This March, two artists – Manjiri Kelkar and Sudha Ragunathan - ease the transition for us all from high summer to mellower autumn days at the World of Music Art and Dance (WOMAD) Festival in Taranaki. The festival aims to promote multiculturalism through bringing world music to discerning audiences.
Manjiri Kelkar
Widely regarded as one of India’s finest Hindustani classical singers, Kelkar belongs to the Jaipur Atrauli tradition. Her repertoire includes purely classical compositions to semi-classical forms such as thumri and tappa. She is specially appreciated for her nuanced intonation, which she is able to combine with a depth of understanding of the spirit of the raga.
Kelkar’s talent flourished under the guidance of her guru M S Kanetkar, an eminent musician and director of All India Radio, Jaipur.
Her style reminds audiences of two great singers of previous eras –Begum Akhtar and Kesarbai Kerkar. Kelkar has been invited to all five major Indian music festivals; ITC and Dover Lane in Kolkata, Sir Shankar Lall in Delhi, Sawai Ghandharv in Pune, and Har Vallabh in Jallandar. This stands testimony to her talent.
She is accompanied on stage by Vishwanath Shirodkar on the tabla and Seema Shirodkar on the harmonium. This will be Kelkar’s second performance at WOMAD. She previously performed here in 2008.
Sudha Ragunathan
Acknowledged as an eminent singer in the south Indian devotional Carnatic tradition, Sudha Ragunathan is the most highly regarded disciple of legendary singer M L Vasanta Kumari. Carnatic music, much more highly structured than Hindustani (north Indian) music, has a stricter rhythmic system with the kritis (short burst of swara combinations) at its heart. It usually omits the Alaap – the slow beginning – and is not restricted by time and seasons.
Ragunathan’s pure singing style and charming stage presence is appreciated by both audiences and critics. It is little wonder that she has received over 200 national and international awards, including the Padma Shri, India’s highest civilian award. Additionally, she holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Bangalore.
Believing in the power of philanthropy, Ragunathan donates most of the money she makes from her craft to social and educational causes. On stage, Sudha will be accompanied by Neyveli Skanda Subramanian on the mridangam (percussion) and B V Raghavendra Rao on the violin.
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