With a couple of days off I was able to go and see a concert; this one was part of a five-day music festival held yearly in honor and memory of the great sarod player Radhika Mohan Maitra. The first item was my deasr friend and Kolkata brother Anindya Banerjee, performing on the sursringar, a now very rare instrument. Ali Akbar Khan's father was a great master of this instrument, and Khansahib only taught Anindya the traditional technique of playing in a kneeling position with the instrument held over the shoulder.
The hall was packed to the last seat to listen to Kaushiki Chakravorty Desikan, who is now the crown princess of Hindustani vocal music. Beautiful voice, fantastic control, great creativity. She was accompanied by Subhankar Bannerjee, one the very best tabla players performing today. Vocal accompaniment is very understated - sometimes you show your skill by how little you play. As has very often been the case for years now, the sound in the hall was awful - loud and distorted. I had gone backstage to see Anindya, stayed to say hello to various people in the wings and found myself backstage when Kaushiki began her recital. I realized that the sound was much better! I am posting a short video clip to give an idea on her performance.
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