The evening of September 30 will not be remembered by the audience either for the heavy grammatical effect of Indian classical music or an effort to represent a strict structure in a diluted form. It will be remembered for a sombre yet lyrical presentation. Sangeet Ashram organized a vocal recital by Padma Talwalkar with the accompaniment of her daughter, Savani Talwalkar, on the tabla. The artist has a unique voice texture which enables her to express the true essence of Indian classical music.

Padma started her performance with vilambit ektaal in Raga Yaman. This was followed by a drut kheyal in teentaal. Being a dedicated follower of the Kirana, Gwalior and Jaipur gharanas, Padma tried to present this raga in her own style. Breaking the customary movement of the notes, Ni Re Ga Ma (kadi madhyam) Pa, she tried to present the feeling of this raga in an exceptional way. Although the vilambit presentation was a little long, it was enjoyable for the listeners.

Padma’s drut kheyal, “Mori gagar na bharan de”, was quite smart and spontaneous. Both the vistaar and the taan were presented effortlessly, though the performance ended abruptly. Her next presentation was a vilambit in Raga Kafi Kanada. Initially the sluggishness in her voice disturbed the full bloom of this raga, but she captured the mood quickly. Her drut kheyal in the same raga, “Manua daar-daar paat-paat bulaye”, was graceful and mesmerizing. The strong and commanding presentation of vistaar supplemented with complicated taans impressed the audience. The artist’s next presentation was a thumri in Mishra Khamaj. It took a little time to manifest the feeling of the thumri. But soon the bandish, “Sach kaho mose batiyan”, started to flow like a river and touched hearts.

Padma concluded her performance with a Marathi bhajan in Raga Bhairavi. Savani, whose brother is the renowned tabla player, Satyajit Talwalkar, and who accompanied her mother on the tabla throughout the concert, could not draw exceptional attention from the audience. But the evening offered a pleasant musical experience for the listeners.