Listen to stalwarts, kathak exponent tells youngsters

Ahead of an upcoming festival celebrating classical works, organiser and noted Kathak danseuse Uma Sharma has appealed to the younger generation to immerse themselves in pure Indian classical music by listening to stalwarts.

The four-day Swami Haridas Tansen Sangeet Nritya Mahotsav 2019, which begins on Thursday at the Modern School (Barakhamba Road) here, aims to celebrate India's rich classical music traditions.

It is dedicated to the 16th century saint poet-musician Swami Haridas and his disciple and one of Akbar's prized gems, Tansen.

Sharma, who began the festival around 17 years ago in the holy city of Vrindavan, brought it to the capital to familiarise the youth with the musical prowess of the masters, who themselves shone under the tutelage of their own gurus.

"Many young people are interested in taking to classical music. Almost 50 per cent of our audience is young. It is an appeal to that generation to come and attend, and see what musical masters have to teach them," the Padma Bhushan recipient told IANS.

The effort is to rekindle the 'guru-shishya parampara', and make youth listen to what their ancestors listened to, through the old musical style of ‘mehfils', she added.

The line-up of artists performing live include Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, and his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash (sarod), along with Vishwamohan Bhatt (Mohan veena) and Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute).

Also performing are Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Parveen Sultana, Chhannulal Mishra, Gundecha Brothers, Ustad Aashish Khan, Shri Bickram Ghosh, Salil Bhatt, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ustad Shujaat Khan and Uma Sharma.

The festival of music, dance and vocal recitals is presented by HCL Concerts, will conclude on January 13.

Information about invitations is available online at http://www.swamiharidastansen.org.