This story is from February 23, 2022
Mohan Veena
recital had ended but scores of rasikas stuck to his presence just as the aroma of books latches on to a library. The rasikas surrounded the stage and had him sign autograph books and pose with them for selfies.Pandit Bhatt
, a Grammy awardee, achieved rock stardom decades ago. But his awareness of his celebrity status is always shrouded by the silk of his saadhana. So neither his smile nor his patience left him as he tended to his fans. On Wednesday, his recital at e-Saptak denied his fans personal contact. But even a remote connection to his performance is like a strong wireless connection to a virtuoso blaze of artistic intimations. Pandit Bhatt was accompanied by his son, Salil Bhatt, the Satvik Veena stalwart. “The first raga we played wasVishwa Ranjini
,”Salil Bhatt
told TOI. “This raga has been created by Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt ji, my guru. The raga is a combination of Madhuvanti and Shiv Ranjini.” Salil Bhatt is the Jimi Hendrix of the Hindustani world. During recitals, as with Hendrix, his body gives in to the upheavals of music: his long hair flying about like wind rejoicing in liberation, his hands freezing in the air after a flourish, his eyes closed as though communing with the secrets of a raga. Vishwa Ranjini floods the senses like Facebook notifications bringing heart icons. Together, Pandit Bhatt and his son showed that the hearts can harbour many meanings: love requited, prayers answered, or life’s ordinariness banished.
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