Team Café
Last weekend, the 2017
edition of the annual Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki Sangeet Mahotsav was held at Kala
Academy, and the festival, in a way kick started the string of cultural
activities that will keep the calendar busy and ticking for the remainder of the
year, post the lull of inactivity in the monsoon months. The festival, held in
collaboration with Tarangini Saunskrutik Pratisthan, enthralled Hindustani
classical music lovers from the state on September 9 and 10.
Akin to every year, the
festival held in commemoration of the legendary vocalist Late Pt Jitendra
Abhisheki, saw renowned artistes from across the country share the stage with
Goan artistes, to perform in front of a Goan audience. The artiste roster
included the likes of Mohan Darekar, Ustad Usman Khan, Arati Ankalikar Tikekar,
Anuja Zokarkar, Sanjay Garud, Vidya Deshpande, Abhijeet Pohankar, Manjiri
Asnare Kelkar, Vijay Ghate, the legendary Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Goan
artistes such as Shilpa Duble and Sonik Velingkar. Needless to say, the
performance by flute maestro Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia was one of the major
highlights of the festival.
In what may be recognised
as a commendable effort, Shounak Abhisheki, the son and disciple of Pt Jitendra
Abhisheki is the key person behind organising the two-day annual festival as a
tribute to his father, year after year without a dip in the seriousness or the
overall quality of the festival. While speaking to Café in the past, Shounak
had said, “This festival is organised from a non-commercial perspective and is
organised in eight different cities in India, all year round. But doing it in
Goa is special for me, and I feel privileged. The bigger objective behind
having this festival is to spread awareness about classical music, and give a
platform for young artists to perform. The festival is a healthy mix of veteran
and young artists, including Goans. I want these talented Goan artists to go
outside Goa and show their talent to the world and make a name for themselves.”
For those unfamiliar with
the Pt Jitendra Abhisheki sangeet mahotsav, this year too, the organisers
continued the tradition of keeping the schedule under the wraps intentionally.
The reason for this, according to Shounak, is that “Audiences have the tendency
to hunt for known names in the schedule and attend only those performances. We
do not want that. We want the audiences to come and listen to the talented
young artistes too, and support them.”
That the Abhisheki family
has roots from Mangeshi is a well-known fact and Shounak recollects spending
his vacations at their ancestral home there during his childhood. While
speaking to Café in the past, Shounak had said, “Memories of performing
the puja in the temples and hanging out with local friends and
cousins, are still afresh. My father moved to Mumbai to follow classical music,
and then we settled in Mumbai. But I have perhaps sung in every major classical
music festival in Goa; not only that but, in nearly all the temples across Goa.
We are blessed, encouraged and loved in Goa, not only because we are Goans, but
because of my father’s popular compositions.”