A Musical Odyssey: The 52nd Pandit Motiram Maniram Sangeet Samaroh

The 52nd Pandit Motiram Maniram Sangeet Samaroh got off to an inspiring start with a performance by the students of Sri Ramesh Narayan, a disciple of ‘Sangeet Martand’ Pandit Jasraj, at the CCRT premises in Madhapur, Hyderabad. This was followed by a musical performance by well-known Bollywood singer Rekha Bhardwaj and her team. She also sang ‘Tere Ishq Meh’, accompanied by a ‘whirling dance’ of Sufism, which was beautifully explained as a path of love, acceptance, and seeking blessings for everyone.

The next day featured a mesmerizing dance performance by the renowned dancer Shobana, who performed to the classical singing of young Carnatic vocalist Abhishek Raghuram. Rishi Upadhyay and Mahima Upadhyay presented a ‘Pakhawaj Jugalbandi’ that showcased impeccable coordination in reciting and playing of ‘Bols’. This was followed by a Hindustani vocal recital by Swar Sharma, a young torchbearer of the Mewati Gharana, who has been continuously trained by Pandit Jasraj. The day's sessions concluded with a vocal recital by Sri Rahul Deshpande, who began with ‘Raga Jog Kauns’ and later performed the famous ‘Vithala Geet’, invoking the spiritual involvement of the audience. He was accompanied on Tabla by Nikhil Pathak and on Harmonium by Milind Kulkarni.

Later in the festival, Chirag Katti presented a Sitar recital, attempting intricate phrases in ‘Raga Rageshree’, accompanied on Tabla by Shubh Maharaj, the grandson of the legendary Tabla maestro Pandit Kishan Maharaj. Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej delivered a power-packed audio-visual performance with his team of vocalists and instrumentalists. His presentation highlighted the essence of protecting Planet Earth and its living species. Ricky Kej was vocal throughout his performance, emphasizing harmonious living with animals.

Further on, Armaan Khan, son of Ustad Rashid Khan, performed a Hindustani vocal recital that reflected shades of his father’s musical brilliance. Vilina Patra and Sai Panchal presented a ‘Jasrangi Jugalbandi’, which was well-received by the audience. Anu Kapoor led a team of artists in presenting ‘Suhana Sama’.

The violin duet by Dr. L. Subramaniam and Ambi Subramaniam started late due to technical issues with the sound system, leaving very little time for maestro Dr. L. Subramaniam to deliver a full-fledged performance. Taufiq Qureshi, son of the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha, enthralled the audience with a solo performance on the ‘Djembe’, which was greatly appreciated by the discerning audience.

The last day witnessed a galaxy of musicians performing ‘Panchtatva’, based on the five elements of nature. Selva Ganesh lit up the stage with his magical rhythms, joined by Taufiq Qureshi, Aditya Kalyanpur, and Sridhar Parthasarthy. Rattan Mohan Sharma and Ankita Joshi contributed with their vocal performances, while the Gundecha family—Pandit Umakant Gundecha, Anant Gundecha, and Akhilesh Gundecha—provided excellent support. Instrumentalists Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar on Sarod and Pravin Godkhindi on Flute complemented the performances beautifully, bringing out the essence of ‘Panchtatva’. The performance also featured visuals of earth, water, fire, air, and space projected on a screen behind the artists, and it was aptly compered by Durga Jasraj.