A succession of splendid music performances took the large audience by storm at the annual heritage festival, Virasat on late Wednesday evening.
A compellingly experimental Carnatic Hindustani Jugalbandi (duet) between renowned flautist Ronu Majumdar and ace violinist Mysore Manjunath paved the way for a riveting performance by the famed Wadali Bandhu.
lasting more than four hours, the show brought some of the finest in Indian classical and Sufi music to the culturally lively Doon Valley.
The jugalbandi began with a tranquil rendition of the pentatonic Raga Hansadhwani or Sound of the Swans. Created by Carnatic composer Ramaswami Dikshitar and adapted to Hindustani music by Ustad Aman Ali Khan, Raga Hansadhwani is a derived scale used widely by classical musicians. Displaying a mastery of improvisation, the duo delighted listeners as they interlaced serene spiritual notes with the pulse of the Mridangam and the Tabla. The invocation to lord Krishna flowed mellifluously to teental, one of the most famous taals or rhythmic patterns of Hindustani music.
As explained by Majumdar in an exclusive conversation with The Pioneer, "Teental is like three claps. It has an extremely symmetrical structure of sixteen beats in four equal divisions. The gap between every two beats is equal." The highlight of the performance was a rhapsodic rendition of Raga Saraswati as well as the impromptu fusion improvisations. Arjun Kumar on the Mridangam and Vijay Bhaumik on the Tabla were impressive in their musical talent and on stage chemistry with the duet.
Impressed with the musical orientation of the audience, Manjunath told The Pioneer, "I had heard a lot about Virasat and this is my first visit. People of Dehradun have an ear for classical music. The audience here were not only very energetic, but also remarkably well-informed and they connected with us." The engaging hour long musical gave way to an electrifying concert by the Wadali Brothers.
It is often stated that if there is God in music, the Wadali Brothers are a way to this God. For the pure devotion and truth that marks their singing is nothing short of worship. In Wednesday's performance too, the Wadali Brothers and their ensemble of musicians that included Pyare lal Wadali's son Satpal, created a piously delightful aura that left the audience captivated.
Their soulful singing was wonderfully interlaced with their narration and inspiring talks rooted in Sufiana philosophy. Exhorting thoughtful messages about God, humanity and life, the Wadali Brothers won the hearts of not only the elderly but also the multitude of youth attending the concert. 'Bande mein hai khuda' they stressed calling upon all to look for God within themselves and in fellow human beings.
The engaging concert lasting over two hours included masterpieces like Mera piya ghar aaya, tu mane ya na mane, damaa dam mast qalandar, mann atkeya beparwah de naal and tujh binn jeena kya jeena.
Buta Singh on the Tabla, Mohit Kumar on the Dholak, Suresh Kumar playing the electronic pad and the four accompanying vocalists Satwinder Singh, Satpal Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Jitender Singh played for the spontaneous repertoire with finesse.
Wadali Brothers' profound recitations like 'tujhko khuda kahun ya khuda ko tu kahun, bandaa bhee tu, khudaa bhee tu' and 'pehle samjho samajh samajhna bhee ek samajh hai, jo naa samjhe who meri nazar mein naa samajh hai' had the swarming crowd in a euphoric frenzy.
The tempo was high right till the end of the performance that continued past 11:30 pm. Witnessing the zest and untiring energy of the 77 year old Puran Chand Wadali as he thrilled people with his spirited singing for hours, music sure is a magical fountainhead of timelessness, one mused.
Taking their rich Sufi lineage to new heights, Puranchand Wadali and Pyarelal Wadali are a unique partnership in melody, as much for their musical genius as for their simplicity.