Kesarbai’s unmatched voice is remembered till today

One of Goa’s best known musicians, Surshree Kesarbai Kerkar, is felicitated every year through a three-day festival held in her name in Goa every year. Kesarbai had a concert singing career of 35 years (she stopped singing in 1965), and it has been over 50 years since then. Nearly 2 generations of listeners have only heard records of this great singer, yet she has left an indelible mark on North Indian music, which remains till today. Her unmatched voice, perfect taans, precisely executed performances are remembered and emulated till today.

Started in 1980, just 3 years after her death, the festival is today in its 37th year, and is regarded as one of the most prestigious classical music festivals in the country. The festival has hosted most of the great vocalists of the music world in the last 40 years, including Pt Bhi-msen Joshi, late Vidushi Gangubai Hangal, late Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar, Pt Jasraj as well as senior instrumentalists like Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Asad Ali Khan, Ustad Nishat Khan and many more. Specially for a vocalist, it’s a huge honour to perform on this stage.

The Goa Kala Academy organises the festival every year in November. The academy premises are set in the heart of Panaji town, by the side of the Mandovi river, with beautiful grounds, and a 900 plus seater auditorium. The auditorium has an interesting feature, of larger than life cutout figures in the faux boxes above, making it unforgettable. This year, as earlier in the past, proceedings start with a symposium on third morning on the “Future of Indian Classical Music”, moderated by journalist/musicologist Shri Mukund Sangoram from Pune. The speakers include equally erudite and articulate musicians — Dr Arawind Thatte, today regarded as one of the finest and most knowledgeable harmonium players as well as being an acclaimed scholar, Dr Shashank Maktedar, a scholar vocalist like his venerable Guru Pt Ulhas Kashalkar, and Dr Chaitanya Kuntem again a harmonium player and disciple of Dr Arawind Thatte.

Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar and Surshree Kesarbai Kerkarand.

The festival opens with a concert by the great Pt Ulhas Kashalkar himself, today undoubtedly the finest vocalist in the tradition of the illustrious Kesarbai. The doyen said “Kesarbaiji was the finest singer of her generation, and it is an honour, once again, to sing in the festival in her name”. This is followed, unusually by a jugalbandi of Vidushi Jayanthi Kumaresh on the Saraswati veena, representing the Carnatic style, and Shri Rakesh Chaurasia on the flute, representing Hindustani music. Undoubtedly, the two instruments are not matched at all in terms of “baaj”, (playing style and technique) scope of the instrument or even sound, but as Smt Jayanthi commented “both are God’s instruments” (veena is associated with Devi Saraswati, and flute with Lord Krishna). She added, “I’m really looking forward to performing at the Kesar Bai Festival. It’s truly an honour and my main aim is to present the Saraswati Veena in all its glory.”

The next morning session features Devaki Pandit, from the Jaipur Attrauli gharana, which Kesar Bai represented. This will be followed by a percussion jugalbandi, again echoing the Hindustani-Carnatic combination, between Pt Yogesh Samsi on the tabla, and Shri Vijay Natesan on the mridangam. The next session will feature the upcoming vocalist from Goa, Shri Nilesh Shinde, followed by veteran vocalist Pt Ajay Pohankar. The concluding concert will interestingly be a surbahar recital by Ustad Irshad Khan, of the Imdadkhani gharana, today arguably the finest player of this now obscure instrument.

Sunday November 5 morning session starts with none other than Pt Raghunandan Pansikar, whose family was originally from Goa and is today the senior most disciple of Goa’s beloved singer, the late Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar. One cannot help but recall the spontaneous joyous welcome the vocalist got last year when she concluded the 36th Kesar Bai festival last year; there was a reverential hush when the notes of her concluding Raga Sampurna Malkaus petered out; the audience just did not want the concert to end. The concluding session in the morning is by Ustad Shujaat Khan. This is first time the sitar maestro is playing at the festival, and he voiced his thoughts; “my late father Ustad Vilayat Khan had great respect for Kesar Bai’s singing and I am happy to be playing in a festival in her memory. Goa has a great music listening tradition.”

The evening session starts with a vocal recital by novice singer Kumari Komal Sane, followed by a santoor recital by Shri Abhay Rustom Sopore. Kirana gharana exponent Pt Venkatesh Kumar, fittingly, as h is one of the finest singers of his generation concludes the festival.