Winter and the magic of Indian classical music go hand in hand in Calcutta. Sangeet Piyasi celebrated the completion of 30 glorious years in association with the Alka Jalan Foundation at Daga Nikunj. The first three days of the programme were starstudded and the fourth was a celebration of Children’s Day, adding a fresh dimension to the festival. The first two evenings were dedicated to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit V.G. Jog. The young and talented Armaan Khan (picture, right) enchanted listeners with his vocal intricacies and innovation in Raga Yaman. Armaan displayed stylistic influences of his father, Ustad Rashid Khan, and individuality in both vistaars and taans while presenting the kheyals. There was also a touch of modernity in a dadra performed to an electric guitar. Armaan was ably supported by Subrata Bhattacharya on the tabla, Omkar Agnihotri on the harmonium, and Allarakha Kalavant on the sarangi.

Shiraz Ali Khan’s sarod recital began with Raga Madhuvanti and was followed by a dhun in Mishra Kafi. Badri Narayan Pandit on the tabla and Nishaant Singh on the pakhawaj accompanied him. Bickram Ghosh presented the 9-beat Nasrukh taal, bringing out the attributes of this rare taal with able assistance from Hiranmoy Mitra on the harmonium. Pallab Banerjee’s violin solo in Raga Bhimpalasi was vibrant along with Bibhash Sanghai on the tabla. The recital by the senior artist, Sajan Mishra, who performed without his brother, the late Rajan Mishra, for the first time was a pleasant surprise. His son and disciple, Swaransh, was with him; they dedicated the performance to Rajan Mishra. Kumar Bose on the tabla and Jyoti Goho on the harmonium supported the artists. They presented Raga Maru Bihag as well as a bhajan in Gauri Manjari. Rajendra Gangani’s arresting stage presence and expression in a Kathak recital was enlivening and accompanied by Fateh Singh Gangani. This artist from the Jaipur Gharana enchanted with his postures and footwork.

The third evening, dedicated to Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Bhajan Sopori, commenced with a vocal recital by Bishnupriya Chakraborty in Raga Shree. Her grasp of the raga was commendable. Prashanta Dey Ray on the tabla and Rupashree Bhattacharya on the harmonium provided perfect assistance. Dishari Chakraborty presented an elaborate Pahari Jhinjhoti on the santoor, with Soumen Nandy on the tabla highlighting the gats in Raga Hemant. Although slightly linear, Shubha Mudgal’s Shudh Kalyan rendition was melodious (picture, left). The artist concluded with various chaitis, hori and thumris, and was accompanied by Sudhir Nayak and Aneesh Pradhan. Sangeet Piyasi also conferred its annual award to the tabla-maker, Mukto, and the sound expert, Biswajit Prasad.

The final day witnessed a different kind of atmosphere with performances by children in a variety of genres. Anirban Roy rendered Kaushikdhwani on the flute, mesmerising the audience with his expertise in taans. Shounak Roy presented Bageshree with Archishman on the tabla. Arijit Banerjee’s chowtaal on the pakhawaj was invigorating along with Mohit Sahani on the harmonium. Banani Das played Raga Bhupali on the santoor and Arkadyuti Haldar Raga Durga on the violin with flourishes by Ishan Banerjee on the tabla. Srija Biswas from Varanasi and Hindoli Niyogi from Hooghly presented a visual treat with their Kathak rendition. In vocal recital, Ritam Ganguly’s Malkauns and Avipsa Ganguly’s Bihag left a mark. Lahama’s dhrupad in Yaman was an attractive performance as well.