Just published in India Currents!
“It’s an exciting opportunity to see an
impressive musicologist and a sold-out artist that everyone enjoys” says Prabha
Gopal, President of Bay Area Performing Arts, to introduce a double-header
concert scheduled for the conclusion of Navratri. The morning session, entitled “Mysteries of
Morning Ragas,” features a lecture and demonstration by Pandit Vijay Kichlu. The afternoon session features a concert by
Mahesh Kale’s Melange, a group of musicians that cover the sweep of India’s
classical music tradition. Held at the
India Community Center in Milpitas, the day “in spirit is not just entertainment. Both sessions will stay with the
audience. They will take not just
enjoyment but also new information home with them,” says Mahesh Kale, Founder
of the Indian Classical Music and Arts Foundation.
 |
| Vijay Kichlu |
“I saw Vijay Kichlu last year talk about thumri
and it was fantastic. This talk is an
excellent opportunity to find out why morning ragas are so important,” says
Gopal. Kichlu, the founder and for 24
years the Executive Director of the Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata, is
widely recognized as a leading vocalist of Agra gaikee. Taught by Pandit Nathuram Sharma, Ustad
Moinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar, and Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan, Kichlu is
celebrated for his talent in alapchari in the traditional Dhrupad style and
compositions in madhya laya and boltaans in Gharana gaikee. With multiple presentations on All India
Radio and Doordarshan, Kichlu has traveled the world lecturing and
demonstrating musicology. “He is a
serious master, and this is a good chance to learn about how these ragas came
about and how they’re connected to the Vedas” comments Gopal. Kichlu will be joined for the morning session
by Smt. Sanjukta Biswas, a “mesmerizing vocalist,” comments Gopal, specializing
in the Bengali tradition.
In the afternoon “Mahesh is presenting the
colors of Indian classical music” says Gopal.
A disciple of Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, Kale is renowned for not only
his voice but also the versatility of his performances. His acclaimed debut at the Sawai Gandharva
Music Festival was in 2011. Following
last year’s sold-out show in the Bay Area, Melange toured the East Coast and
India performing for crowds of up to 5,000.
Billed as “Khayal to Tarana, Thumri to Ghazal, Sufi to Bhajan” Melange
puts a dozen talented Indian classical musicians on stage together to explore
the sweep of South Asia’s varied traditions.
“It’s a rejuvenation, because the pieces are not fixed… There are eleven
to thirteen people on stage, and they all change, mix, and match what they’re
playing” explains Kale. An ever-changing
visual backdrop frames the performers, as Kale works to innovate the
traditional stage presentation of classical music. “We are trying to enhance the visual element
of the performance while not diluting anything,” says Kale. Kale will be joined on stage by Melange’s
narrator, Ashvini Bhave, a veteran Bollywood actress and critically acclaimed
film maker. Salar Nader will join the
group as a percussionist, and Vivek Datar will be on harmonium.
 |
| Mahesh Kale |
“When it started, it was just a bare idea. But if you wish for good and keep doing
things the right way it will happen… and it just happened to me” explains Kale
of the birth of Indian Classical Music and Arts Foundation. One of the ways ICMA tries to “keep doing
things the right way” is to provide the older generation access to
Melange. “We went to all the senior
centers last year, giving heavily discounted tickets and providing free rides
and chai” to provide older South Asians access Melange’s presentation. ICMA was formed to “present and honor culture
the way it’s meant to be over the years,” says Kale. It is easy “to worry that the performance
will look good, that everything will run on schedule, but then you stop about
the strong cultural sense [of what you’re doing]” explains Kale.
Beyond Melange, it has been a busy year for
Kale and his nonprofit. Recently Kale
gave a talk at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco about classical music, a
part of his ever-present mission to reach out and introduce new audiences to
the Indian classical tradition. Kale has
also partnered with Professor Anna Schultz to create a joint ICMA-Stanford
production. One of the highlights,
however, was a performance at the Ali Akbar Khan School of Music, “It was so
nice to sit on the same stage as all those [famous] performers, knowing they’d
been there before” says Kale.
 |
| Mahesh Kale and Ashvini Bhave |
“We’re offering a limited number of free
student admissions for the morning lecture and demonstration… because it’s so
important for students to come and listen to this great man,” says Gopal. Gopal is the person responsible for bringing
the entire October 13th event together. For 25 years she has brought almost every single
major Indian artist to Bay Area stages, from Ustad Bismillah Khan to Ustad
Zakir Hussain. Music and performance is
clearly an important part of her upbringing, “At the age of three I sat on the
carpet and listened to classical performances for up to four hours,” says Gopal,
who has also had the opportunity to perform in front of Pandit Nehru. Although she’s appeared on KRON-TV’s Bay Area
Backroads, and hosted her own KPFA show on ragas, BAPA is clearly her
passion. “It’s an opportunity to bring
artists, some of them not well-known, to the Bay Area” says Gopal. It also offers her the opportunity to support
charitable work with organizations such as the India Community Center, the
American India Foundation, and Narika.
“It’s such a collage and cornucopia of music”
says Gopal of the combined show of Pandit Vijay Kichlu and Mahesh Kale’s
Melange. It’s also the perfect way to
bring friends and family together for Navratri, “We will make sure we finish by
five so everyone can go celebrate the festival together that night” concludes
Gopal.
A Memorial Musical Journey
October 13, 2013
“Mysteries of Morning Ragas” with Pandit Vijay
Kichlu and Smt. Sanjukta Biswas
India Community Center
525 Los Coches St
Milpitas, CA 95035
