Arun Bhaduri

The musical Bijoya meet was held at the packed-to-capacity ITC Sangeet Research Academy auditorium on October 11. For music lovers, this annual event and veteran vocalist Arun Bhaduri, a guru with the academy, have become synonymous. For more than a decade, Bhaduri has been giving his listeners much warmth and joy on this auspicious day that coincides with his birthday (according to the lunar calendar).

The guru’s personal touch was more than evident in his Anandi Kalyan (Nand). The oft-heard Aarey warey saiyan, set to slow ektal, provided the base for the deliberate elaboration of the raga that moves about in a meandering gait akin to that of a rivulet on a hilly terrain. Its melodic beauty was enhanced manifold with emotive phrases. These were initially linked with long glides and heavy gamaks. Later, judiciously incorporated refined khatkas and intricate harkats added dramatic spark. Plenty of chhoot swaras, crisscrossing the lower and middle octaves, were used to link up new dimensions.

The well-knit barabar ki laya inspired Tarak Saha’s tabla and Rupashri Bhattacharya’s harmonium to give interesting anticipated replies. The word sallies, sargam and vowel taans presented a classic example of gradual progression, while retaining the lustre of the varied grains right from the slower, heavier gamaks to the crisp, wispy ones. The faster composition, Sab ban phoolan lagi, seemed to dance with the pace of ektal. The simple, yet erudite approach to the raga allowed it to radiate with its inherent beauty.

Another beautiful raga, Bageshri, was the second choice of the artiste. The longish aochar delved deep enough to emphasise the appeal of the raga’s characteristic komal gandhar with utmost ease and remarkable resonance. But Begun ko gun deeje Daata, a favourite of Ustad Amir Khan, lost its devotional fervour to a great extent as murkis were used in abundance. The sargams in the even tempo and a fleeting touch of bol-baant enlivened the rendition despite the fact that the pin-point accuracy of notes kept eluding.

Bhaduri, who is a well-known bhajan composer and usually concludes his recitals with one, presented Nadiya kinaare — a Pilu thumri, rich and ornate with ingenious bol-banao. He let the accompanying harmonium play equally creative phrases. However, he lacked conviction while venturing out for a variety of note combinations at a high speed with the laggi.