Six decades of glory

Organised by Gunijan Parivar,the Shastyabdipurti Samaroh of Pt Suhas Vyas was held to celebrate his relentless efforts and dedication in preserving and promoting Indian classical music at the Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha,Kothrud on Tuesday evening.

He was felicitated by Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia,chief guest on the occasion. Present along with Chaurasia were veteran harmonium player Purushottam Walawalkar,classical singer duo Pt Rajan and Pt Sajan Mishra.

Widely recognized as the torchbearer of age-old traditions as well as responsible for carrying forward the renaissance movement of Indian classical music,Pt Vyas has successfully created a niche for himself through his deep insights into the complex labyrinth of ragas. Sharvari Nagvekar,a student of Pt Vyas for the last seven years,enthralled the audience by her rendition of raag puriyan kalyan.

“I am extremely honored to perform on this platform in front of such great personalities. As I live in Mumbai,I take my lessons from Panditji via web camera. Even during his tour abroad,I used to get music lessons via this medium,” informed Nagvekar.

Speaking about the guru-shishya parampara,Pt Vyas said,“It is the only way of learning music by which a real artist is created and there is no substitute for

this tradition. Music aspirants need to find their master and I was fortunate to have found my master in my father.”

A major challenge that Pt Vyas faced early on in his career was to establish his own identity,distinct from the towering image of his father,late Pt C R Vyas. His two younger brothers – Satish and Shashi Vyas – were also present at the event. Satish Vyas,a santoor player said he was extremely proud of his brother.

“I am here to celebrate his journey,which I think has only just begun,” he added. “I am reminded of Pt C R Vyas today; names of all his children begin with Sa — the first octave,meaning Sadja. This family is deeply immersed in music,” said Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia.

Eighty-year-old Srinath Kulkarni,who has been an avid follower of most of the music maestro’s concerts,commented,“I have come here today to thank him for entertaining me over the years and wish him all the best for the future.”