Young stars on the horizon

Surmandal organised a morning concert of two young promising artistes at the Secunderabad Club Sailing Annexe hall. The first concert was a sitar recital by Irfan Khan from Hyderabad who is the son and disciple of well-known Sitar teacher Basheer Khan.

Irfan started the recital with an enchanting ‘Alaap’ in Raga Charukeshi (a well-known Carnatic raga popularised by many Hindustani classical musicians including Pandit Ravi Shankar).

He then went on to play a short rhythmic ‘Jod’ and followed it with a composition, very melodious and rhythmic, ending with a fast paced ‘Jhala’ in the sixteen beats ‘Teental’. He was accompanied on the tabla by young Pavan Kumar from the city who is a disciple of Ustad Shabbir Nissar.

After that came the Hindustani vocal recital by Mohd Aman from Jaipur, son and disciple of his father Ustad Zafar Mohd Khan(a staff artiste of All India Radio,Jaipur).Aman started the morning with a serene Raga ‘Mia Ki Todi’ and sang a beautiful ‘Alaap’ emphasising on the important notes of Raga Todi and very subtly touching the ‘Pancham note’ time and again in a scholarly manner.

He then sang a composition in Vilambit Ektal in a slow twelve beat cycle and followed it by the well known bandish ‘Ab Mori Naiya Paar Karo Tum, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’ in MadhyalayaTeental.

Aman then went on to sing a composition of his grandfather Ustad Amir Mohd Khan ‘Mein Jaanu Woh Jaane’ in Drut Teental. He then sang ‘Yaad Piya Ki Aaye’ a thumri made eternal by late Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.

Mohd Aman then sang ‘Kesariya Balam’ in Raga Mand.The ease with which Mohd Aman presented ‘Aakartaan’, ‘Sargamtaan’ and the difficult ‘Murki’ at times showed his command over music at a very young age. He was accompanied on Tabla by Harijeet Singh and on the Harmonium by Ajay Joglekar.

By Jaywant Naidu