Starting as it does on January 1, the 13-day Saptak Music Festival has always given Ahmedabad’s denizens the option of starting off the New Year with something special. The 44th edition of Saptak, which began on Monday at LD Arts College, is dedicated to stalwarts Pandit Kumar Gandharwa and Ustad Amir Khan, whose garlanded photographs feature prominently on stage this year, along with a portrait of Nandan Mehta, founder of Saptak Music School.
The highlight of the first day was a concert by Vidushi Shubha Mudgal, who said: “Pandit Kumar Gandharwa was my teacher, so performing here today holds special meaning for me. Both he and Amir Khan Saheb were innovators who broke from tradition and left a lasting mark on our music.”
Resplendent in a red sari, the ever-popular singer performed Raag Darbari Kanada, accompanied by Aneesh Pradhan on the tabla and Sudhir Nayak on the harmonium.
The first performance of the evening, which began at 9 pm and lasted one hour, was by young vocalist Shadaj Iyer, who performed Raag Jhinjhoti, followed by four short compositions (rachnas). He was accompanied by Hemant Joshi on the tabla and Nilay Salvi on the harmonium.
The second concert was by sarod maestro Basant Kabra, who was accompanied by the renowned Fazal Qureshi on the tabla. The venue was packed to the brim by the start of the second performance and Ahmedabad’s die-hard music fans stayed well beyond midnight till the end of the Shubha Mudgal concert.
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