Women vocalists mesmerize at two-day Malhar Utsav

NAGPUR: Though rains continued to play hide and seek in the city, audience at Kavi Kulguru Kalidas auditorium were drenched in the downpour of musical notes at the two-day Malhar Utsav which concluded on Sunday. Presented by Maharashtra Lalit Kala Nidhi, Mumbai, as part of CR Vyas Vandana, in collaboration with Saptak, the festival featured only women vocalists.Held on August 11 and 12, the festival was opened by two upcoming singers Divya Sathe and Piyu Sarkhel. Sathe took the stage first with two bandish in Mia Malhar Karim Naam tero, before moving on to ‘Barkha ritu jhar lagey’ in drut lay. She also presented two bandish in raag Sur Malhar, ‘Garjat aaye’ in madhya lay teen taal and ‘Badarwa barsan lagey’ in drut lay.The performances on day one ended with presentations in raag Megh by Piyu Sarkhel who has been trained in khayal gaayaki by her father Kamal Bandopadhyaye, a disciple of Ustad Amir Khan of Indore. Displaying her command over lay and taal, Sarkhel impressed the audience with her tuneful voice which easily shifts in three octaves. She chose raag Bhinna Shadaj as the second presentation and closed with a bhajan.But for the connoisseurs of music, presentations on the second day of the festival made by young Bhagyashree Deshpande and the veteran Vidushi Padma Talwalkar brought out the essence of Malhar Utsav.Taking the stage first Deshpande held the attention from the very beginning with her rendition of two bandish in Mia Malhar. Her training and riyaz showed as she began with ‘Karim naam tero sahib’ which had been sung by Sathe the previous day. Comparisons though not called for, were apparent as Deshpande’s presentation showcased her grooming and raagdaari, the ease and aplomb with which she moved from high to low scales and the melodious alaaps. She kept her recital precise and was able to pack in a bandish in raag Kaushik Ranjani and a thumri ‘Ab na bolo mosey Shyam’.Taking the stage last was Vidushi Padma Talwakar who is known for her rich style which is a blend of influences of various gharanas. She began with a bandish in Maru Bihag, ‘Tadpat rain bina’ and followed it with ‘Jhook aayi badariya sawan ki’ in Gaud Malhar which she began with a long alaap. It was a vintage performance with its appeal lying in the simplicity of the presentation.Elaborating upon the theme of all-women vocalist, Pt Sathish Vyas the renowned santoor player who brings these festivals to the city, said, “The way women artistes strike a work life balance and carry forward their craft is remarkable which can be seen in their performances. I have been organizing theme-based festivals off late, the previous one being a tabla festival which featured four artistes. The next would be a 20:20 festival which will feature musicians in their early 20s who will be given 20 minute slots for their presentations.”