Immersive music in the hills of Lonavla

Now in its 10th year, the annual music residency in Lonavla continues to offer a unique blend of good music, food, and stay. Held at the serene Manshanti Ashram, the tightly packed 29-hour festival featured an impressive 15 performances, beginning Friday evening and concluding by Sunday afternoon. From the moment participants step into the sylvan setting, it’s the ambience and the art that take over.

The Lonavla Khandala Sangeet Sammelan is organised by Abhijat Music Forum. The artistes are chosen with care — a combination of established and young names. This edition included seasoned vocalists Nishad Bhakre (Gwalior, Agra, Jaipur gharanas), Ankita Joshi of the Mewati gharana, Radhika Joshi of the Jaipur Attrauli gharana, Geetika Umdekar Masurkar from the Gwalior gharana, and Maihar gharana sitariya Ayan Sengupta. Emerging talents included Swarali Panshikar, Manas Vishwaroop and sarodiya brothers Arko and Shaunaq Roy. The last presentation was by 81-year-old Arun Dravid, senior-most disciple of vidushi Kishori Amonkar. His voice belies his age. He demonstrated rare forms of Bilawal.

One of the best features of the retreat was hearing raags sung through the day and during different seasons. Thus one heard some rare and commonly performed raags such as Ahir Lalit, Bairagi Bhairav, Hindol, Virat Bhairav, Mian ki Todi, Kalingara, Lalit Pancham, Alhaiya Bilawal, Multani, Jaitshri, Barwa, Jog, Kafi Kanhra, Darbari and Bhairavi. The seasons were represented by Megh, Nanak ki Malhar, Anandi Malhar, Basant and Paraj. But it was Gaganvihang, a beautiful raag composed by Pt Dinkar Kaikini, that drew the most attention.

How do you approach an event that features a series of concerts by talented artistes? It’s not about picking the best performance, it’s about the experience as a whole and the memories you take away. But, of course, some moments deserve a mention. For instance, Pt Suresh Bapat left an impact with his mature rendition and his incredibly long breath taans. The influence of the Agra gharana was perceptible but not overwhelming (amongst others, he has learnt from Pt Babanrao Haldankar). Singing from 6 a.m. onwards, Pt Suresh Bapat’s concert focused on devotional pieces, including his own.

Ayan Sengupta is currently training under Pt. Partha Chatterjee and Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Ayan Sengupta from ITC SRA, Kolkata, has trained in both the Vishnupur and Maihar gharanas, and is currently learning from Pt. Partha Chatterjee and Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty. These myriad influences lend a sparkle to his sitar playing. His unconventional style of barhat cannot fail to engage the audience. Even though his chikaari wire broke in the middle of the drut jhala, Ayan, without missing a beat, continued to play on the baaj wire, bringing his concert to a natural conclusion.

Manas Vishwaroop of the Agra gharana has a beautiful baritone backed by impeccable taalim. He imbued raag Multani with a meditative serenity. Radhika Joshi’s Anandi Malhar, created by Kishori Amonkar, was all about nostalgia. Shashank Maktedar has evolved into a refined singer following the style of his popular guru, Pt Ulhas Kashalkar. Tabla exponent Pt Vijay Ghate in his solo demonstrated his expertise. He showed how percussion is not about pace but about seamless rhythmic expansion.

The pièce de résistance was Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, who sang with tremendous feeling. The response from the small, intimate gathering inspired the maestro to reflect on the significance of such residencies. “It couldn’t have been more satisfying — for both the artiste and the rasika,” he said.