Festival Review
‘Music of Benaras’
by
Subhra Mazumdar
The Music of Benaras, held as part of the IIC Experience, featured a selection of scintillating thumris, dadras, chaiti and kajri from the doab belt of the Ganga. Presented in the style of the Purab ang thumri tradition, the numbers depicted the genre of light classical compositions, where musicality took in its wake other related essentials, such as diction, lyrical appeal and regional aura. These diverse aspects were knitted together in a superb singing style that made no compromises with the tradition of this musical form.
Veteran concert artist Purnima Chaudhuri sang these numbers with a practised and confident flair, enlivening the morning concert with the right choices. Unlike the predictable romance-laden thumri format, the artist made a decided departure from it and began her rendition with a composition to the river Ganga, in Bhairavi. The effect was electrifying for the words carried a spiritual waft while the mood reflected strains of the shringar rasa. Balancing this dual relationship required an adept singing style and Purnima came off a decided winner in the bargain. With noteworthy behlawa inclusions into the thumri mode, wrapped in a melodious structure, she had her audience mesmerised in no time.
The dadra thereafter, was a paean sung to the other river of equal renown, the Yamuna. This too, was an inventive and evocative presentation. The romantic overlay was delightful and the bol banao style, around the core word ‘akeli’ infused the music with a spatial connotation. Though a number with the Radha symbolism as central to the verse, this clever innovation of alternate phraseology, in place of Radha, in the bol banao verbal arrangement, gave the number a well thought out angle. As usual, the artist was in full command of the thumri genre and gave off her best in that style.
The later tappa, sung as a conventional conclusion to a thumri recital, was done with relative ease. The convolution of the notes flowed out clearly, but by and large it was a cryptic recital, even for a tappa presentation. The inclusion of a stotra eulogising the Ganga was a mood switch as it delinked from the thumri genre and linked up with the thematic bind of the IIC Experience, namely a presentation of numbers in praise of the rivers of India.
Back in the swing again, the artist sang a zesty chaiti, replete with the right insinuations. This too, had all the makings of a classy chaiti in its erotic overlay and being tinged with a hint of humour, the singing brought on a smile on the faces of the listeners. The finale numbers included a kajri, where the smart switchover of the rhythm from a dadra to a keherwa, proved to be interesting and arrestive. On the other hand, the minor differences between the Benaras and adjoining Mirzapuri genres of kajri singing failed to make a dent, but continued to impress by their compositional content.
Sung in an undiluted Benaras oeuvre, the artist managed to create a bit of the Benarasi aura as long as the music lasted.
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