‘Classically Pure’ musical spell by Rahul & Kaushiki

Nagpur: The Hindustani music aficionados relished a ‘classically pure’ treat dished out by acclaimed vocalists Rahul Deshpande and Kaushiki Chakraborty at a ‘Vasantotsav’ series concert organized by Vasantrao Deshpande Pratishthan at Kavivarya Suresh Bhat Auditorium here on Saturday.
The concert commenced with Kaushiki Chakraborty taking the stage. Gifted with a mellifluous voice, she captivated the audience from the first note.Her rendition of “shaam bhayee ghanshyam na aaye” in Rag Madhuvanti showcased her masterly command over the intricate nuances of music. The jugalbandi with the tabla and harmonium during the composition “kahe maan karo sakhi ri” enthralled the audience. She concluded her solo segment with “sawan ki ritu aayi re sajaniya,” a composition made famous by the celebrated classical vocalist Shobha Gurtu, leaving the audience yearning for more.

Rahul Deshpande then left the audience spellbound with his powerful, sonorous voice and intricate ‘taans’ (variations). He began with a composition by his grandfather and music virtuoso Vasantrao Deshpande’s “madmati chali chamkat daminisi” in Rag Marwa. His presentation was a testimony to his rich musical heritage. He later presented a composition “bolan bin” and the popular natya geet drama song “sarle saare tarihi” from the movie “Amaltash”, drawing huge applause from the audience.
Melodious jugalbandi by Rahul and Kaushiki highlighted the third segment. They complemented each other, creating a captivating musical dialogue leaving the audience spellbound. The culmination of their performance with a composition “salona sa sajan hai” left the audience in a state of pure bliss.
The enterprising duo were accompanied by Ishan Ghosh on tabla, Milind Kulkarni on harmonium, Murad Ali on sarangi, Meghadeep Gangopadhyay on tanpura, Vishal Shahakar, Aditya Savarkar, Rohan Bange on octopod, and Vishal Dhumal on the keyboard.
Gaurav Belsare and Vivek Deshpande felicitated the artists.