Jashn E Deccan
Getting
goose bumps on listening to a live performance is an experience not common for
me. But here I was enthusiastically joining the, rest of the, 250 odd strong
audience in giving an emotive standing ovation. We had just heard Ustad
Abdul Rashid Khan who at his age of
108 redefined few terms, for many of us, that evening. Listening to him was
akin to watching Sunil Gavaskar or John McEnroe at 65 had they been physically
fit and evolved at their crafts. We were at Jashn E Deccan
organized by KMR
Foundation at the
Amphitheatre in Sreenidhi
International School. Mumi and I felt
this each of the 2 days that we savoured the music there - that a setting of
this character would be very difficult, if not impossible, within city limits.
‘Everything here is so beautifully unconventional’
was how Pandit Biswajit Roy Choudhury very succinctly put with a smile before
he began playing Sarod. He added that an ambience of this nature they got to
soak in once in two odd years. His performance brought smiles on many a face. The
arrangements were indeed unconventional; simplicity with a touch of finesse!
Arranging the school buses for transport was the proverbial icing on the cake;
else it would have been a daunting task for us.
(image from Jashn E Deccan facebook page)
Other
artists included Pushkar Lele, Anupama Bhagwat,
Pelva
Naik, Vidushi Rajurkar and Pandit
Amiya Banerjee. With my pedantic knowledge of the topic I did not understand
most of it but not sure when was the last my body responded thus positively to
music! I noticed even when the co-artist was not active on tabla he was
patiently sitting, listening and giving due respect. A stark difference from
the discussions and meetings I get to be a part of these days where those
around keep fiddling with gadgets. Attention as Simone Wiel said is ‘the rarest and purest form of generosity’.
Like
most in life that is good Jashn E Deccan was free. There’s something in
Hyderabad which not enables events of this nature to take place but also allows
space for them to remain accessible. This stands true of groups like Manthan and cultural spaces like Lamakaan
as well. Vadodara, where I have stayed the most at, despite its well deserved
tag of cultural city, reeked of exclusivity.
As
the bus moved, towards our stay area, a journey of 35 odd kms, I recalled a
recent conversation with a friend. None of the 9 of us friends – together since
school – knows how to sing, dance or play an instrument. We focused on
academics after the initial fun years school years and studied further for
proficiency in what I was once then told is possibly the second oldest
profession in the world. It came into place to manage income of the profession
which preceded it.
Better
late than never as they say and profused thanks to KMR Foundation and Jashn E
Deccan for enabling us to appreciate the music. Look forward to the next
edition.
Earlier posts on Hyderabad:
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