REVERBERATIONS

Heart and Soul KRISHNA SEVA Vol i & ii; Music Today; Rs 110 The unique repertoire of this twin set comprises devotional songs called Shrinathji ke ashtachhap kirtan in praise of Lord Krishna in a style of rendition originally practised in the Vaishnava temples. It features a good mix of singers-Ashwini Bhide, Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Nirmalaya Dey, Padma Talwalkar, Ravindra Sathe, Shruti Sadolikar and Rinku Banerjee. The lyrics describe the days of little Krishna with his mother Yashoda as she brings him up as the most beloved and pampered one in the haveli, the house where little Krishna grew up, hence the name Haveli Sangeet for the kirtans. The text illustrates the rituals performed during various services and offerings to little Krishna starting from that of waking him up in the morning and bathing him till bed-time. The sentiments of love and parental affection come alive in the soul-stirring couplets written by eight poets called the ashtachhap, or "eight seals". Different from the religious fare churned out by other music companies.

If fresh faces are a rarity in the modern-day music scenario, finding talented singers with no godfathers is almost impossible. Perhaps that is the reason why the Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Sangeet Samaroh, held in Delhi recently, came as a pleasant surprise. At this year's edition of the annual event revered as a pilgrimage by musicians-so much so that they don't accept any performance fee-the stars were Sri Venkatesh Kumar from Lakshmipura in Karnataka's Bellary district and Sawani Shende from Pune.

Kumar, a disciple of Pandit Puttaraja Gawai, rendered raga Shree and Shahna Kanhra. Gifted with a robust voice that is rich in tradition and dextrous in bhava, he wants to maintain the purity of the Gwalior gharana. "I know sangeet sadhna and guru's blessings are the keys to keeping my music alive. So what if I am an orthodox, I preserve my tradition," says the lecturer at Music College in Dharwad University.

Shende

As for 23-year-old Shende, it was a perfect birthday gift to sing at the festival and be applauded. Born into a musical family-her father and grandmother are both musicians-Shende is a disciple of Veena Sahasrabuddhe. She sang a morning raga, ahir bhairav, and was confident in her rendition, sensitive in presentation and clear in diction.

Shende, whose voice has the flavours of the Gwalior and Kirana gharanas, said, "I realise there is no secret, no short cut to classical music. What you need is a good guru and hard work." To her, the words of her guru are precious: Be open to influences and do not defile classical music.

With talents such as these, the future of Hindustani classical music is in good hands.

-S. Sahaya Ranjit

ARRIVALS
KHWAHISH HMV; Rs 65 An amalgam of the greats: Jagjit Singh, Javed Akhtar and Gulzar. A must for fans of the ghazal king.		MANTRA SHAKTI Music Today; Rs 65 21 mantras, sung by Suresh Wadekar, packed in one album. Lyrics printed on the sleeve notes.	VINTAGE Times Music; Rs 49 Live recording of hit film songs by Yesudas, S.P. Bal-subramanyam and Chithra at the Royal Albert Hall.