Striking a chord: A night of ragas and rhythms

Suromurchhana Kolkata and Suromurchhana USA organised the A. Kanan and Malabika Kanan Memorial Music Festival 2024, a six-hour musical soiree, at Uttam Mancha on December 21, 2024.

The evening commenced with a performance by Sumoulika Sarkar, a disciple of Sanjoy Banerjee. She presented Raga Madhumanti with vilambit ektal and drut teental bandishes, followed by a thumri in Raga Tilang, composed by Malabika Kanan. She was accompanied by Anirban Chakraborty on harmonium and Bibhas Sanghai on tabla.

Ashim Chowdhury's sitar performance of Raga Patdeep mesmerised the audience with serene melodies and complex rhythmic patterns, beautifully complemented by Subhajyoti Guha on tabla. This was followed by Shantanu Bhattacharyya's vocal rendition of Raga Puria Dhanashree, featuring medium tempo jhoomra, teental, and rapid ektal compositions. This culminated in a thumri in Raga Khamaj. He was supported by Parimal Chakrabarty on tabla and Rupashree Bhattacharya on harmonium. Another highlight was Pratyush Banerjee's sarod recital of Raga Yaman and Raga Nand, with Tanmoy Bose on tabla. Their performance showcased melodic beauty and precise rhythmic coordination. The evening concluded with a ceremony honouring Kumar Bose, the legendary tabla virtuoso of the Benares gharana, who received the A. Kanan and Malabika Kanan Memorial Award. Esteemed musicians including Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Debashish Bhattacharya, Samar Saha, and Tanmoy Bose attended the award presentation. Kumar Bose’s solo tabla performance was the grand finale, demonstrating his remarkable skill and creativity, with support from Hiranmay Mitra on harmonium and Rohen Bose on tabla, leaving the audience in awe.