Saptak: Rajam empowers fest to deliver ‘sam total’ of classical joys

Ahmedabad: N Rajam's violin concert on Day 6 of Saptak was the Song of India. Chennai-born Rajam was first trained in the South Indian Carnatic tradition. Today, the octogenarian is the queen of Hindustani octaves.Rajam's Hindustani sensibilities were nurtured by her guru, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur. Gujarat's Bhadran is the birthplace of Thakur, who has long been considered a divinity in India's classical pantheon.
About 100km southeast of Bhadran is Ahmedabad, Gujarat's business powerhouse, and the birthplace of Saptak, India's longest classical music festival.‘Sam' in Indian classical music is the inaugural beat as well as the denouement of a rhythmic cycle. On Tuesday night, Rajam's recital represented a ‘sam' of the Song of India. Rajam, a musician with Carnatic lineage, trained in the Hindustani tradition by a Gujarat-born immortal of Indian music, delivered a masterpiece in a Gujarat-created festival of the Greatest Indian Songs.Day 6 is roughly the midway point of the 13-day festival. It was a propitious time for TOI to ask Saptak organizers for their assessment of the recitals that day."Overall, Day 6 of the Saptak festival was musically fulfilling, with an excellent response from both artists and the audience," Saptak secretary Sandeep Joshi told TOI. "At the age of 88, Rajam-ji's command of the violin is extraordinary."Joshi said, "There is a rare magic in her playing that mesmerizes listeners. Raga Bageshree Kanada, presented for the first time at this year's festival, was deeply evocative, and her Khamaj was outstanding."Referring to the final baithak of the day, Joshi said, "Tejendra Narayan Majumdar's sarod recital was remarkable. He began with a majestic Darbari Kanada (aalap and jod), followed by a gat in Gunji Kanada." Jod is the halfway point between the reflective alaap and the effusive jhala. Gat is a carefully structured composition that serves as the launchpad for improvisations.Day 6, therefore, was the jod of the festival. On the evidence of the spirit seen at the venue, rasikas will endure Ahmedabad's chill to enjoy the "sam total" of classical joys until Day 13.