The thumri festival ends with an outstanding gayaki by Padma Vibhushan Vidushi Girija Devi
This year thethumri festival at Kamani Auditorium, arranged by Sahitya Kala Parisad with Delhi Government of Art and Culture department, ended on September 3 with the grand performance by none other than Padma Vibhushan Vidushi Girija Deviji, the living legend of thumri gayaki.
She was persuaded to sing by Sahitya Kala Parishad just as she was contemplating sanyas. She also felt that it was her duty to show the young generation how to perform thumri gayaki. Girija Devi’sthumri is a form of BhawPradhan and is based on differentras like prem, bhakti and biraha. The use of poetic words is an essential aspect. How fast can one add different elements in a single bandish or how much technically correct are the ragasIJ But the most important aspect ofthumri is how one puts together the ras or bhaw in their singing because one can’t usetaan or sargam. The singers are left with bhaw andras to elaborate their performance.
Devi feels strongly about calling thumri a folk or semi-classical form of music. For her it’s the purest form of classical derived from khayal. And therefore, she feels, thumri should be treated with the same respect and dignity as khayal and dhrupad.
Fondly known as Appaji, she started her performance with thumri’s rare raga, Khamavati and a very old bandish written by her Dada guru Pandit Bhushan Mishraji, Manharlinu mora re shyam. It was followed by a Dadra Mishra Peelu and Kafi’s raag, lagi bairiya so gai mai, ho nanadi saiya duwarese fir gaye which she showcased with great humour and care. She was careful about how differently it can be sung with modulation of expression and bhaw.
Post that, she enthralled the audience with her very famous Kajri in Mishra Khamaj’s bij jau mai piya bachaye lio. Not only she was in a great mood but when different requests poured in, she kept on singing, sending the audience into a different world altogether.
Next she sang two jhulas – Siya sang jhule bagiya me ram lalana and Jhula dhirese banwari sawariya. She ended the programme with Bhairabi Bhajan of lord Shiva – Tum bin Shankar koi nahi mora. Since she is from Varanasi and a disciple of Shiva, she finds prayer an apt way of ending her evenings.
Along with her all the accompanying artists were equally good. Pandit Dharamnath Mishra captivated the audience with the intermittent melodies of the harmonium and Ustad Murad Ali Khan on Sarangi took the audience to the next level. On tabla was a young artist, Shubh Maharaj.
Appaji at 89 was as good in singing as she was 29 years old! She just made the audience mantramugdh with her melodious voice and gayaki.
—Suman Doonga