Strains of shehnai, Dhrupad vocals mark beginning of Harivallabh Sammelan

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 28

The oldest Hindustani classical music convention of the country, the 143rd Shree Baba Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, kicked off with the strains of shehnai and aroused Dhrupad vocals at Devi Talab Mandir here on Friday.

While the four-day ‘pratiyogita’ of the sammelan ended on Thursday with students from across the country participating in the event, the first day of the sammelan began with a shehnai recital by Lokesh Anand who was accompanied by Shailendra Mishra on the tabla, Maan Singh on dukkad, Kapil Kumar on shehnai, Ravi Kumar on sur shehnai and Vijender Kumar on sur peti.

He was followed by Dhrupad exponent Ustad F Wasifuddin Dagar, a 20th generation scion of the 500-year-old Dhrupad tradition which has been represented by his father and uncle before him. He gave a recital rendering vocals in the Dagar Wani tradition of his gharana, the lineage of which is traced back to Swami Haridas. He was accompanied by Mhan Shyam Sharma on the pakhawaj.

The three-day sammelan, which will continue till December 30, would see performances until the wee hours. This year’s sammelan has also been marked by performances of folk artistes and performers as well as several stalls put up on the Devi Talab Mandir premises by artisans from across the country.

Earlier in the day, the sammelan was inaugurated by MLA Pargat Singh, MLA Rajinder Beri, Commissioner of Jalandhar Division B Purushartha and Mayor Jagdish Raj Raja at Devi Talab Mandir.

Book release today

The festival on Saturday will witness the performances of Pandit Vaishwamohan Bhatt and Sulochana Brahaspati among other artistes. The second day will also be marked by the release of the first-ever book on the sammelan – ‘Harivallabh – A Rich Tradition of Musical Geniuses’, authored by the treasurer of the Mahasabha Rakesh Dada in the presence of Bhupinder Malhi and Ranjoidh Singh and Spic Macay founder Kiran Seth. The second day will be marked by the visit of Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla, who, along with Brahaspati, will release the book.