An effort to revive the 'Gwalior Gharana'

Gwalior, Apr 5 (UNI) The historic Gwalior city, which gives its name to one of the oldest and famous 'Gharanas' in Indian Classical Music having produced several maestros both in the vocal and instrumental arts, throbbed to a three-day musical fiesta dedicated to keeping the tradition alive.

The fortress city hosted the first-ever three-day Sangeet Sammelan from March 30 to April 1 to mark the tenth anniversary of the ITM Universe, nestled among the green hills of Vindhyachal ranges.

''Gwalior is known as an epoch-making Gharana of Indian Classical Music, and the ITM Sangeet Sammelan has been organised for the first time to relive the historical glory of Gwalior,'' the event's coordinator Ravindra Misra said.

The Sangeet Sammelan was inaugurated by Gwalior MP Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Mayor Vivek Shejvalkar, Padma Bhushan Dr Girija Devi and ITM Chairperson Kanupriya Singh by lighting the lamp and garlanding the statue of Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of the arts and learning.

Seventy-eight-year-old Girija Devi commenced her performance with the traditional 'Saraswati Vandana', followed by Raga Yaman Kalyan and Thumri. While she kept the audience mesmerised in a moonlit night for about an hour, sarod player Partho Sarathy and Ustad Akram Khan stole the hearts of the young and old alike with their fusion and 'jugalbandi'. But the finale of the first day came with the performance by Pandit Channulal Mishra, who held the audience spell-bound with his mellifluous rendition.

The second day of the Sangeet Sammelan saw a captivating performance by Kalapini Komkali, daughter and student of Kumar Gandharva, who has left a subtle impact on the art.

Even before the spell cast by Komkali had worn off, audiences were enthralled by a sitar performance by Purbayan Chatterjee, who is accepted as the most gifted torch-bearer of the Senia-Maihar Gharana of Baba Alauddin Khan and has become a powerful force in the Indian Classical Music scenario.

Organisers expressed the optimism that the enthusiasm witnessed during the meet would help bring back the historic musical glory of the city.

They are only too conscious of the fact that the classical arts today face an uphill task as far as attracting audiences is concerned.

A member of ITM Universe, Mr Ramashankar Singh told UNI: ''Gone are the days when a Hindustani Classical Music Concert attracted an audience of at least 10,000 people, but now they have reduced to a mere hundred in number.'' ''Had this been a rock show or any western music programme, the theatre would have been jam-packed and the students would have been swaying to the tunes,'' he added.

However, he and other members of the ITM Universe are aware of the legacy they and the present generation of this city has inherited.

While all gharanas have played their role in the enrichment of Hindustani Classical Music, the Gwalior Gharana in particular has played a pioneering role in 'khayal gayaki', they said.

The Gharana attained astounding perfection under the patronage of the Gwalior rulers. Though it can be traced back to Gwalior's most famous musician Mian Tansen, the Khayal Gharana was really established in the 18th century by Ustad Natthan Pir Baksh, who is said to be a direct descendant of Sadarang and Adarang. And though the audiences are fast depleting, the Gwalior gharana still remains popular with several exponents.

The ITM Universe decided to organise the meet to re-live this ancient glory. ''It is for the first time that a Sangeet Sammelan has been held at ITM, which is one of the biggest institutes in Gwalior. It is an effort to revive the historical glory of Gwalior,'' said Mr Misra.

''Earlier, one could walk down the by-lanes of Gwalior and hear the resonance of some raga being practiced in almost every fifth house, but not any more,'' Mr Singh lamented.

He said it was sad that classical arts were dying and people would rather spend thousands of rupees to watch pop music concerts than collect a free pass to attend a Hindusthani classical music concert.

''If this is the state in Gwalior - one of the oldest Gharanas - one can easily imagine the state elsewhere,'' said Mr Singh, adding ''Even Patiala has a gharana of Indian classical music. But there are no audiences. The case is the same in Pune.'' UNI