Firm grip: Padmavati Shaligram on stage (Picture by Shambhu Hazra)

She came, she sang and she won a standing ovation at the Sangeet Research Academy. The 13th ITC Sangeet Sammelan (November 11-13) rediscovered Padmavati Shaligram for the Calcutta audience after decades on the platinum jubilee year of her singing career. The apparently frail and petite 86-year-old vocalist’s vitality and crystal clear open aakar in true Jaipur fashion was amazing.

On the second evening of the music festival she presented a scintillating Anandi Kalyan. Her simple and direct approach had an old-world charm. The vistar and behlawa were studded with the pearl-like solid danas, twirling loops and cascading taans. With a firm grip on laya she retained the meandering gait of the raga. The effect was stunning. The incredulous crowd listened to her Jaijaiwanti followed by emotive thumris ornamented with gitkiri and featherweight murkis.

Earlier Pandit Suresh Talwalkar’s novel idea of playing tabla with vocal support gave a new dimension to his solo recital. He played deepchandi on a broad-faced tabla and a beautiful vilambit composition in raga Vachaspati. The power-packed peshkar and paran gained momentum and the complex rhythm of the chakradhar and the bant of the pakhawaj-baaj gradually shaped up like behlawa of a khayal. From this point the fast composition turned to teental.

Various short and long taans were translated into tukras and relas only to merge in the mukhra of a composition in Sohni. The anaaghat sam and khali changed the bearing of the taal, giving it a swaying lilt. The steady support by Kumar Mardur (vocal) and Charudatt Phadke (tabla) was commendable.

Ashwini Bhide Deshpande’s Jhinjhoti (November 13) was soul-stirring. The sparkling clarity of her full-throated voice was typical of her school but her introspective vistar was much slower than the usual Jaipur-Atrauli style. She excelled in heavy gamak taans in the even tempo and the layakari in tarana which, in a measured pace, slowed down from the fast tempo. The competent handling of pancham-sawari in Shankara, her next choice, was impressive too. She concluded with a Mishra Kirwani bhajan.

The sitar of Kushal Das presented Shuddh Kalyan ? a favourite with Kirana gharana (November 12). The contemplative mood of the alap was enhanced by the long glides. The accuracy of chhut swaras during speeding taans, mostly ekhara, received apt replies from the tabla of Kumar Bose.

The piety of the shehnai of Ustad Ali Ahmed Hussain peaked when he blended the bold throws with soft tones in Hansadhwani (November 11). Crisp taans linked by glides and deft layakari infused drama into it. Mumbai-based flautist Sunil Kant Gupta played Puria Kalyan (November 13). He presented some innovative touches, supported by Samar Saha’s suitably flamboyant tabla.

This year veteran vocalist Sandhya Mukherjee was the recipient of the ITC award and Nilanjana Roy was nominated the debutante scholar. Roy commenced the three-day soiree with her recital. This young disciple of guru Ulhas Kashalkar’s showed great promise and confidence.

Superb technical finesse of celebrated maestros like Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Kashalkar and Ustad Aashish Khan overpowered the emotional aspect of their music ? bringing it to the level of stock performances.