The Nehru Center complex has multiple buildings. The tower containing the exhibits and the gallery is attached to a performance center. There is a science building with a planetarium across the street. On our way down from the exhibition we scanned through the gallery. While going out, I saw a prominent sign announcing a concert by the musician Pandit Shivkumar Sharma in the evening. I asked Jitendra if he would like to return. I bought the tickets and we were on our way home. The main artery transporting people and goods north-south in Mumbai is the National Highway 8 which is a four-lane highway. There are times during the day when the traffic on the highway gets oppressive. Road construction is a capital project. In a city like Mumbai, construction could be a logistic nightmare because of lack of available of land. Currently a stretch of five miles might take anywhere from an hour to five hours depending on the hour of the day. National Highway 8 connecting Mumbai to Delhi via Ahmedabad and Jaipur is the busiest road in the subcontinent. We reached back in our apartment about 3:30 PM. The maid had created servings of food on the dining table and had left for the afternoon. She had made the special water rice that Orissa is known for. The preparation is a subtle way of hydrating the body. It helps reduce the summer stress. Oriya food is vegetable based with much less oil. It was my first home cooked meal after two weeks. It was satisfying.
The driver returned at 5:30 and we were on our way to the concert. This time the traffic was heavier. I did not see any accidents or breakdowns. It was simply a flow problem. The traffic continued till we reached the sea over-bridge which is a toll road. There was more traffic on the other side, We reached the concert hall about 7 PM.
The Nehru Center Auditorium is a well appointed concert hall that seats about a thousand patrons. It is divided into two segments. For convenience, we had chosen seats on the front row of the back segment in order to get the benefit of the acoustics in the center of the Hall. It was a Friday. Many were coming in late after work. Many others were Corporate executives who seemed to force themselves to attend the concert. The concert was organized by an organization called Banyan Tree, which apparently hosts concerts in various parts of the country choosing different themes. The theme for the evening was "rains."
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma hails from Kashmir. The musical instrument "santoor" is a string instrument played with two mallets held using one on each hand. The sound has a synthetic interference effect which can be extremely melodious. It is a folk instrument and possibly very old. Its sound carries the flavor of the geographical landscape of the mountains where the scene is a mosaic of peaks and valleys. The use of seventy two strings is standard. They are possibly of equal gauge and tension, but of varied lengths. The music of "santoor" is complex. The skills of playing the instrument could be demanding.
Pandit Sharma is an exponent of the art. I had heard him as an accompanying artist in the '80s in the US. This is the first time I was witnessing a solo concert using the instrument. There were two percussion artists on the stage. On his left was a prominent Pakhwaj player, and on his right was a Tabla player, equally experienced. Sharma is an experimentalist who likes to blend different sounds. He has been known for his creative work in the Indian movie music.
Because of respect to the time of playing and the season, Indian music tunes itself to the context than be set in the scale of a fixed pitch. Different instruments react differently to the temperature and moisture. Palm and finger contacts also need consideration including the effects of heat generated through the stage lights. The tuning process is a real-time exercise such that the best quality of music can be created. The harmony of the instruments does generate an immersive effect which can lead towards meditation than be felt as an experience.
The artist played solo for a while to give people a flavor of different colors of sound from the instrument. The acoustics in the hall was superb and our position was perfect. The sound created by the sliding mallets was the most interesting. Creating musical phrases as an expression is a novel skill exhibited by the Indian string musicians. Pandit Sharma simulated the feeling of clouds bursting and gently stroking the mountains. The music was subtle.
The next segment with tabla had a stronger tempo and a faster beat. Tabla is an engaging instrument, it can challenge the string player in many ways. All tabla players seem to have a standard repertoire though. They do challenge the string player to create more intricate melodies since the the percussion can create phrases of various complexity and color. The duo had a feast of music. Pandit Sharma seemed to enjoying himself. At eighty years of age and with white locks covering his head, his satisfaction was a source of joy to the listeners in the Hall.
After the tabla, it was the turn for the Pakhawaj. it is a two-headed drum played by palm and fingers. After tuning, the artists tried to simulate the old Dhrupad style of vocal music which is known for the rendering of single syllables. The segment was short, but powerful. Dhrupad has to do with the repetition of the syllable (musical phrase) in different pitch. Pakhawaj accompaniment was excellent. I have not seen research papers to compare the Pakhawaj sounds with that of the tabla.
After the Dhrupad segment, Pandit Sharma let the percussion artists play solo for a while and then play duet. Both were masters and the feeling in the Hall was ecstatic. The expressive capacity of the rhythm music has to be experienced in an acoustically balanced auditorium. I was proud of the organizers to help create a high level musical experience through proper audio and controlled amplification.
Finally we were treated to lighter folk tunes that are the signatures of the santoor. There have been experiments in India to simulate human voice through the arranged symphony of the strings. The old instrument Veena with two echo chambers is a close simulation to classical Indian style of vocal singing. The popular folk singing is known for melody than structure. Santoor comes to aid to handle the melodious music. In musical literature, it has been called a "veena with a hundred strings." Santoor with flute would be splendid in such simulation. Recordings exist, but I have not heard.
After a magnificent evening of Indian classical and folk music, it was time for appreciation. All were on their feet to admire the maestro. In his late age he was gracious and humble. The percussion artists also received strong ovation. All were offered flowers on behalf of the organizers and the evening came to an end with more applause and a joyful feeling.
Comparing the experience with the Indian music concerts that we witness abroad, I felt that the performance in India had more artistry and substance. It could be that the audience did contain other well known musicians and they do form a family. The artist performs for the family which keeps the higher competitive standard than the average listener. It could also be that the artist has a sense of belonging in a known setting. I felt that the art was a product of the soil and it could distort in transfer. In India they had a tradition of a student coming to the teacher's house to learn. Learning a skill is a more wholesome process than acquiring knowledge. I tried to reflect how such tradition might have developed and how it can be retained.
We were back on the road. This time the traffic was soft. We were both happy with our evening. Again the maid had left food on the table. We had our supper.
