Performers’ tribute to poets

Eminent artistes will present the lyrical works of iconic poets at a three-day music festival in the city.

The upcoming fourth edition of Bandish, an annual classical music festival organised by the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) will celebrate the works of legendary poets this year.

The three-day cultural extravanganza has also expanded its repertoire to include ghazals among its genres for the first time. Renowned singer Talat Aziz will present popular pieces by poets Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmad Faiz on July 12.

“In the first half of the performance, I’ll be presenting nine popular ghazals by Mirza Ghalib. The second half will be a tribute to Faiz. I will also be singing a never-heard-before ghazal by Ghalib,” says Aziz. He adds, “Salim Arif (theatre practitioner) will compere the evening in a unique style. He will read out snippets from letters of Ghalib and will link them to the ghazals.”

The second day will feature performances by Hindustani classical vocalists Ulhas Kashalkar and Malini Rajurkar. The fest will conclude on July 14 with a recital by veteran kathak dancer Pt Birju Maharaj and vocalist Kaushiki Chakrabarty.

“India has a rich and vast heritage of classical compositions and this fest is an endeavour to celebrate that,” says Suvarnalata Rao, curator, Bandish.

Kashalkar and Rajurkar’s performance will feature bandishes by Shrikrishna Ratanjankar, Vilayat Hussain Khan and Gajananbuwa Joshi. Birju Maharaj will present Bindadin Maharaj’s thumri compositions while Chakrabarty will perform Bade Ghulam Ali Khan’s work.