Niladri Kumar performs in Dhaka

Niladri Kumar, one of the most popular new-age sitar players from India, came back to the land of his forefathers for his maiden performance on Friday, and left behind glimpses of his brilliance, with the expert accompaniment of Pt. Vijay Ghate on the tabla.

Blues Communications organised the concert titled “Voyage of Strings” presented by EBL Diners Club, at the Hall of Fame of the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

Niladri Kumar told The Daily Star in an interview prior to the performance that it was a homecoming of sorts for him to be performing in Dhaka as his forefathers were born here, and lived in Dhaka until the 1947 Partition. He opened with the evening Raga Shree, playing an alap, jod, and going on to an energetic improvisation. Played without the percussive support of Vijay Ghate, the hallmark of the latter part was vibratos, extended gamakas, and volume modulations, done in quite an aggressive style.

His next piece, set on Raga Jhinjhoti, was taught to him by his grandfather, according to Niladri. Vijay Ghate joined in and added some momentum to the piece, as Niladri went on a free-flowing exploration of the raga, at times demonstrating his speed and flair on the instrument that the audience seemed to love. Moving swiftly between octaves, Niladri captured the playful melodic essence of the Raga, in his own style of intermittent bursts and technical dexterity even while playing the old-school bandish.

On his final piece, set to Raga Bhairavi, Niladri performed a melody he often performs in concerts, and also gave the audience a glimpse of the zitar, the modified electric sitar/guitar hybrid he has designed and played in familiar Bollywood tunes like “Na Jaane Koyi” and “Alvida”, creating a unique timbre of sound.

Expectedly, Blues Communications' arrangement of the event was impeccable, and Niladri's energy and exuberance seemed to rub off on the audience. Here and there, some things looked a little gimmicky but as long as it sounded good, no one was complaining. Vijay Ghate, a seasoned tabla artiste, also got the space to showcase some of his expertise, and overall, the experience was wholesome.

Channel i was the media partner of the event, while ABC Radio was the radio partner.