Thirty years is quite a long time in an artist's career, and it is not easy to consistently maintain high standards and an unwavering dedication while pursuing an artistic endeavour. Debarati Shome (picture), a veteran Rabindrasangeet singer and teacher, has created her own space with her authentic training, tenacity, and her delicate understanding of the art form.
To celebrate her dignified journey of 30 years in the world of Rabindrasangeet, Utal Hawa organized a solo recital by Debarati at Rabindra Sadan recently. Swapan Shome, her husband and an earnest singer in his own right, also performed that evening. The programme began with two chorus songs presented by a hundred pupils of Baitalik, Debarati's own organization. It was well-rehearsed and synchronized.
Debarati chose various kinds of Rabindrasangeet along with songs by Atulprasad and modern Bengali songs. The singer possesses a nice tonal quality. She also has a restrained and emotive approach, which lent a special touch to her renditions. Her performance of " Amar je sab dite hobe" was tuneful, while "Era por ke apon kore" depicted the desired mood of the song in a touching manner. Debarati's rendition of " Krishnakali ami tarei boli" was dramatic, and "Srabono jhulate", a popular Atulprasad song, was lively and impressive.
Swapan Shome did justice to the songs " Je chhilo amar swapancharini" and "Megher pore megh jomechhe" with his melodious rendition. The artists were accompanied by Debasish Saha, Swagatam Das, Abhra Chattopadhyay and Abhijeet Bandyopadhyay. Ullas Chattopadhyay interacted with the artists in between the songs: this was unnecessary and a little too casual for the mood of the presentation.
Nandini Sinha, a Kathak dancer, presented an innovative Kathak presentation with her troupe at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations recently. The Journey, which was conceived and choreographed by Nandini, depicted the development of the Kathak dance style, from the kathakar system to the modern day presentation. The evening began with the Vedic Agni stotram, followed by a thumri, a wonderful composition by Birju Maharaj. A solo performance by Nandini as well as a group presentation were embellished with crisp footwork, speedy chakkars and fluid movements. The other dancers were Sushanto, Arushi, Monalisa, Roshni, Puja, Debasis and Asit. The show ended in an elaborate presentation comprising of the tabla, sarod, sitar, songs and Kathak, led by Nandini. The artists were accompanied by Pratik, Subhasis, Sunando and Arojit.
The Bengal Repertory presented Aradhika, a dance theatre, at Gyan Manch recently. Conceived and choreographed by Ritusri Chowdhury, the production narrated the story of Sri Radhika's journey from a woman to a goddess, leading her to be Aradhika, the image of Krishna. The show was an amalgamation of dance, abhinaya or bhava, technique and alternative dance movements. It is heartening to see that experimental attempts are going on in the classical dance domain.
