Eclecticism at its best
GARIMELLA SUBRAMANIAM
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A subtle and versatile mind was in evidence as Pt. Rajiv Taranath palyed the sarod.
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SUBTLE AND VERSATILE: Pt. Rajiv Taranath. PHOTO: R. SHIVAJI RAO.
Madhumalati and Madhuvanti, two sandhiprakash ragas, heard not so often, brought a whiff of fresh air to Chennai's Hindustani music scene which at times can be Carnatic-centred. But noteworthy in the sarod recital of the renowned Pt. Rajiv Taranath was eclecticism at its best, a rare quality in sastriya sangeet.
Taranath's musical bent of mind could eclipse the very idea of a rag, for he did remark that the arohi and avrohi of Madhumalati was rather elusive, even as he sang the ascending and descending notes. A seasoned exponent would have found formidable the scope of what appeared a rather loose structure for a rag, a creation of Taranath's illustrious guru, Ustad Ali Akhbarkhan of the Maihar Gharana.
Taranath revealed a subtle and versatile mind at work as he drew forth Madhumalati's wide contours in the alap for close to 20 minutes. The jod and jhala had a prominent touch of the maestro's refinement, a testimony to decades of relentless riyaz. The strings, recalcitrant until then perhaps to the heat and humidity, produced unrecognisably silken sounds thereafter.
Rag Madhuvanti marked the return to familiar terain for the listeners.
Rapport
Udayraj Karpur, Taranath's accompanist on the tabla for some years now commenced with confidence, although his spell was broken briefly by a truant sound system. The two thereafter displayed a rapport on the stage that is the envy of many artistes.
A short alap in rag Gowri Manjari was again a plunge into musical wilderness; a state in which the creative likes of Taranath and the evening's special guest, the distinguished Dr VV Srivatsa alone revel.
Srivatsa, in his concluding observations, dwelt on Gowrimanjari's similarities with Nadanamakriya and Malahari.
The refined strokes, evident with every passing minute, were not lost on the audience. The madhyalai in rag Gowri (resembling jogya) and the saval javab between the artistes added a lively diversion from the cerebral fare thus far.
The next gat, a ragmala based composition of Baba Alauddin, comprised Behag, Bhairvi and allied ragas. Taranath demonstrated the tantrkari angs with bol and krintan with particular emphasis.
The final piece in Bhairavi, with shades of Bhoopaltodi was as elegantly presented as those that preceded it.
Surely we need more of Taranath's novelty and a disposition of audience for something new so that classical music continues to be vibrant.
Exponent of Maihar Gharana
Among the stars and stalwarts of Maihar, the Hindustani Gharana with arguably the greatest global presence, Pt. Rajiv Taranath occupies a unique position. Currently based at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, the sarod maestro is the foremost exponent of this gharana from the south of the Vindyas.
It was tapasya of sorts for years before Taranath, then in his early twenties, met his guru, the illustrious Ustad Ali Akhbarkhan, son of the patriarch of Maihar, Baba Alauddin. By this time, the Saraswat from Konkan had already established himself as an accomplished vocalist and a performing artiste at the All India Radio. Despite being pulled in seemingly contrary directions, Taranath earned himself a first in M.A. in English and went on to acquire a Ph.D.
Turning point
Even as he embarked upon a teaching career in English, Taranath acquired the nuances of playing the sarod from Ali Akhbar for six years in Mumbai and Kolkata. But the defining moment in his life came when he was a professor at the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages in Hyderabad. In an extraordinary encounter with Pt. Ravishankar, the latter would one day in the mid-1980s influence him to bid adieu to the humanities. By then, Taranath had already written music for a few films, including ``Kanchana Sita" in Malayalam, ``Pallavi" and ``Samskara" in Kannada.
The core of Maihar is ``custom building each student into his own stylistic personality," Taranath notes with pride about his gharana where Teaching has long been a seminal activity.
The other distinguishing feature of Maihar is the sheer versatility of a single man, Baba Alauddin, handling the sarod, sitar, surbahar, surshringar and even the flute, in addition to vocal music.
Says Taranath: ``Aliakhbar and Ravishankar have perfected this method to an art over the years despite their hectic performing careers, a measure of their commitment to propagating the tradition."
Kadavu and Pookuveyil in Malayalam, Paper boats and Sringaramasa in Kannada are the films to which Taranath has directed music in more recent years. ``My plate is full," says Taranath, explaining why he has not engaged with other forms of music.
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