2010

The week preceding Christmas in the year 2010 brought about the happy occasion when Lakshmi’s House once again was illuminated in the bright hues of joy as the sister units came together to organize and rejoice in ASPIRATION 2010, a weeklong festival revolving around cultural programmes and handicrafts fair.
This year witnessed the congregation of some renowned names in Hindustani Classical Music, some learned exponents and true torch bearers of this genre both in India and abroad.
The series of recitals was set to a fitting start on the cool and pleasant evening of December 20, 2010 when revered vocalist Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar took the stage with his son and disciple, Sameehan. Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar brings in his art the finest nuances of Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur Gharanas. He adds his erudite creativity to his performances to take them to a different plane where the mundane world ceases to exist. That evening was not an exception. Starting his recital with Raaga Lalita Gauri, Panditji gradually built an ambience of pure bliss in the Hall of Light. His subsequent presentations in Raagas Chayanat and Basant embellished that ambience even further and transported the listeners to a state of sublime exhilaration. Panditji was given able vocal support by Omkar Dadarkar and Sameehan Kashalkar who also happens to be an alumnus of The Future Foundation School. The recital was taken to its artistic grandeur by Shri Jyoti Goho on the Harmonium and Shri Subhankar Banerjee on the Tabla. The concluding programme that evening saw veteran Sitarist Pandit Soumitra Lahiri enthralling the audience with a competent and erudite rendition of Raaga Maru Bihag. Pandit Soumitra Lahiri is the disciple of legendary Pandit Manilal Nag and represents the Bishnupur Gharana. Shri Subhankar Banerjee’s able support on the Tabla lifted the recital to great aesthetic heights.

December 21, 2010 saw two contemporary stalwarts in Hindustani Classical Music together on stage, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar on the Sarod with Pandit Anindyo Chattopadhyay accompanying him on the Tabla. Both are the representatives of two very rich Gharanas (Senia-Maihar and Farukhabad respectively) and disciples of legendary Gurus (Ustad Bahadur Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh respectively). The recital commenced with Raaga Shyam Kalyan followed by Raagas Bihag and Zila Kafi, the last gradually metamorphosing into compositions of Rabindranath Tagore as a mark of respect to the bard on the year of his 150th Birth Anniversary. The musical conversations between the Sarod and the Tabla on the medium and slow tempo elevated the audience to heavenly ecstasy.

Shri Alam Khan presented a Sarod recital on December 23rd. This young son of Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and scion of the famed Senia-Maihar Gharana is a musician of great promise. His presentations in Raagas Marwa and Pilu Barwa enchanted the audience immensely. He was accompanied with great competence on the Tabla by Shri Anubrata Chattopadhyay, another young and promising artiste who is the son and disciple of Pandit Anindyo Chattopadhyay and an alumnus of The Future Foundation School.
There were two very rewarding aspects of this year’s cultural programmes. First, every session was well attended by discerning audience in encouraging numbers, so much so, that additional chairs had to be arranged on the adjacent basketball court to accommodate them on several occasions. Second, the success of the programmes was also due, to a large extent, to an excellent teamwork. This ability to work as a team is a hallmark of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture and encourages the institute, unfailingly, with every passing year and every passing event, to chart new routes in its collective evolution towards perfection.

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