Sound of music

CHENNAI: Santoor maestro Pandit Shivakumar Sharma's concert at the Student Activities Centre, IIT Madras, was a refreshing experience for music enthusiasts. The Santoor maestro played two compositions and was ably accompanied by Pandit Ram Kumar Mishra on the tabla. Unlike other classical concerts where one would applaud the performance in between, pandit Shivakumar Sharma was particular that there be no claps in the middle of a performance because, in his words, “Melody, does not need any excitement. When it comes to speed in rhythm during a performance, there needn’t be claps”. He also insisted that the sound engineer need not adjust the levels whenever there is a high or low during the recital and let the level remain constant.The first song was in raga Vachaspati in Jhaptaal with ten beats. He explained that this raga was common to both Carnatic and Hindustani. And elaborating on the forms in Hindustani classical music, he said, “Hindustani classical is of two types – classical and light classical. What one calls folk, is also different music.” He commenced his second composition in raga Mishra Pahadi in Dadra taal with six beats and Teen taal with 16 beats. If one listens to the music with eyes closed and in no hurry, the music would give the feel of observing the flow of a brook or the falls. It was music at its best. It was the first event of VIRASAT Series 2011, a festival of classical music, dance and various other art forms and workshops, organised by SPIC MACAY (Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth). The festival will be conducted in educational institutions in Chennai and other cities of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.