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A sarod festival that celebrates the guru-shishya prampara
An ongoing Sarod festival in town celebrates the compositions of sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, being performed by his disciples.
Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan has wowed audience time and time again. Now, a festival in town is giving visitors a glimpse of the traditional guru-shishya parampara. At the three-day fest, Diksha : Guru Shishya Parampara, which has been organised by Sarod Ghar in collaboration with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), the disciples of Khan are presenting their renditions of Ustad’s compositions on the sarod, the guitar, the violin and the sitar.
“I was the first Sarod player back in 1988 to organise a Sarod festival with over 40 sarod players as participants. Sadly, no one else continued that tradition, but this festival is more than just about the music, as it is also about the guru-shishya parampara, the love and respect in this relationship and more. Although, the festival features my disciples who are established as well as upcoming, I urge people to come on all days of the festival and support them, listen to them and encourage them. This is a festival for my disciples and it is what you could call my ‘aashirwaad’ to them,” says Khan.
While the first day had performances by Gurdev Singh Namdhari (sarod), Srinjoy Mukherjee (sarod), Sunando Mukherjee and Pratap Kumar (sarod duet), Sachin Patvardhan (guitar) and Biswajit Roy Chowdhury (sarod). Today, which is the second day, one will see Rohan Prasanna (sarod), Pritam Ghosal (sarod), Partho Roy Chaudhury (santoor), Mukesh Sharma (sarod) and Deb Shankar Roy and Jyoti Shankar Roy (violin brothers) present the maestro’s compositions. The final day, will have performances by Sunil Kant Saxena, Saroj Ghosh, Asa Singh Namdhari and Smita Nagdev (sitar quartet), Subhash Ghosh (guitar), Debojyoti Bose (sarod), but what would make this a complete treat for Delhiites is a special performance where the Ustad himself will take to the stage along with his senior disciples to perform some of his celebrated compositions.
“The ones performing at the festival are my disciples who have considered me their guru, and have been under me for years. So, I decided to have them perform their guru’s compositions,” says Padma Vibhushan Khan. Talking more about the guru-shishya relationship, he elaborates, “If you look at the story of Eklavya, he simply made an idol of Dronacharya, considered him his guru and learnt all that Dronacharya had intended to teach Arjun. So, I feel that if a student truly respects his Guru, he can do wonders. It is exactly for that reason that I don’t just have sarod players as part of the festival, but also those who play the guitar, the sitar, the violin and more. They consider me their guru, and somewhere they felt they needed my guidance, and I was more than happy to be there as a guide for them. Having them perform is my way of encouraging them, and showcases the love I share with them.”
So, who’s up for this cultural treat?
Catch It Live:
What: Diksha : Guru Shishya Parampara
Where: Lily Pond Lawns, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, 11, Mansingh Road
On Till: December 23
