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Srimati Veena Sahasrabuddhe’s Concert
(Hindustani Classical Vocal)
Saturday, September 17, 2005
At 4
p.m. on Saturday, September 17, 2005, Vidyapith
volunteer students, teachers, and helpers gathered at
the George Washington Middle School in Ridgewood, New
Jersey to prepare the stage for a much-anticipated
Hindustani Classical Vocal concert by the renowned
singer, Srimati Veena Sahasrabuddhe. The Vidyapith
banner was hung above the stage, platform for the
artists and decorative plants put in place, and the
microphone system turned on by 5:00 p.m. Outside the
auditorium, some volunteers set up ticket counters,
while others prepared the cafeteria to serve
refreshments to the audience during intermission.
At 5:00 p.m., the artists arrived. After the sound
system was properly checked and adjusted for them, the
auditorium doors opened at 5:40 p.m. to usher in an
enthusiastic audience. The program began exactly at 6:00
p.m. as announced. Payal Patel, the Master of Ceremonies
for the program, welcomed all, followed by the Vidyapith
students chanting the Shanti Mantras (peace invocation).
Dr. Mohan Deshpande, himself a singer and a teacher of
Hindustani classical vocal music at the Vidyapith,
introduced Srimati Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Sri Kedar
Naphade (harmonium), Sri Shantilal Shah (tabla), Srimati
Astha Shukla and Srimati Rachana Bodas (tanpura). The
artists were welcomed with thundering applause by the
audience.
Veenaji
began the concert with a Khayal in Raga Madhuvanti,
set to Vilambit Ektaal. From the very first
note she became engrossed in the raga, developing its
various nuances in her own unique way and carrying the
audience to higher and higher realms of exceptionally
melodious music. It was an unusually hot and humid day
in the middle of September, but the artists as well as
the audience were oblivious to both. Mother Nature
herself applauded the performance with a series of
thunderbolts followed by a cooling drizzle. For the
drut she sang “Jai Kalike Kalatmike” set to
Teen taal. The two disciples of Veenaji,
Rachana Bodas and Astha Shukla, sat beside her and
played their tanpuras while joining in the singing,
their three voices blending perfectly and creating an
atmosphere of angelic music. Sri Shantilal Shah on the
tabla and Sri Kedar Naphade on the harmonium accompanied
the singers in perfect harmony. The audience marveled
at the intuitive understanding the artists had between
each another, and their perfect synchronization. Veenaji
concluded raga Madhuvanti with a tarana in
Ada chautaal. It was a rare opportunity to hear
a composition in this uncommon taal.
Madhuvanti was followed by Miya Malhar, a
raga perfectly suited for the rainy season. The
composition was “Barasana Lagi Lagi Badariya Savanaki,”
set to Madhya- laya teen taal. Veenaji concluded
the first half of the concert with a tarana in
the same raga. The hall was almost packed, and the joy
of the audience in listening to such high quality music
performed by superbly talented artists was expressed in
their enthusiastic and prolonged applause.
After
an intermission of half an hour, Veenaji began the
second half of the concert with raga Hemant. The
first composition was “Beet gayeri mai, jugava daras
beena,” which was set to vilambit rupak taal.
The drut composition “Hamari sudhi lijai
Murari..” that followed was in teen taal.
After that she sang a very poetic composition, “Hemant
Himavant saman” in ada chautaal. Saturday
was a special day called “Ananta Chaturdashi,”
the last day of the year for the special worship of Lord
Ganesha. Remembering Lord Ganesha, Veenaji sang a
superb composition “Vande Ganapatim Isham” in
raga Tilak Kamod and drut teen taal . It
was followed by two Kabir Bhajans “Naiya mori niki
niki chal re lag” and “Mana bavara bhaya nora re
Swami,” both composed by the legendary classical
vocalist Kumar Gandharva. The last piece was in raga
Bhairavi, traditionally sung at the conclusion of a
concert. Such was the superior quality of the entire
performance that the audience honored the artists with a
standing ovation for 5 -7 minutes with uninterrupted
applause. The program concluded with Dr. Mahendra Jani
thanking all the artists, and the students of the
Vidyapith honoring them with bouquets of flowers.
Veenaji
was kind enough to visit the Vidyapith earlier in the
morning on that very same day (Saturday) and join the
students and the teachers in the morning prayer. After
the prayer she sang a few melodious shlokas and talked
to the students about her own experiences as a
youngster, learning music from her brother and teacher,
Pandit Kashinath Bodas. Her musical talent and her
simple, unassuming nature amazed and inspired the
students. All in all, Saturday, the 17th of
September was an unforgettable day for the Vidyapith as
well as all music lovers who had the good fortune of
listening to an exceptional concert by an exceptional
musician, Srimati Veena Sahasrabuddhe.
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