Concert conjures up the magic of abhangs

Celebrating the rich and evocative poetry of the renowned saints, the 12th edition of ‘Bolava Vitthal’ drew a huge audience at Ravindra Bharathi on Sunday evening. The devotional soiree, featuring popular names from the Indian classical music circuit like Jayateerth Mevundi, Devaki Pandit, Rahul Deshpande and Mahesh Kale, presented an evening of abhangs in the memory of Vidushi Kishori Amonkar.
The evening commenced with a gajar, Jai Jai Ram Krishna Hari, after which Devaki Pandit took to the stage and mesmerised the crowd with Amonkar’s popular Marathi song, Bolava Vitthal Pahava Vitthal.
Up next was Jayateerth Mevundi of the Dharwar gharana who rendered popular songs of Bhimsem Joshi like Majhe Maher Pandhari and Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma. Rahul Deshpande and Mahesh Kale regaled the crowd with their vocal dexterity. But when the duo collaborated for Kanada Raja Pandharicha, the audience leapt to its feet and applauded enthusiastically.