Every Dussehra, Patna used to be transformed into a grand stage where the maestros of Indian music showcased their brilliance. For ten nights, the city became a haven for connoisseurs. The air resonated with the sound of thumris, dadras, khayals and dhrupads. Every street corner and temple courtyard would come alive with the strains of the sitar, the sarod, the rhythms of the tabla, and voices that seemed to rise from the depths of the soul. Legends such as Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Girija Devi, Pandit Jasraj, and Rajan-Sajan Mishra graced these gatherings and cast a spell over the city바카라s audiences. To be invited to perform in Patna during Dussehra was the ultimate validation of one바카라s artistic prowess. If overlooked, artists would begin to question their commitment to their own art. It was rumoured that if one had not been invited to Bihar, perhaps this was because the artist had not practised enough.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the melody faded. Maybe it was because of the shifting tides of patronage, or modernity pulling the youth towards newer, shinier distractions. The great Dussehra concerts dwindled, the maestros stopped coming, and the city that had once prided itself on its discerning audiences lost its voice. The music did not die, but it no longer held the city in its thrall.
In 2009, a spark reignited the embers when Dr Ajit Pradhan, a heart surgeon based in Patna and who runs Jeevak Heart Hosptial, his wife Anvita Pradhan and some of their close friends set up the Navras School of Performing Arts. They were determined to restore Bihar바카라s musical glory. In 2019, Dr Pradhan, who is a patron of the arts and literature, conceived and curated the first edition of a unique event바카라the Festival of Literature on Music. The idea of the festival had first come to him after a meeting with the legendary vocalist Kishori Amonkar 13 years ago at Patna. Amonkar바카라s concert was to be held at Gandhi Maidan but because of some unruly elements, she walked off the stage mid-performance. After much persuasion, she agreed to sing again but only if she were offered a different venue. Shri Krishna Memorial Hall was opened up specially for her. She sang before an audience of six or seven people, including Dr Pradhan and his music teacher, from 3 to 7 am. After her recital, he approached her with some tea, which his wife had sent from home for us.
바카라I don바카라t like to talk to strangers about music,바카라 she told him.
When music is rooted in a place, it never really leaves that milieu. So, as Patna prepares to welcome the world, the spirit of the past meets the promise of the future.
He replied that he had simply come to offer her tea.
바카라How much do you understand music?바카라 she asked. 바카라Tell me what I was singing.바카라
바카라Raag Lalit,바카라 he said. 바카라But at times it appeared like Raag Todi to me.바카라
She explained the intricacies of the Raag to him. As she spoke, he began to understand what made her music divine and so sublime. She promised to discuss music with him in detail again another time. Later, when he spoke to her about his plans to organise a unique festival at Patna to celebrate Indian classical music and its literature, she priomised, 바카라If I바카라m alive, I will come.바카라 Little did he know that this would be her last performance at Patna though.
He dedicated the first edition of the Festival of Literature on Music to Amonkar . 바카라I wanted to honour her in my own small way with a lifetime achievement award,바카라 he says. 바카라She was a true artist who was least bothered about awards and honours.바카라
The festival, a first of its kind in India, included performances as well as conversations, critiques, narratives and histories of Indian classical music. It not just celebrated music but explored the very soul of it by delving into the forgotten histories of the notes and the contributions of unsung legends who have shaped Indian classical music.
The second edition of the festival is set to be held at the Bihar Museum, Patna, on March 1 and 2, 2025. This time, the Navras School of Performing Arts is partnering with Ahad Anhad바카라a young, creative forum founded by Sujata Prasad. Forty-two luminaries바카라artists, maestros and scholars바카라will be participating in this edition. The festival will feature musical performances as well as a host of discussions. The keynote address will be delivered by well-known poet, essayist and critic Ashok Vajpeyi.
Artists such as classical dancer Dr Sonal Mansingh, violinist Dr L. Subramaniam, vocalists Kavita Krishnamurti and Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, Kathak dancer Dr Shovana Narayan and tabla maestro Pandit Bickram Ghosh will take centre stage at the festival. Tejashree Amonkar will honour the legacy of her musical guru and grandmother바카라late Kishori Amonkar바카라with a recital. A Hindustani classical vocal recital by one of India바카라s most revered voices, Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, is also part of the programme.
The discussions at the festival will focus on a range of topics, including Hindustani and Carnatic classical traditions, gharanas, the untold stories behind bandishes, and the unique facets of Indian cinema and storytelling.
Dr Pradhan who had also conceptualised and hosted the Patna Literature Festival, which drew some of the brightest minds to the city, is aware that music has very few homes. 바카라Literary festivals are happening everywhere,바카라 he says. 바카라But I wanted to sustain 바카라a unique event where the literature on바카라and of바카라music would be celebrated.바카라 The festival was started as a platform for reimagining the echoes of the past for a new generation. The journey has been long, but what is art if not the triumph of perseverance? It is important to note that Bihar바카라s music was never truly lost바카라it was merely waiting for the right hands to revive it. When music is rooted in a particular place, it never really leaves that milieu. So, as Patna prepares to welcome the world once more, the spirit of the past meets the promise of the future. And for those who have longed to hear the city sing again, this festival will be more than an event바카라it will be a homecoming. This is a renaissance worth witnessing.
(Views expressed are personal)
Smita Chowdhary is passionate about literature. She is the treasurer at Prarambhika World School and Alpha Sports Academy
(This appeared in the Print as 'For Patna바카라A Promise, Kept')
