(MITHAS is an organization that has become synonymous with quality in Indian Classical music scene. Since 1993 it has hosted the leading lights in the area of Indian classical music. To join MITHAS, volunteer or to learn more about upcoming concerts please check out http://www.mithas.org )

Khyal.   Imagination. In the musical voice of the renowned Veena Sahasrabuddhe the imagination took flight  on Friday (Sep 14, 2007)  night as she sang for MITHAS in MIT’s Stata Center.  She is a slight creature of mature age, bearing an infinite sweetness of disposition.  This shows both in her patience with the music, her soulful approach to the presentation of raga, and her willingness to linger on the details of the composition. 

    She started with the middle-evening raga, Puriya Kalyan, explaining that it was a combination of the two rags, Puriya, and Kalyan.  In her graceful hands, the balance was superb, bringing out the haunting, almost dissonant combination of Puriya’s tivra ma and shuddha ni (against a fifth in the drone, Sa-Pa, which is only a half step higher), with the pleasing peacefulness of the ni-dha-pa (especially the pa) in giving the rag a peaceful grounding in Kalyan.  She sang in slow ektal (12-beats) with the tasteful harmonium of Kedar Naphade and tabla of Shantilal shah, two artists with whom Veena-ji is quite comfortable.  This slow khyal last a full 50 minutes, followed by a shorter chhota khyal in tintal and a faster tarana.  Several times the audience murmured their approval of both her soulful vistars (expansions of the rag’s phrasing) and her exciting an innovative tans.  She followed this presentation with two short compositions in rag Shankara, the shape of which emphasized more of the lower register than the typical higher one that one usually hears.  It was equally as satisfying, though, for this is an artist who follows carefully the design of the rag and keeps it pure.

    After a short intermission came the real jewel of her concert: a long and langorous khyal in rag Jog, also presented with a slow ektal bara khyal and a faster (chhota) khyal which featured the very famous composition, “Sajana mori ghara aye.”  This Jog was rich in nuance of voice, elaborate in detail of the interplay of the characteristic two gas, and very inventive in the tans, especially in the fast khyal. 

    When artist such as Veenaji finds comfort with her audience and her music, good things happen, and she expanded the concert to a rich three hours of exceptionally high-quality music, concluding with two bhajans which had a sweetness and sincerity that left the audience quite gushing with appreciation.  The very last piece was a short sloka-like presentation without tabla which lent a feeling of devotional completion to the program.

This was a high evening of music, delivered by an artist of rare quality.  Bravo and kya bat! 

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