Transcontinental delights
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The international conference, Africa Meets Asia, was entertaining and educative
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Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
Eclectic confluence Each day concluded with a cultural programme
Bangalore has never lacked in providing its music-lovers with a variety of rich fare, whether Hindustani, Carnatic or overseas music traditions. However, the just-concluded international conference Africa Meets Asia, organised by Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha and Centre for Intercultural Musicology, Cambridge, UK; was in a class of its own. It brought together stalwarts and research scholars representing diverse music traditions of Africa and Asia; with Indian classical music and dance forms on one platform for an interplay and interaction that was as entertaining as it was educative.
The keynote address was delivered by renowned ethnomusicologist Dr. S.A.K. Durga, on Confluence of Melody and Rhythm in African and Asian music. Later, Mathoor Krishnamurthi dwelt on Purandaradasa’s output followed by Laura Baldacchino reading out the paper of Li Xin of China’s Central Conservatory of Music on Akin Euba’s African Pianism. Neera Grover discussed Carnatic ragas (like Keeravani) in Hindustani bandishes with ample measure of demonstration.
The afternoon saw parallel sessions. One featured BHU’s K. Sashikumar who compared Carnatic and Hindustani musical forms, followed by Mala Mohan’s lec-dem on the Trinity’s Lyrical Excellence. The other had Dr Radha Bhaskar’s presentation on krithi form as evolved by Thyagaraja, followed by Arathi Rao on Vidyaranya’s contribution to the melakartha system. Maragaret Bastin focused on Yazh, an ancient Asian instrument.
Saturday opened with Hans Utter’s presentation on Tajik. Mutthuswamy Dikshitar was the subject of choice for both R. Vedavalli and Sumathi Krishnan who dwelt respectively on his style of handling ragas, and Panchalinga krithis. Pramila Gurumurthy chose ghanaraga pancharathanas while BHU academicians Ritwik Sanyal and Lipika Dasgupta focused respectively on dhrupads and Rabindra Sangeet.
Theoretical presentation
A largely theoretical presentation on the aesthetic value of Thyagaraja’s compositions by Alamelu Ramakrishnan was followed by a lec-dem Dance and Communication by Shobha Dhananjayan and students. Giving more importance to demonstration rather than lecture were Prema Rangarajan (Swathi Thirunal’s Navarathnamalika) and Sudha Sahgal (Hindustani Music Trio) and Uma Naresh (Rasa in Bharatanatyam).
It was heartening to see young research scholars being given a platform on all days alongside veterans and established artistes. So, we had the likes of B. Priyadarshini (Shankarabharanam in western and Indian music), K.T. Udayakiran (improvisation), Smitha Parvardhan (Shankarabharanam and C Major), Utpala Borah (Assamese folk melodies); and G.B.V. Anuradha who compared and contrasted Annamacharya and Thyagaraja’s compositions and then stole the show with a melodious rendering of Annamacharya’s only sooladi composition.
Understandably, Sunday drew the biggest crowd. The highlights were Gayatri Venkataraghavan’s masterly demonstration of raagalapana and swarakalpana and K. Gayatri’s equally impressive job for Neraval. T.S. Sathyavathi received much applause for her demo of thaanam types and on a later day she offered a similar sampling of various pallavis. Among the overseas musicians/scholars who took the stage were Cynthia Kimberlin (Indian-Ethiopian-Eritrean connection in the arts); China’s Chen Zi Ming; Osaka University’s Sachi Amano; R. Shankarrajan from Singapore University (orchestration on Karnatik music); Nigeria’s Yomi Daramola; Japan-USA musician T.M. Hoffman, and Italy’s Riccardo Nova.
Spurning power-point presentations and even papers, R.C. Mehta held forth –– in an easy conversational style –– on Hindustani gharanas, evoking much interest. Later, Ganga Ramachandran threw light on Swathi Thirunal’s Hindustani compositions while Dipanwita Tripathi discussed sitar forms and baaz.
Dr. Saraswathi Vidyarthi from Andhra University discussed manodharma sangeetham in Thyagaraja compositions interspersed with melodious renditions. K. Shobhana followed, talking of how Veena Seshanna was that rare yesteryears composer who composed pieces especially for an instrument ie veena.
There were some very analytical presentations like A. Anuradha’s on varnas and Anaya Thatte’s on raga concepts; unusual ones like B. Hema’s on Sama Veda notation and Krishna Bhist on khol; and highly technical ones like Srinvasan Nambirajan’s concept of 22 tones. Also, quick overviews like those of R. Sathyanarayana (India and world music); Achut Nair (Swati Thirunal); Vidyadhar Vyas (Hindustani musical forms) and Lalitha Mutthuswamy on violin-bowing techniques.
A characteristically erudite presentation came from the venerable S. Janakiraman who demonstrated Hindola patterns using the first melakartha charka. Anasuya Kulkarni and team offered an interesting multimedia presentation on world musical instruments.
Each day concluded with cultural programme, featuring artistes like M.S. Sheela, H.S. Sudhindra, Vidyadhar Vyas, Sukkanya Ramgopal, Faculty of Performing Arts at ISS, and Tanzania’s Teddy Mbarak. Besides, there were classical dances by Deepti Omcherry, Yamini Mutthanna and Vaibhavi Joshipura; and Gowri Ramnarayan’s play “Flame of the Forest” to a packed house.
Insightful lec-dems, power-point presentations, lively Q and A sessions, plenty of cultural exchange, and yes, lots of grumbles about time-constraints, characterised the conference. And it left both delegates and audiences longing for more.
ARUNA CHANDARAJU
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