It was my first ever live concert of Sitar. Obviously, I was excited. And when you have someone like Pt. Prateek Chawdhry, there are more reasons to be excited about.
However, there was another reason, I was looking forward to this concert: The Tabla player was Mithilesh Kumar Jha. I had heard him playing with Mukul Shivputra in 2005. So, was hoping that I would meet/talk to him.
It has been long since I visited this place in Gurgaon: Epicentre. It brings a good option for music (classical) lovers like me to enjoy their evenings.
The evening was started by Rajendra Sijuar and he sang three Thumris. He mentioned various types of in which Thumri is presented.
The idea of listening to Thumri is about noticing the way the words are pronounced. Rajendra Ji also mentioned that there are styles in which this part is more prominent. I was already able to see the virtuosity of Mithilesh Ji as he was bringing so much color to the presentation.
The Sarangi player Kamal Ji was equally good as he matched with every note that Rajendra Ji produced.
Later on, Pt. Prateek came on stage.
To start, it was an electrifying performance by the duo. They started with a climatic Raag—Miyan Malhaar. He mentioned that the Alaap part of his Gharana keeps its closeness to Dhrupd style. He also mentioned that their Sitar has 17 frets though nowadays, Sitars may have 19, 20, or 21 frets.
Later on, they experimented with 8.5 beat cycle, which Pt. Prateek mentioned he has never practiced with Mithilesh Ji. So, it was very fun and Indian improvisational music at its best.
The presentation was ended with a gat in Teen Taal.
Overall, I felt rejuvenated inside after listening to such a performance. It has been more than 1.5 years since I visited that place. I went on to talk to Mithilesh Ji and also to Pt. Prateek.
It was my first ever live Sitar concert and I am happy I got the privilege to listen to Pt. Prateek. It was mind blowing.
*Even the gatekeeper recognized me when I came out of the hall. 😛 (I was a regular visitor)
