarang pradhan raag, Khansaheb’s persuasive type remodeled it completely right into a poorvang-pradhan raag. He at all times blended approach with emotion in such a manner {that a} single raag may radiate totally different moods.
Fascinating session
Dutta strived to showcase all these factors whereas rendering sluggish and quick compositions in Marwa, Malkauns, Darbari, Miyan Malhar, Ramdasi Malhar, and Megh together with taranas. Khansaheb utterly remodeled taranas as he believed that ‘each syllable of a tarana is significant.’
The attention-grabbing session closed with a shock merchandise. Khansaheb sang solely khayals on stage however as a playback singer in movies, he had recorded a thumri and ghazal. The ghazal, Mirza Ghalib’s ‘Rahiye ab aisi jagah’, tuned by his prime disciple Pt. Amarnath, rendered on the live performance made for a grand finale.
Because the occasion has been professionally videographed, the audio high quality is appreciably good.
The author is a Kolkata-based critic and musicologist.
