Miya ki Todi | EverythingShafqat

Music- the vast and deep ocean… and the listeners- people by the ocean side… some just driving past it, barely paying attention,some looking at it wistfully and thinking- maybe someday; others taking a moment to stop by, admiring it from a distance.

Then there are some who actually take some time off and step onto those sands. And when they walk towards it, they feel the wind in their faces and hear the roar of the waves. But it’s only the slightly adventurous ones who actually take off the shoes, walk up to the shore, and dip a toe in the water. The ones having most fun, however, are the ones who have waded deep into the waters and are one with the joyful rhythm of the waves

Some time off in the last couple of years and a break from a 9-6 job routine was my moment of stopping by the ocean and gazing at it at leisure. Taking a leap of faith about a year ago I even signed up for vocal lessons in Hindustani classical with my daughter’s music teacher- my dipping of a toe in the waters. I also rediscovered my immense respect for Shafqat Amanat Ali as a singer and extended it to the entire Patiala Gharana by exploring and writing about their music here in this blog.( the blog has now extended beyond the Patiala Gharana now)

I had no doubt in my mind about the beauty of classical music but ever since I started learning it, I became even more aware of that invisible wall that exists between an average music lover and this genre- too difficult to understand, slow, not exciting enough are some of the reasons given by people who are “not into it”. Getting to learn the basics of it ( am still in the toe dipping stage, mind you) also made me aware of the fact that THIS is the real deal. I had a strong urge to dispel some of the myths surrounding it. It was also about an image- serious looking musicians performing long winding pieces…audiences sitting in stiff reverence or stifling a yawn…the spotlight needed to be on the heads nodding in approval, the fingers drumming on the knee, the smiles the artists exchange when they engage in a competitive jugalbandi… yes, the joy it evokes needs to be the focus and nothing else

And then I got an opportunity to at least try and break down a bit of this invisible wall when I volunteered to organize an event around Hindustani classical music in a university. The target audience was mostly young students. My music teacher very generously agreed to a performance and even managed to rope in a sitar player and tabla and harmonium accompanists. A bunch of very enthusiastic faculty members, all very passionate about music, came on board to help with the organizing. After a whole lot of to and fro exchanges a 2- day program was chalked out .

Sitting in the organizers seat for once I realized how difficult it is to do a balancing act between the expectations of performers and audiences.For example , the artists suggested a one hour vocal and instrumental performance each and when concerns were raised about the time being too long for people to sit through, we had to negotiate hard and settle for 45 minutes each with a tea break in between!

And with our target audience in mind we decided to hold a “Raags in Hindi Film music” themed music workshop on day 2. A singing competition for neighboring schools and colleges was also scheduled for the afternoon on day 1

Here are some highlights

A short tribute to Indian Music- Swaranjali!

Late morning mood set with Miya ki Todi

A Khamaj thumri enthralls all in audience

It’s noon now and time for some Brindavan sarang on Sitar

This is Venge Mor gharer chabi nie jabi ke Amare Rabindra Sangeet inspired by a Baul song… Dekechi rupsagore Moner Manush …

Afternoon …..and it is time to hear the youngsters

Well if you thought that Hindustani classical music is dying; or that the younger generation only sways to Honey Singh songs; or talent flourishes only in big places with all facilities, please listen on.

When one participant sings this, surely it has to be written about on this blog. And the cherry on the cake, the performance wins a prize, too.

And this was what was happening at the workshop in the morning, the next day

The day ended with a special musical evening where musicians and students collaborated to present 7 chosen raags to the audience. A classical demo of a raag was followed by a performance of a Hindi film song based on that raag

Patdeep it is here…