Suktisubhra Pradhan has honed her skills in traditional Indian figural depictions. Her recent works mounted at the Gorky Sadan have taken an aesthetically pleasing direction with landscapic configurations, setting out to the world pure forms and shapes devoid of overt narratives. Pradhan is a sensitive colourist, nurtured for long in the fine art of blending egg tempera and other water-based pigments. Rooted in stylised Indian drawing, her constructions are more powerful and innovative. She has shown that the media and techniques bequeathed by Abanindranath and his epigones in their search for a relevant modernity are not quite pass?. She has also demonstrated how the spirit of that school can be reinvigorated by lending it a modern dimension.
Samir Dasgupta
At the Ashutosh Birth Centenary Hall on February 16, melody flowed from the mandolin of Snehashish Majumdar in Charukeshi alaap. The technique of rubbing the fingers on the strings to extract glides is not used on the mandolin. But his Indianised version excelled in this and the bol-ang ? its original domain. Beautifully supported by Abhijit Banerjee, his madhya teental gatkari revolved around delightful rhythmic patterns, prompted by the initial phrase of the refrain in aad chanda. The fast teental gat flashed the taans at lightning speed. The Anirban Foundation?s 11th memorial concert began with a tabla recital by Jyotirmay Roychowdhury. Shuddh Kalyan?s sombre character got due respect from vocalist Tushar Dutta?s well-modulated long glides and emotive pukars.
Meena Banerjee
The Sidi community is believed to be the descendants of Hazrat Bilal, a black African slave settled on the western coast of India during the heyday of maritime activity en route the Arabian Sea. Over the centuries they have preserved an ethnic identity in Swahili. Presented by the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology of the American Institute of Indian Studies, Sidi Goma ? an ensemble from the Bharuch region of Gujarat ? offered a stimulating hour of African Indian musical experience at the GD Birla Sabhagar (February 17). It included dances in traditional costumes complete with coconut-cracking and other spectacular acts practised during the festival of Pir Bava Gor, a Sidi saint. A commentary by Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy underlined the presentation.
Anshuman Bhowmick
