Kedar Bodas at IIT - NCPA Collaboration

[varsha]

Stunning
Blissful
Loss for words to describe the experience .
Maybe I can gather my thoughts after a week to write !!!
Here are some youtube clippings from other events
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEdqJ8TVA4M

[mahavishnu]

What a voice! What powerful delivery.
I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I have not heard this amazing musician before.

[varsha]

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I have not heard this amazing musician before.

The artist himself is quite happy to be within himself, from what I saw after the concert .Lost in his world .
Nothing of the usual fancy dress we associate with north indian musicians.
I have always looked at gwalior school as a golden mean of the many facets of hm - bhava , compositional beauty , laykari , philigree work in swaras ......
I would have stayed back if he had sung all night.
He recollected after the concert , during pleasantries , by recognising an old friend from his mumbai days ..
hA! Sriram Parasuram isnt it . Remember a recording we did together .
Sriram got polite and replied-among other things - that he was now married and settled in Chennai .
And you ? Sriram asked.
Oh ! replied Bodas . I forgot to marry ...

It was that kind of evening.Listening to his glorious Lalith from you tube. Truly continuing from where dv paluskar left off.

[varsha]

And when the power failed for a while , the music got more beautiful !!!
He sang
Kalyan
Savani
Dhani
Khamaj hori
bhairavi nirguni bhajan

[ram1999]

Varshaji

What an amazing artist he is. Heard a jaunpuri (20 mins). Perhaps the sweetest one that i have heard. Lilting and melodious

thanks for the beautiful write up of the concert, crisp and clear !

[kvjayan]

A sedate Miyan Malhar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtfiB489mw0

Recent write-up by Lakshmi Sreeram:

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp ... 399526.ece

Seems he is related to late Veena Sahasrabudhe (through her father).

[Lakshman]

Veena Sahasrabudhe's maiden name was Bodas. Kedar might be the son of Kashinath Bodas, Veena's brother.

[varsha]

Born in family of professional musicians, Kedar Bodas is the son of Sri Narayan Bodas, a well-known singer and teacher of the Gwalior and Agra Gharana-s as well as a professional actor-singer on the Marathi stage. Kedar had his earliest training from his grandfather, Pandit Lakshmanrao Bodas who was a direct disciple of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar of the Gwalior Gharana. Kedar thus grew up in an atmosphere conducive to his musical education. As a child he was also fond of playing tabla which he studied under Pandit Pandurang Salunkhe ( disciple of Ustad Amir Hussain Khan) and Pandit Shreedhar Padhye (disciple of Pandit Kerkar Master) His training in tabla gave him an early insight into the formal and rhythmic aspect of Hindustani Music; however, he was instintively attracted to vocal music and the freedom of expression he felt it gave him.

http://www.kshitijmusic.org/core_kedar_bodas1.html

[varsha]

ram1999
Yes . each one of his youtube tracks is a peach of a track.Nirguni bhajans , less heard ragas like gauri , malashree , tuneful versions of popular ones like durga , gunakali( not to be missed at any cost - damaroo baje )
Notice how all these are in small settings , exquisitely recorded....
kumar gandharva must have been like this ....

[varsha]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7X7oyx2h0E
a mellifluous desh ang ki jaijaiwanthi under the moonlight.
Elsewhere he has sung a lAvani too , to a boisterous audience .Egged on by his Guru Ashok Ranade

[cienu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7X7oyx2h0E
a mellifluous desh ang ki jaijaiwanthi under the .....

One cannot but admire the Sruti from the 2 Tamburas providing a solid backdrop for the magic of Kedar Bodas' s music

Listen from 0.07 to.0.50 how much Kedar Ji enjoys the Sruti. !

[ram1999]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7X7oyx2h0E
a mellifluous desh ang ki jaijaiwanthi under the .....

One cannot but admire the Sruti from the 2 Tamburas providing a solid backdrop for the magic of Kedar Bodas' s music

Listen from 0.07 to.0.50 how much Kedar Ji enjoys the Sruti. !

Absolutely true. The sruti alignment is the hallmark of Hindutani musicians, which often lacks in the southern music. Some of the musicians who gave high importance to sruti alignment were Smt. MSS, Panigaru, Voleti, KVN, Nedunuri and many more.

[ram1999]

another outstanding piece - raag rageshree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA63uh0Czsg

[thanjavooran]

Shri Cienu,
After registering your observation again clicked the link, yes ,yes not only Kedarji I too fused with shruti. Excellent inference ! Many thanks.
With wishes,
Thanjavooran
07 03 2017

[sureshvv]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7X7oyx2h0E
a mellifluous desh ang ki jaijaiwanthi under the .....

One cannot but admire the Sruti from the 2 Tamburas providing a solid backdrop for the magic of Kedar Bodas' s music

Listen from 0.07 to.0.50 how much Kedar Ji enjoys the Sruti. !

I just saw him asking for the volume of the backup singer to be increased and guffawing about something amidst the general din. What am I missing?

[cienu]

[/quote]
I just saw him asking for the volume of the backup singer to be increased and guffawing about something amidst the general din. What am I missing?
[/quote]

You are probably right Suresh, Maybe I extrapolated a bit too much into his laughter,

[varsha]

Review
Kedar Bodas’s Concert
In a recent Programme on DD Bharathi , noted flautist Nityanand Haldipur made a reference to his first meeting with the legendary daughter of Allauddin Khan , Annapurna Devi.
In his own words :

My mother knew Annapurna Devi personally for many years before I actually started learning from her. In fact Annapurna Devi was at my mothers side , while she lay critically ill .My mother then advised me : Look Son , Even after many years of sadhana and performing , it is possible that you might come to a stage and you freeze. You will feel that you have a very tall wall in front of you .A wall that you can neither scale nor walk around.
It is then, and only then you will have to think of Annapurna to guide you . Not before.
Well that did not happen for many years until recently.
On the day I visited her she opened up by asking me to play something on my flute.

In a flash I remembered that Nikhil Bannerji was asked like this once and he had tried to show off his best by playing an elaborate malkauns. And earned her displeasure for being too pompous.
So I thought it best to play safe by asking her what she wished me to play.
And I ended up earning her displeasure as well .
She rebuked me : How can you ever play what someone else wants? Music should emanate from you and you alone.It is outward radiance which will encompass others who fall within the zone .It is only then that you can produce music that is truly yours. Remember you are the centre of the whole thought process .And You are alone ….
And he went on to play Hemanth.In the DD Bharathi recital.

Watching Kedar Bodas perform reminded me of this story .What transpired over the two hours helped me confirm that this was a truly great musician of our times.It is not often one gets to watch a genius blooming under our own eyes .But here was one who had the many qualities needed to be one.Not since Jasraj bombared my generation in the 70s with his LPS , has someone struck me as such high caliber.

What I write here is a romantic Kansens stuff – that does not carry a technical baggage .
I have often thought of assessing HM vocal explorations as an exercise of plotting on two axes .
The X axis being Amir Khans approach of expansion. Starting from a zero state and ending with an cathartic exultation.In a series of phrasings that resemble the tightening of a clasp by a python. Slow , measured and tighter by the Avartha.
The Y axis being Bade Ghulam Alis approach of practically starting from nowhere . Circling around like an eagle on thermals. Swooping down majestically every now and then.
Almost everyone’s music could be thought of as % X %Y

Kedar Bodas’s music , with its Gwalior integrity , was a perfect Golden mean .One felt being drawn into it and powerless to resist.Like the play of the waves on the seashore , the music returned again and again , moistening the listeners thoughts .Wave after Wave. Never the same . As though carrying a deep message from the depths of the ocean

[varsha]

It started with an hours worth of Kalyan. A beautful composition too : laaakha diya aliya ne tOse , dhoodha pootha anadhana lachmi , hamane sab hee paaya, laakha diya….
Words picked , at will , with innumerable combinations , not always reciting the full line by rote .
And for a good 45 minutes.
The progression to fast tempo was reminiscent of TViswas approach . One hardly sensed that the changeover was happening.
He continued with lovely druth : jAni tore dekhne se ,,,, main apane se ,,, begAna hua.

And as if the one hour pleasantries were insufficient he capped it with a brilliant “ aRe buddhimAn”

Next he took up sAvani with the composition deva deva sathasanga .phonetically progressing words peeked in .. sreeranga , ganga , bhanga . In passing he gave us to understand this was a jaipur jewel which he had mastered . sAvani concluded as though in middle of nowhere . One came to know he had concluded sAvani only we noticed he was lost in thought and broke into the next rAga dhAni .
Not many vocalists have treated us to this rAga big time and todays was a coquettish start .

Aisa mora sayyan nipat anaree But all thoughts of worldly vanity vanished in the second half of the essay , when he got stuck to inAyath meri araja suno ( please lend ears to my imploring )like a leech –
The pleadings turned towards a beloved of a different kind .One had to tip one’s hat in respect for VD Paluskar who strove to make classical music ride piggy back on devotional sentiment.The cry for the Lords attention would take a break with the next mishra khamaj hori . And reappear with the concluding nirguNi bhajan

avinAshiiiiiiiiiii he sang in bhairavi , extolling the virtues of an indestructible soul . The exultation took a folksy hue at all the appropriate phrases .He wept at rowath , laughed at hasath , played at khelath , searched at dekhath….
The music ended at a canter . We were all where we started . We could have sat through another two hours .The ovation continued for several rounds to the delight of the simple and thankful artists. Not even a few had moved throughout the duration .
And when we returned home , it was as if from a temple.

Laakh diya tha aliyane ( the exalted had given me bountiful)
And I felt indestructible

[ram1999]

Varsha,

what a splendid write up you have given of your experience of listening to his concert. The last few days i am hooked to his youtube recordings and i must say each one of them is SPECTACULAR ! specially the ones he has sung along with his father.

[narayan]

Many thanks for the pointer to this person!
Among other things, his body language, posture and demeanour are so comforting - unstressed and at peace with himself and the music.

[varsha]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I10ZH3jjgOs
an interesting slice of history..

the personality grows on us !!!
after the IIT Concert , soeone remarked to him
I believe you are a Guru at a Dharwar School of Music !
Came the humble reply :
I am just a shikshak and vidyarthi.
As for a Guru , isnt there only One,For all of us ?

Spoken with great humility

[mahavishnu]

Such a beautiful description! Thank you, Varshaji.

[advaitin]

Dear Varsha

thanks a million and higher numbers. listening to the jaunpuri for the 10th time in the last 3 days. ties you down completely.
lucky you are for making that concert.

[ram1999]

Many thanks for the pointer to this person!
Among other things, his body language, posture and demeanour are so comforting - unstressed and at peace with himself and the music.

You are spot on. Similar to this, listen to the recent concert of OST with Nagai Sriram, TS and KVG. Splendid music. OST is completely lost in his own music. The shanmugapriya starting at 50th min or so is so so beautiful. such music has become rare today !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=030zB3hDzqM