Punjab: 149th Harivallabh Music Conference concluded with flower shower in the morning

Punjab: Showering the final artistes with marigold flowers at Harivallabh is an unusual ritual, called “Pushp Varsha”, as the 149th Shri Baba Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan concluded at 3.55 a.m. today, with a group of devout listeners sitting in the warm pandal till the first rays of dawn on a misty, overcast morning to enjoy Hindustani classical music. As the orange light from Baba Harivallabh’s samadhi (mausoleum) at the Devi Talab temple complex cast a soft glow on the marble edges of the slumbering temple tank, the audience concluded the sammelan by showering marigold petals at the culmination of the three-day event – ​​a recital in Raag Bahaar by artistes Pandit Prabhakar Kashyap and Pandit Diwakar Kashyap, accompanied by the city’s own talented tabla artist Jaidev.

Rains on the first day at Harivallabh had raised concerns over the lack of audience and waterlogging on the pandal’s exterior, but on the last two days, the audience stayed till late at night to enjoy classical music. Harivallabh’s age old magic made people stop at their places and stay seated for hours. The Jugalbandi of Pandit Abhishek Mishra (tabla) and Pandit Peravali Jaya Bhaskar (mridangam) created a moment on the second day that kept the pandal filling up – gradually more eager spectators flocking to witness the melodious tunes of the mridangam. Pandit Abhishek Mishra’s Benaras Gaharana ‘Uthaan’, ‘Vistaar’ and ‘Sawai’ mesmerized the audience. For some reason (it could be the growing number of tabla schools and their disciples in Jalandhar or the Namdhari people’s well known fondness for the percussionist and his styles), the Harivallabh pandal is even more attentive and attuned to the brilliance of the rhythm. The audience thoroughly enjoyed Harivallabh’s performance with thunderous applause and thunderous applause. Ankita Joshi’s vibrant taans concluded the day. The next day, Chaitanya Sharma’s violin melodies and Rushikesh’s charming pakhavaj – winner of last year’s competition – gave the evening a wonderful start. There could have been no better programme than Adnan Khan’s sweet, winding, river-flowing sitar to start the evening’s magic. Dhananjay Joshi’s melodious voices filled the pandal with energy (Madhav Limaye accompanied him on harmonium, Pandit Prashant Gajare on tabla and Mihir Joshi in singing). Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar’s sarod of the Senia-Maihar gharana, Pandit Arvind Kumar Azad’s tabla of the Banaras gharana added to the grace and joy of the final round of Harivallabh. Pandit Majumdar’s Darbari Kanhra alaap had the nuances of sweet meendh and skilful gayaki ang, followed by the Maihar gharana’s special raag Zila Kaafi that made people dance. Harivallabh concluded dramatically with the fiery singing of Pandit Prabhakar Kashyap and Pandit Diwakar Kashyap. Their exquisite bandish (by Pt. Shankar Lal Mishra from Jalandhar himself), tappa and divine brilliance, millions of intricate swara nuances brought this year’s Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan to a close, with the fragrance of flowers adding subtle nuances to the dawn.