The maestros' palette
At times when the sun is shining and it is raining nearby, you often witness a rainbow appearing on the horizon. The light from the sun, broken up by water droplets in the atmosphere, creates the seven colours. This is akin to the seven sudhh notes of music (in addition to five komol and kari) which performed in different combinations can create different emotions to suit one's mood.
Early man sought to harness the melodies of nature -- the vibration of the hunter's bow, the chirping of the birds, the sounds of pouring rain or a flowing stream -- to catch a prey or at times to seek a soulmate among the valleys, the mohua fields in full bloom. Those who have captured that essence in their music have been recognised as true maestros or shadhaks.
The story goes that the late sitar maestro Nikhil Bandhopadhyay, during his stay with Acharya Baba Allauddin Khan, the great virtuoso and musical thinker, awoke one night to the sound of the Acharya's riwaz and was astounded to find the courtyard filled with venomous serpents seemingly hypnotised to stillness by the power of the music. Along came other animals drawn to the alluring serenity of the music, and Bandhopadhyay thought: “If Hindustani classical music can tame the wildest of animals, it can definitely tame our minds.”'
Much like Acharya Baba's open invitation to the denizens of the forest, the Bengal Classical Music Festival's launch is a call to all music lovers to gather and enjoy the open-for-all raga master pieces of the virtuosos.
Ragas, like the different melodies of nature, have an incredible range of compositions to appeal to all of one's emotions expressed though vocals or instruments. The ragas attuned to nature are often seen as a medium of prayer, which sought to treat people by helping them attain inner peace. Take for example the flute which is a symbol not only of love and grief but a full spectrum of emotion in between. So is the Rudra Veena, the sitar, sarod or the other string, wind, bow or percussion instruments.
Different ragas are also reflective of the time of day they are played. On a lazy afternoon, try listening to ragas associated with that time of day, like Sarang. Raga Multani presenting the grandeur of the raga would be more appropriate between afternoon and evening. The raga is a sandhi-prakash raag or evening raga; a smooth transition from afternoon to an evening raga. Imagine listening to the flute played by a stranger beside a river as evening descends to beckon the dark and quiet night. Here the raga epitomizes an emotional tune by the grief struck lover.
In a bid to popularise the heritage of classical music, Bengal Foundation has joined hands with ITC-SRA to organise the festival for the next 15 years. In realising the aspirations of Abul Khair, Chairman Bengal Foundation, the Bengal Parampara music school commenced its journey on November 15 to train the young aspirants under the guidance of reputed and world class classical musicians.
So come one and come all. Set your mind free, listen to the Khayals, the Thumri, Kajri, Chaiti, broad gamaks, meend, the lightening taan-s, alap, jor and jhala. Watch the stalwarts spin gold in air. Feel the glistening dew drops, the moonlight brushing against the clouds, watch the stars hanging low over the sky and set your heart's tune to the melody of true brilliance.
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