City savours classical extravaganza

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, December 25

Bang in the middle of a chilly December night when people decked up Christmas trees, once crowded, the streets wore a late night silence only broken by an occasional dog bark. Near the railway station, the homeless huddled around little makeshift fires; the Devi Talab environs were rendered cosy through the musical wisdom of learned men wafting through the thin December air.

The three days of 147th Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan brought a cultural extravaganza which has been sorely missed through the Covid years. Although lacking the crowds and bustle of the pre-Covid years, the musical gatherings were well attended and loved by music lovers who congregated in Jalandhar for the sammelan. The entry approach pandals of the Harivallabh saw stalls being set up by artisans and eateries. There was the jora ghar of the Gurmukh Sewa Dal which had been conducting “Jora Sewa” for the past 20 years — even last year at the height of the Covid pandemic. Kashmiri Kehwa by Sheikh Fahim has also comforted attendees with its warmth for many years.

The Harivallabh this year saw performances by 20 key recitals. In a much awaited welcome break from smaller gatherings, this year, a huge pandal was set up in keeping with established tradition.

Harivallabh recitals went on till 2 am and 3 am on the first two days, and are still going strong on the third day. An array of heaters across the pandal and a cozy cushion concert style seating helped the attendees keep warm through the chilly nights. Some cops and attendees dozed off in the back rows amidst the calming musical strains. A slew of political guests from all parties also came to attend the Harivallabh.

But the true triumph of Harivallabh is the love of music fans who attend the event without fail. Iqbal Singh, a differently abled teacher from Ludhiana has been attending the event since 1993. She sat through the chill at night on December 24, listening to Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt’s recital with his friends Raj Kumar and Anil, all from Ludhiana. They have been coming to the Harivallabh for the past over 15 years.

The trio is visually impaired, and they stayed here throughout the three days just to attend the Harivallabh.

Iqbal Singh said, “I have been coming here since 93, and as a student, I once even won first position in the Harivallabh Pratiyogita. We came last year too, despite the threat of Covid. We only skipped one year when the Harivallabh lasted just one day. This is a hallowed land for us, and the magic of music just pulls us here every year. It is special every year, and we love the vibe at the festival.”

Rajkumar, who won the second position in the same pratiyogita, said, “We have been coming here since the times when we were just students. Even in the morning music lovers congregate in the mandir environs.”

Pratap Singh Sodhi of the Gurmukh Sewa Dal says, “It is always good to be here. The crowds have grown bigger, and we hope that crowds are even better next year.”

One of the cops who have been deputed at the venue said, “Honestly we don’t understand what they play. But we do feel it is very sweet to the ears. We are here on duty. But the ambience of the sammelan is magical.”

The third day of the Harivallabh Sangeet Sammeelan witnessed the magic of the Patiala Gharana strains of Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan, the tabla mastery of Pt Ram Kumar Mishra, the river-like flow of flautist Shashank Shubramanyam’s ‘bansuri’ strains, the melodious strains from Samrat Pandit’s vocal prowess and Pt Tenjendra Narayan Majumdar’s rousing sarod. While the day started with the vocals of Nivedota Singh, Mahesh Kale’s vocal rendition was the final performance of the Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan — which took place in the wee hours of the morning of December 26th December morning.

Day three of the Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan was started by the vocals of Punjab-based artiste Dr Nivedita Singh, a music professor, and Gurbani Kirtan performer who presented Raga Jog Kauns, followed by Raga Chaturang. The performance ended with a shabad. She was accompanied by Jalandhar’s very own Jaidev on the tabla and the delightful harmonium virtuoso Paromita Mukherjee on the harmonium.

Dr Nivedita Singh was followed by Pt Ram Kumar Mishra on the tabla, accompanied by his son Rahul Kumar Mishra on the tabla and Pt Dharam Nath Mishra on the harmonium. A regular at the Harivallabh stage, Pt Ram Kumar Mishra has regaled audience countless times to the accompaniment of various musical stalwarts, and today, he performed teen taal for the Harivallabh audience in his solo percussion outing. He unfolded the legacy of his rousing tabla tradition championed by his grandfather and his father Pt Chahnnu Lal Mishra.

Patiala Kasur Gharana musician Pt Abdul Aziz Khan’s nostalgia-laden strains brought in reminders of Harivallabh’s favourite thumris and sweet vocals. The colloquial charm of khayal presentation sowed through his renditions. He presented renditions in Raga Bihag and Raga Pahari, and delivered a stirring rendition of the thumri, Yaad Piya Ki Aaye.

A day earlier, the midnight hours of December 25 were lit up by a fiery recital by Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and his son Pt Salil Bhatt, who returned to the Harivallabh stage with a jugalbandi five years later. Earlier, they had performed on the 143rd Harivallabh. They presented renditions in Raga Maru Bihag, a Raga Jog-based dhun, and ended with a Mohan Veena rendition of Vande Matram. Day Two also saw performances by Sanjukta Das (Raga Bhim Palasi and Raga Tailang), Dr Ashwin Mahesh Dalvi (Raga Madhuwanti and a bandish in Dhrupad), Sujata Gaurav Kammar (renditions in Raga Puriya Dhanashree and Raga Durga), Patiala Gharana violinist Johar Ali (Raga Jog and a dhun), Anjana Nath (Raga Darbari Kanhada and a dhun), Sumitra Guha (Raga Charukeshi and Hans Dhwani) and Day 2 came to a close with the vocals of Astha Goswami (Rag Naiki Kanhada, Raga Bhatiyar and a rendition in Raga Bhairavi).