The ‘travelling music festival’ which spans acrossfive cities including Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Ahmedabad this edition
Featuring Ulhas Kashalkar along with his son and disciple, Sameehan Kashalkar
27 January 2018 | Madras Music Academy Auditorium, Chennai
- Featuring Indian classical vocalist Ulhas Kashalkar along with his son and disciple, Sameehan Kashalkar on 27 January 2018
- Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant Music Festival celebrates the concept ofeternity through artistic traditions that are perpetuated from one generation to the next in an uninterrupted manner through the age-old Guru-Shishyatradition
- A treat for classical music lovers, with leading artists from an eclectic range of disciples
Chennai, January 2018:The National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) is back with the much anticipated 7th edition of the Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant Music Festival.The travelling Indian music festival makes its way to Chennai with the renowned father son duo – Ulhas Kashalkar and Sameehan Kashalkar performing on Saturday, January 27th, 6.30pm at the Madras Music Academy, Chennai.
Conceived jointly by Citi India and NCPA, the festival is a unique initiative that harnesses, promotes and preserves the rich musical heritage of India, through the Guru-Shishya tradition that has existed for centuries in the country.. This year, Aadi Anant (Aadi – the beginning, Anant- the timeless) will span across five cities Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahmedabad.
Every year, Aadi Anant attempts to raise the bar in terms of the performances they bring to the discerning audiences across cities. This year, the audience in Chennai will get a chance to be a part of truly versatile performance by the father-son duo – Ulhas Kashalkar and Sameehan Kashalkar. In this recital, Ulhas Kashalkar along with his son and disciple, Sameehan Kashalkar, will present individually and together, traditional compositions of badakhayal, chhotakhayal and tarana in common and rare(anvat) raga-s; concluding with a semi-classical compositions.
Ulhas Kashalkar is a top-ranking vocalist who has had the privilege to train with stalwarts of three gharana-s: Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur. Endowed with a mellifluous voice and command over a wide repertoire of popular raga-s and compound (jod) raga-s, his syncretic style reflects a harmonious blend of aesthetics of the styles that he has trained in. As a senior Guru, he has mentored several students, some of whom are well established artistes today.
Sameehan Kashalkar, son and disciple of Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, is one of today’s best upcoming musicians of the Gwalior gharana. Apart from training under his father, Sameehan has also trained in Thumri and other light classical forms under renowned gurus, including the lateVidushiGirijaDevi.of the Benaras tradition.
Mr Khushroo N Suntook, NCPA Chairman said, “Today, more than ever before, there is a pressing need to preserve our artistic legacy that dates back to at least three thousand years. As a National Centre dedicated to performing arts, we are aware of our responsibility towards propagating the best in the arts.Having undertaken several initiatives with our esteemed partner, Citi, to support the ‘Guru-shishya tradition’, we feel privileged to be able to contribute towards nurturing the great Indian heritage of music.”
PramitJhaveri, CEO, Citi India, said,“As we embark on the seventh year of the Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant festival of Indian music, we are both proud and pleased with its success and the following that the festival has been able to garner across several cities in India. The Aadi Anant festival not only showcases Indian music through the ages, it also reaffirms the ancient tradition of Gurus imparting knowledge and expertise to students through the Guru ShishyaParampara, thereby providing young talented musicians a platform to demonstrate their own potential and skills.”
The three-month long festival spanning five cities – Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad will feature much acclaimed and respected maestros of classical music this year; including Zakir Hussain (tabla), Ulhas Kashalkar (vocal), Kaushiki Chakraborty (vocal), Mame Khan (vocal), L. Subramaniam (violin) and Corky Siegel (vocal and harmonica), amongst others.
In addition to the festival, the Citi-NCPA partnership focuses on the age-old ‘Guru-Shishya tradition’. The initiative covers the following four interrelated programs, which have a direct bearing on the preservation and propagation of Indian music. Each project works at the grassroots level to provide an impetus to the growth, preservation and propagation of Indian classical music.
Program 1: Support to Guru’s: Under this scheme, Gurus receive financial support to train three promising disciples each, in the traditional format of one-on-one teaching. The program is free of cost for the disciples.
Program 2: Scholarships to Young Musicians: This scheme is meant for talented amateurs (age group: 18-30 years old) in the field of Hindustani music (vocal –dhrupad and khayal, instrumental music–melody and percussion). A total of nine scholarships are given annually based on the quality of performance in a live audition.
Program 3: Introducing Music Training to School Children: This program aspires to provide engagement with music to school children from any background.
