AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 6 – eConnect Reviews CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 192 of 237 - Talking of popular hits, can Ghazal be far behind? Jagjit Singh’s ever popular “Ahista, Ahista” was next, which had many of the participants humming along. - In the kutchery circuit of Chennai, no concert is complete without a Bharathiyar number. Here is one depicting srungara rasa, of a Nayaki (a gopika) lamenting about the long absence of the Nayaka (Krishna) – ‘ ஆைச முகம் மறந்து ேபாச்ேச ’, set in Hindustani raag Jaunpuri. - The immensely impressive Malayalam number portraying a grand mother’s love for her grand daughter “Aayiram Kannumai” featured next, compulsively forced me to add the movie “Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu” to my Watch List. - Rasika transported us all back to the golden fiftees instantly when she sang “Babuji dheere chalna” originally rendered by the incomparable Geetha Dutt in the movie ‘Aar-Paar’ (1954). - The sudden transition, like a toggle, from the rich voice of Geetha Dutt to the uniquely sonorous voice with a slight nasal twang, and the intentionally put on falsetto of the one and only Shamshad Begum was instantly palpable when Rasika rendered “Kajra Mohabbat wala”, with a situational twinkle of the eye. - The participants will long remember the next number ‘Senorita, Senorita’ in more ways than one – first for it’s lilting music and the second, for the guest appearance made by the Ajwain dabba as a supporting percussion instrument! Only goes to prove ‘ வல்லவனுக்கு புல்லும்ஆயுதம் ’. Utterly flabbergasted by the novelty of the Ajwain dabba doing the honours here, I almost forgot Rasika’s effortless transition from Hindi to Spanish in a jiffy, quite like a native speaker of the latter! - What came next was a song from a Sufi album, originally attributed to the famous Pakistani folk singer Reshma, popularised later by Runa Laila among others – ‘Dama dam mast qalandar’, ably supported by Rasika’s life partner Sidharth in the background, clearly enjoying the throwback of his growing up years in the Air Force! - Which artist / musician is not captivated by the irrefutable charm of Krishna? ‘Krishna nee begane baro’ – a composition in Kannada by Vyasatirtha in Raag Yaman Kalyani, featured next. - The grand finale of the event was the quintessential ‘Vande Mataram’, gently transporting the participants back to reality. The short Q & A session that ensued on the fusion experiments involving different genres of music brought out the participants’ involvement and Rasika’s in-depth knowledge to the fore.