The “Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity” is back in the national capital for the second edition on January 12. Following Delhi, there will be a final performance on January 19 in Pune.
Organised by Citi India and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), the concert will feature stalwarts like Zakir Hussain, Ajoy Chakrabarty, Shivkumar Sharma, Kaushiki Chakrabarty, Aditya Kalyanpur among others.
The festival is based on the juxtaposition of the concepts of eternity and time, and how the two co-exist in our lives. The concept of eternity (anant) denotes that which has neither a beginning (aadi) nor an end (anth).
In the domain of arts, the notion of eternity has more than one expression — the relentless creative processes that helps redefine and rejuvenate traditions, and the uninterrupted manner in which the traditions are communicated from one generation to the next.
Dr Suvarnalata Rao, head programming (Indian Music), NCPA, said, “Oral tradition has been central to Indian pedagogy since Vedic times and even today, in the realm of performing arts. Consequently, the institution of guru as a repository of knowledge and shishya as the one who receives the same and carries it forth becomes vital in the process of knowledge and communication. The festival will therefore present works that are deeply embedded in the tradition, and yet seek to reach out to the infinite realms of creativity, inspired by the changing socio-cultural milieu in which the next generation of the artistes are being groomed.”
“Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant 2012-13” show in Mumbai’s Tata Theatre saw Hussain with Aditya Kalyanpur and Navin Sharma; supported by Sabir Khan (sarangi), Ravi Chary (sitar) and Sraboni Choudhary (vocal). In this performance, Hussain along with his father’s disciples Kalyanpur and Sharma presented solo pieces, and also performed with a gamut of practitioners of classical and semi-classical music.
Like Mumbai, Delhi will also see a jugalbandi by Hussain alongside his father’s disciples — Sharma and Kalyanpur. Apart from the solo pieces, there will be a fusion of tabla with sarangi, tabla with sitar etc.
Son of the legendary tabla player, Ustad Alla Rakha, Hussain has become an iconic tabla master in his own right over the past few decades, moving convincingly from Indian classical music to fusions with international jazz and pop artistes.
Sharing his experience of playing with tabla maestro Hussain, Sharma says, “Playing alongside Zakir saab was like gaining knowledge on how should one play the tabla and have the right kind of balance required in a concert. I have learnt tabla from Ustad Alla Rakha and it is a blessing that I got the opportunity to perform with his son and the maestro Zakir Hussain.”
Since Sharma has not performed with Hussain in Delhi in the past, he is looking forward to the concert and is hoping that the people of Delhi give it the same kind of response as they had in Mumbai on December 1. “Our performance was really good in Mumbai. The people had a different kind of experience and something they had never seen before,” he adds.
Kalyanpur, who was first seen with Hussain in the “Wah Taj!” TV commercial at the age of 11, says he is looking forward to the concert because this is his first time he is performing alongside Hussain in Delhi. He says that the media should give classical music equal prominence as it gives to Bollywood, so that the former too gets the deserved attention. Speaking about the pieces he will perform, Kalyanpur says, “Whatever I will perform in Delhi is a secret… it will only be disclosed on the day of my performance. This is the beauty of classical music. You don’t know which raag or which taal is going to be played.”
Another performer who will be performing alongside Hussain is sitarist Chary.
Born in a family of musicians, Chary’s musical instincts took birth quite early in life. His father, late Pandit Prabhakar Chari, a noted tabla player from Goa, initiated his musical training in harmonium, tabla and sitar. Later Chari moved to Mumbai where he studied under sitar maestros like Pandit Pushparaj Koshti, Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan and Ustad Shahid Parvez.
He says, “It brings great pride and privilege to play in this concert. The flow with which each musician plays in any concert gives other musicians ample opportunity to learn and improvise. Every musician makes his/her place in this world.”
K.N. Suntook, chairman, NCPA, said, “Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity is a step towards upholding the enduring values enshrined in the Indian tradition. The second edition of the festival will celebrate the Guru-Shishya relationship, showcasing tradition with innovation.”
In Pune, people will see Shivkumar Sharma (santoor) with Dhanajay Daithankar (santoor) and Dilip Kale (santoor); supported by Vijay Ghate (tabla), Ramdas Palsule (tabla), Jayanti Gosher (guitar) and Deepak Borkar (percussion).
Hopefully, this New Year we will see a rejuvenated platform with many more such classical shows.