Steeped in tradition, Sawai Mahotsav embraces new artists and audiences

Pune: Right through the seven decades of Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav, started in honour of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi’s guru Rambhau Kundgolkar, the festival has stood rock solid.Listeners come in droves and the festival has not compromised on three core aspects — sticking to Indian classical forms of music and dance, giving a platform to upcoming artists while honouring veterans who are not a part of other big-ticket events, and a highly affordable season ticket for baithak. The festival that concluded last Sunday was no exception.But social and technological dynamics have changed. Chaitanya Kunte, a leading harmonium player and scholar, felt that the festival lost some of its charm when its all-night performances ceased after the government brought in the 10pm loudspeaker restrictions. “The time each artist now gets has also shrunk. Hence, presentations tend to become a package rather than an intuitive expression of art,” Kunte added.Reduced concentration and the short attention span of listeners, and web-based avenues of entertainment have also played their part in tweaking the music festival.Sitarist Niladri Kumar, who performed this year, was quite happy to play highly skilful but non-artistic crescendo during his performance that attracted thunderous applause. But he wasn’t impressed when a section clapped before he completed his statement during the slow exploration.Violinist and concert organizer Atul Kumar Upadhye, who had made his Sawai debut in 1988 and has been witness to the festival for at least 50 years, said it has a legion of dedicated classical music followers.“It started with 200-300 people but of the tens of thousands who now attend, a big majority are not connoisseurs. If artists want to give new listeners what they want, we cannot fault them too. The challenge remains to get the balance right,” Upadhye said.Kunte said that some young and unestablished artists feel compelled to become relevant. “But a few senior singers, who made their mark with a disciplined approach, have also resorted to playing to the gallery. This anxiety in approach is unwarranted,” he said.Making listeners happy without differentiating between skill and artistry is acceptable now, Kunte said. “We call this ‘festival form’ of singing. The bigger concern is about those chasing excellence don’t get timely breaks, and popular artists and those who attract claps are in demand,” he said.Earlier, it was only Sawai. Now, Ganasaraswati Mahotsav, Vasantotsav and Swar Zankar and many more concerts round the year mean Puneites frequently see top artists. With online forums, the feeling of looking forward to experiencing a rare opportunity has become rarer, Kunte said.Listener-writer Ravindra Mirashi, who has attended about 30 years of Sawai festival, said that budding artists should know the basic requirements of the raga, including its artistic gamut and mood, and strive to sing unconventional ragas. “But now, there is an increasing tendency to present a tarana and steer the recital towards loudness. Though veteran artists frequently allow their tabla accompanists to play solo patches in their concerts, it should not happen at this festival. Since learned criticism is almost absent now, artists are not afraid even if they err in not protecting the beauty and purity,” Mirashi said.Panditji’s goodwill is so magical that Sawai organisers are almost assured of a great crowd response regardless of the artists’ line-up, Upadhye said. “This is not possible for other organisers. They have the additional responsibility to introduce new talent and find the balance with stalwarts,” he added.Kunte said there is a wider distance between artists and listeners now at Sawai, and it has become a corporate event. “People talk, walk, speak on their cellphones, message, eat food while standing outside and on the sidelines during the performances. All this is perfectly acceptable because of the big screens and other facilities,” he said.He agreed that each generation tends to feel the big artists of their era were greater than the current ones and while this vacuum is not new, the spirit of art must be protected.Upadhye said music cannot be the exception when lifestyle and priorities have changed. “Embracing commercialism is a part of it but we cannot set aside tradition. We should encourage experiments and travel together on this journey,” he added.