SPIC MACAY Overnight Concert

Last night holds my claim of being the most magical, sacrosanct and melodious one in my short life time. Multitudinous tunes were generated by those revered ‘Ustads’ and “Pandits”, not to miss out on ‘Smt”, which etched permanent marks in the memories of those present in the then music lit auditorium.

Although the night was suppose to reveal its true colors at 7.30pm, due to some reasons (known to organizers and Smt. Shovana Narayan) the concert began at around 8.30pm in perfect accordance to ‘Indian Standard Times’. But, few in the auditorium could have anticipated the sheer largesse of the occasion.

The first performer: Smt. Shovana Narayan, one of the foremost disciple of the maestro himself : Pt Birju Maharaj. She has imparted ‘Kathak’, a deep canvas of expression and dimension. As she began her performance it was no less than a magical illusion.

If not for her I would have never understood the intricacies linked with classical dance form. What she dealt with was a myriad of emotions, subjects, legends through her bhavs (acts) and left the audience asking for more. The whole act brought out yet another aspect, her oratory. Her explaining of acts before and after the performance was a true representation of her mastery over the subject. She truly took the entire audience on her sojourn.

The next performer: Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar with accompanist Pt. Dalchand Sharma on Pakhawaj. Incidentally, Ustadji was conferred with Padma Bhushan by the Government of India this very year, thus paying a tribute to his contribution to Dhrupad style of singing. We were told that the Dagar family has been dedicated to the cause of Dhrupad Sangeet. Now coming to his performance: he began with a hour long alaap in some raga. Although, the classical music deficiency of the audience came to the fore, I personally was appreciative of his consecrated recital. The second half of his performance saw him constantly chiding his accompanist Pt. Dalchand Sharma at his apparent ‘mis taal’. Overall, it must be said that it was truly a masterful execution by a veteran musician.

After light snacks, Ustad Asad Ali Khan Saheb began his Rudraveena recital. He started with a short talk on the time bound nature of classical music. What followed, left the entire congregation mesmerized. Sitting in a taxing posture with his gigantesque Rudraveena, he belted out some melodious ragas. The virtuosity on displayed by the virtuoso left the tired audience with a new lease of breath and purpose.

The next performer: Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. I knew what was going to strike me. A sense of déjà vu. Earlier, I got to hear the live recital by Pt. Vishwa Mohan during the Virasat series in 2007. That performance was still fresh in my mind as I geared up for more.

First of all about his brain child- the instrument itself. Mohan Veena, a transformation of a Hawaiian guitar was a spectacle in itself.

Next, the performance: …
As expected, Panditji as always was at his very best. He enchanted the entire audience with the grandeur in his personality and his adept handling of the instrument. His innovative style and his incredible speed created a joyous atmosphere. Every single person in the audience got involved as the Panditji churned out one master piece after another. But, the best was yet to come: As he began playing his opus magnum, the Grammy winning master piece, ’A meeting by the river‘, echoing through the auditorium, every one was visibility on their feet, thundering the auditorium with applause. It was truly a beatific experience marked by utter benignity. I am still in search for appropriate adjectives to describe my once in life time experience.

The final performance by Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan was our tryst with a mystic and a real test of endurance. Khan Saheb, a centenarian, crippled by time displayed his master class maintaining the magnanimity of occasion with his mellifluous rendition of ‘Khayal’ form of Hindustani Classical. To quote my friend Sharat- “ A hundred year old outclassed all the twenty year olds with his stamina and dedication” was an understatement. This was a fitting grand finale.


What I feel after last night is a transformation and purification of my heart . This was well and truly a liberating and joyous experience of my life time.

I was reminded of a Victor Hugo Quote-

'Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.'

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MOKSHA'08

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The TEST that could have been...(India's)

India vs. Australia, 2nd Test, Sydney

Surreal Sunday saw an astonishing day unfold. Another twist in the tale as Harbhajan Singh departs- out to Michael ’Pup’ Clarke. With 2.4 overs or 16 minutes to go, the big question would be answered by the I finish writing this blog and by the time you read it i.e. the outcome of the match.

Another one has fell… Clarke on hat-trick. Anil Kumble can only watch in dismay down the other end. The crowd is exited to the hilt as 19 year old Ishant Sharma walks out take guard. But, yet another goof up. He walks out to bat with a wrong pair of gloves.

Amidst all this hustle bustle, I can safely declare that this is by far the second most intriguing test match I have witnessed, the first obviously being the ‘Very Very Special’ one at Kolkata in 2001. As I jot this down, Clarke and Australia have their final scalp. The match is finally over. Australia have won it (not) fair and square. The doors have been shut right on the face of India and its hapless captain Anil Kumble who is reduced to a meek spectator. He is clearly aghast.

Now, coming back to my point about the reason behind this test match being a real ’spectacle’. Three reasons cloud around my mind.

REASON 1: Dubious and absolutely crap umpiring.
THE CULPRITS- Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor in alphabetical order.
VICTIMS- Team India
This ’Imperfect test match’, to quote Mr.Harsha Bhogle, showcased perhaps the worst instances of umpiring. Some of the incomprehensible decisions started of with Ricky Ponting getting a reprieve from the umpire after the ball clearly nicked his bat on its way to Dhoni’s gloves to the utter dismay of Saurav Ganguly. But, the real bloopers were the ones delivered in favor of Andrew Symonds, that too three of them. Other bad decisions notwithstanding, the real KO was delivered one apiece by Steve and Mark(not the Waughs but India’s bugbears) which ultimately turned out to be the turning point of the match. This time while Rahul Dravid and Ganguly bore the brunt.
Now, jumping over to the next reason.

REASON 2: Andrew Symonds allegation to have been racially abused by Harbhajan Singh. Well, this comes out as a surprise to me.
Anyways, the Aussie team believe that they have got a strong case against Bhajji in hand. Some Oz newspapers also went to the extent of making a caste based analysis of the Indian team and even mentioned a thing or two about ’Brahmin Dominance’. All this, however to India’s delight didn’t reduce Harbhajan’s competitive edge, neither has it curbed his exuberance, which was apparent by his soccer style celebration after having scalped his ‘bunny’ Ricky Ponting for the third time in 4 innings.

Finally, the 3rd REASON: The aspect that stood out to me was the dogged determination and application shown by the Indian batsmen barring Wasim Jaffer and Yuvraj Singh (Dude! You let even Deepika down…). While the first innings showcased some sublime batting by Laxman, Tendulkar( Sydney is surely their favourite ground) and some rustic but gritty batting by the tail enders, the second innings had Anil Kumble displaying undying grit, stupendous resolve and stoic resilience in his batting. He truly played a knock which the Englishmen would describe as ‘captain’s innings’.


I would not like to comment about the Aussie win, which could well have been The ‘Indian win’, if only for the bullshit umpiring which left a bad taste and the unsportsmanlike behavior from the entire Australian team.

Whatever it may be, the bottom-line remains- The match and the series is well and truly lost for the Indians. Amen.