The American and the Calcutta branches of Suromurchhana paid a harmonious tribute to its founders, Pandit A. Kanan and Vidushi Malabika Kanan, during its annual classical music festival at Mahanayak Uttam Mancha. The programme commenced with a ensemble tabla performance by the pupils of the percussionist, Tanmoy Bose: the participants included Archishman Sinha Roy, Arka Ghosh, Anchit Majhi and Iraban Jha; Sajal Das was on the harmonium. The performance was youthful and energetic.
Shreya Gonugunta, the winner of the Hindustani Khayal Talent Search Contest 2023, presented a melodic rendition of Raga Multani. Suprabhat Bhattacharjee assisted her on the tabla and Jyotirmoy Banerjee was on the harmonium. The solo tabla recital by the senior artist, Sanjay Mukherjee (picture, left), a percussionist proponent of the Farrukhabad Gharana, enchanted the audience with its sheer variety. His skilful presentation of kaydas, relas and tihais, as well as the variations he brought to these, was mesmerising. He was ably assisted by Hiranmoy Mitra on the harmonium. The vocalist, Namami Karmakar, from the Kirana Gharana, sang Raga Shyam Kalyan with passion. Although her recital could have done with some variety, her voice was clear and generous; she showed great potential. Bivash Sanghai supported her on the tabla and Jyotirmoy Banerjee was on the harmonium. She finished with a Tulsidasi bhajan.
Another highlight of the event was the captivating sarod recital by Tejendra Narayan Majumdar. The medley of the sarod and the tabla gave birth to a wistful atmosphere from the beginning. Majumdar began with Raga Shree and his hearty movements brought out the magic as well as the depth of this sandhiprakash raga. Listeners were particularly enchanted by the quiet charm of this particular raga. Shree was followed by Gauri Manjari, a signature of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Majumdar rendered this raga skilfully, too, and spun a very different atmosphere from that which had been created with the previous raga. He concluded with the Raga Desh. Tanmoy Bose’s skilled support on the tabla rounded off Majumdar’s performance.
An exquisite performance of Raga Gorakh Kalyan by the vocalist, Sanjeev Abhyankar, brought the evening to a melodious conclusion. Samar Saha on the tabla and Hiranmoy Mitra on the harmonium were a treat for the audience. Abhyankar conveyed the essence of the raga through his expert voice modulation, bringing intricacies and variations into the taans. He ended his presentation with a Kabir bhajan.
Sangeet Ashram paid respect to Pandit Vijay Kumar Kichlu by re-releasing his authorised biography by Meena Banerjee. The book launch at Sisir Mancha was followed by the screening of a documentary on the life and the journey of Vijay Kumar Kichlu. A follower of the Agra Gharana, Pandit Kichlu was not only an exponent of Indian classical music but he also promoted many talents over the years. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar offered Kichlu a musical tribute with Tanmoy Bose on the tabla (picture, right). His recital was arresting owing to its soulful melody. He played Raga Kafi in his signature style, continuing with a Zila Kafi. Although both the ragas reached a crescendo in the keynotes, they were joyful throughout. Tanmoy Bose accompanied Majumdar at a skilfully-controlled pace on the tabla. Majumdar concluded with Raga Bhairavi and created an ambience of deep nostalgia. The programme was a perfect blend of music and memory.
