The scintillating and enchanting performances marked the conclusion of a four-day festival Banaras Gharana Mahotsav here on Monday.
The eminent thumri singer Savita Devi and Sarangi recital of Pt. Santosh Mishra with his son Sangeet and Sandeep Mishra gave magical performances at Antarang Hall, Bharat Bhavan leaving the audience mesemrised.
The programme began with the harmonious performance of Sarangi recital of Pt. Santosh Mishra with his son Sangeet and Sandeep Mishra of Banaras Gharana. They started off with Vilambit Ek Taal and Madhya laya Teen Taal in Raag ‘Bachaspati’. It was followed by Dadra and special Purbi Kajari. They were accompanied by city-based young tabla player Ramendra Singh Solanki on Tabla.
On being asked about the condition of Sarangi at present scenario, Pt. Santosh Mishra who represents his seventh generation of the family, said,
“ From the beginning, Sarangi is affected from other musical instruments. The trend of sargangi recital has been less. Nowadays, sarangi players don’t get job. Earlier there were posts of sarangi players in Doordarsan and Akashvani. There is no any institution or academy in India especially in Varanasi where such rare instrument is being taught even there is no preservation of Indian rare musical instruments. We have been playing from our eight generation and still using two hundred twenty-five –years-old sarangi”