Shubha's dulcet notes make sun rise and shine

Lucknow: Early Sunday morning, patrons flocked at the Safed Baradari in Qaiserbagh to enjoy the pristine vocals of Hindustani classical music exponent Shubha Mudgal at Sanatkada festival. And, it was in great numbers that patrons of classical music arrived for Sahar, the concert at dawn.
"It is such a pleasant surprise to be singing for an interactive audience.I had thought I would be the only one here doing riyaaz, but the turnout for all art forms shows Lucknow's healthy respect for diversity," said Mudgal.
Beginning with raag Bhatiyaar in the pre-dawn hour, it was as if with each of Mudgal's note the sun's first rays started to shine. "The experience was surreal. No better way to start a day," said Sadaf Jafar from the audience. It was with raag Bhairavi that Mudgal ended the soulful rendition. But, the audience demanded for more and she obliged affably.
While the concert was one of its kind, it remained a point of discussion whether it was a first for Lucknow to have such a concert beginning at dawn or revival of culture after more than two decades.
"It could be the first time such a concert was held in Lucknow. Typically, we have have musical concerts that began in the evenings, go on all night and end with a morning raag," said Amit Mukherjee, executive director of ITC Sangeet Research Academy. "It was during the late 1970s and 80s when the Lucknow Mahotsav was organised in the Begum Hazrat Mahal Park that such evenings that ended in the morning were organised," added author Mehru Jaffer.
"As my per knowledge, I believe this is the first such concert to begin at dawn in Lucknow. Shaam-e-Awadh and Subah-e-Banaras are famous and this is an attempt to get to Lucknow, soulful musical mornings," said Madhavi Kuckreja, founder of Sanatkada.
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Day 3: Monday: February 8: Safed Baradari Qaiserbagh and Awadh Vatika behind Amir-ud-Daulah public library.
9 am: Car tour of Mohallas of different communities and Begum AKhtar's mazaar
11 am: UNICEF kids corner
12 pm: Film on Angli-Indians: 36 Chowinghee Lane directed by Aparna Sen
3 pm: Bengali film: Jalsa Ghar directed by Satyajit Ray, featuring Begum Akhtar
4 pm: UNICEF kids corner
5 pm: Qissa Goi: Stories of a childhood in Awadh- Naseem Iqtidar, Parveen Talha and Sabiha Anwar
6 pm: Documentary on Begum Akhtar- 'Zikr us Parivash ka'
7:30 pm: "Akshayambara" Kannada Yakshagana dance drama