JOIN USThe audience were in rapt attention and not a whisper was heard in the hall. Simple, austere decorations and an air of solemnity were the hallmarks of the 30th edition of the ‘Devnandan Ubhayaker Yuva Sangeet Utsav’ that took place on October 22 and 23 at the Canara Union Hall, 8th Main Road, Malleswaram.
Presented by Smriti Nandan, a cultural organisation dedicated to the promotion of the arts, the festival showcased young promising classical musicians who are disciples of great gurus of the Hindustani tradition.
Founded by the late Lalita Ubhayaker, a reputed vocalist of the Agra ‘gharana’ and a philanthropist, the tradition is being carried on by her daughter Malavika Ubhayaker.
“Youngsters and unknown artistes in the age group of 18-30 are given a platform here. The interested artistes send us CDs of their performances and we have a committee
who selects the final list,” she says.
Pointing out the fact that there were mainly only elderly people in the audience, Malavika says, “The response has been somewhat lacklustre this year. I think that is because there are so many other events happening around this area and pure classical music does not find many takers nowadays.”
One of the regulars at the concert is Dinakar Rao Bijur, a 80-year old aficionado.
Talking about the event, he says “My health does not permit me to sit through all the sessions but I sit as long as I can. I have attended the event every year. Those
who are interested will definitely come and I feel that this event should continue for them, even if they form only 10% of the generation.”
The opening performance was a shehnai presentation by Hassan Haider Khan. This was followed by a ‘Dhrupad’ vocal recital by Pelva Naik. The Sunday morning concert featured a sarod recital by Amir Khan. The concluding performance was a vocal recital by Hemang Mehta.
The artistes were accompanied by Sanjay Agle on the pakhawaj, Shrivatsa Koulgi, Shouri Shanbhog and Mysore P Ashwin on the table and Nandakishor Mutalik Desai on the harmonium.
Says Shrivatsa Koulgi, “The organisation was very good and it was a great opportunity for me to get to play with different artistes from different parts of the country.”
Showering praises on the audience, the artiste says, “The crowd in Bengaluru is very knowledgeable and know a lot about different genres. They came up to me after the performance and gave their feedback and opinion about my style. For an upcoming artiste like me, it was very helpful.”
A professor in an engineering college in Dharwad, Shrivatsa has taken to the table due to his passion.
“I am not a music lover. I come here just as a hobby,” says Chandrika Vishwanath, a supply chain manager.
“I had come last year also as the experience is a nice one. One of the reasons is that only a selected audience comes here; all of them don’t walk in. The performers are always wonderful but I am not sure if a lot of people know about this event. It deserves to be made more known,” she says.
The festival was also dedicated to Tara Chandavarkar, a childhood friend of Lalita
Ubhayaker and a patron of the arts.