On a Classical Note

Growing up in a house in Sangli, Maharashtra, that resonated with tabla beats (her father Anand Asanare is a noted tabla player), it was Kathak that caught Asanare’s attention. Between school, the parans and todas of Kathak, the alaaps and bandishes of Hindustani classical vocal music made an appearance, as she began learning it as a hobby some years later. “I was 17 when I finally decided that I wanted to pursue music instead of dance. I was happy to create infinite permutations and combinations for the rest of my life,” says Asanare, who soon had to begin a process of unlearning her beginner’s training to understand the nuances of the complex Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. “The first few days of learning from my guruji, I was completely lost and could not understand so many things. Soon, I realised that a rigorous routine was to follow and I needed to start afresh,” says Asanare.

She blossomed under the aegis of Kanetkar, who not only taught her Jaipur gharana’s trademark ragas, but other regular ones too. “He never confined me,” says Asanare, who is now being mentored by Kishori Amonkar, the doyenne of the gharana.

The festival will open today with a shehnai recital by brothers Sanjeev Shankar and Ashwani Shankar, followed by a performance by Pandit Jasraj. The second day will belong to santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. The concluding day, Sunday, will have Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra perform a morning concert, followed by a performance by sarod player Tejendra Majumdar. The evening will witness a performance by dhrupad singer Uday Bhawalkar. The finale will be by vocal legend Pandit Ajoy Charabarty.

From February 19-22 at Kamani Auditorium, 7 pm onwards. Entry by passes. Contact: 43503333