Musical rhapsodies  -The Hindu, 25.9.05

http://www.hinduonnet.com/mag/2005/09/25/stories/2005092500370500.htm

The fifth Pandit Man Mohan Bhatt Music Festival in Jaipur was a treat for lovers of classical music.

Rising star: Salil Bhatt. Photo: A. Roy Chowdhury

IF Albert Einstein were to listen to the music rendered by the artists at the Pandit Man Mohan Bhatt Music Festival held in Jaipur for the fifth consecutive year, he would have reiterated, "If I were not a physicist, I would be a musician." With Rajeev Tailang, Salil Bhatt, Nandan Lal Mehta, Channu Lal Misra weaving a magical rhapsody, they proved that music washes away the dust of everyday life. Fluid blend Rajeev Tailang's choice of ghazals, taking delicate yet simple verses from Bahadur Shah Zafar, set the mood for the evening — a fluid blend of classical tones with meaningful shayari, long alaaps and taans. The emotion is conveyed in myriad ways, as if a drama unfolds and you can actually sense the pathos of "karke vo inkaar gaye, jeene ke aasaar gaye". Having sung at concerts in Morocco, Paris, Nice, Casablanca, he says, "I sing with great devotion, I want to resurrect a liking among the younger generation toward our rich Urdu Literature." There is no compromising on standards here, "My compositions use the most difficult musical notes, there is a depth in my lyrics." Salil Bhatt, already being hailed as a rising star, treated the audience to Raag Bhageshree. Salil's mastery over the Satvik Veena had him effortlessly strum on the strings, creating music that was a fusion of the lively energy of a guitar and the soulful notes that come from a veena. The space resounded with the now-soft-now-rising-to-a-crescendo music. Salil voiced his passion, "Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling, instinct, not by rule." Having returned from a concert in Iceland, Salil has many music festivals to his credit, the latest being the Vancouver Island music festival in which he was the only Indian artist performing with heavy weights like Bo Didley. Playing for an essentially Indian audience abroad does not achieve what Salil sees as his mission statement. "I don't want to fly across 20,000 miles to perform for Indians only, I want to carry the treasure trove of Indian Classical music to the world on an international level. "The like father like son" epithet (his father is Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt) tends to highlight the father rather than the son, says Salil, "but I have my own identity." Creating a mystical aura by simply playing on the komal and teevra swars of the sargam, Salil's performance gave way to the dramatic, pulsating beats of tabla recital by Nandan Lal Mehta, a revered luminary in the world of classical music.

Superlative performances It was supposed to be a two-hour concert, but Channu Lal's thumri gayan kept the audience glued to its chair till well past midnight. "It brought tears to our eyes," said Manisha, a listener. Nandan Lal Mehta and Channu Lal Misra were awarded the Life Time Achievement Award (Pt. Man Mohan Music Trust) for their superlative performance. The mood was perfect, the only element that subdued the pitch of the evening was the undue regard given to the protocol of presenting bouquets, and welcoming people. It only makes the audience fidget and lose interest, compromising on the spirit of a magical evening. Yet, the evening established that music speaks that which cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole.