Ganapati Bhat wows audiences
Migrant Heritage Charitable Trust Inc – aka MigHT-I, notched a first of sorts by bringing the tradition of Hindustani Classical music to New Zealand with an entire ensemble of Hindustani musician troupe for the first time to celebrate this wonderful occasion of Indian Independence Day with a concert titled “Swar Ninaad”.
Pandit Ganapati Bhat, of Hasanagi, is a disciple of Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru and Bharat Ratna, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. An exponent of the Kirana Gharana , he proved why he is considered a master of his craft and a worthy heir to the famous lineage of Kirana Gharana.
To quote Panditji, music is a divine language which surpasses words and springs out magic solely through raaga and rhythm. No wonder, he is able to establish an instant connection with his audiences where he goes, be it US, Canada, Europe or India.
His first performance on the eve of Indian Independence on August 14 in Auckland was memorable. He started off the evening in Yaman and mesmerised the audience with finer nuances of the Raaga in both the vilambit and drut version of the Raaga. Panditji then moved to the Raag Hamsadhwani, which originally is a Carnatic music raag but very popular in Hindustani music now. He then sang Raag Durga ‘Jai jai durge mataaa bhavani’, his own composition.
The second half started with a bandish “Deko Sakhi barsan ko aaye badara” in Raaga Des. This bandish beautifully depicts the late hour of night and the feelings one has of longing at that time. Panditji’s rendition aptly summarised the feelings. He followed this up with a Bhajan – Raghuvar tum ko meri laaj! And the audience joined him in humming the tune! The instant connection with the audiences and the pious depth of the voice trained over several decades truly had the audiences in a spell.
Panditji then ended the night with the traditional Bhairavi, but instead of a bandish, he chose to sing Taranas to the longest ever standing ovation for a classical concert in Auckland.
A week later, on August 21, the audiences in Wellington were treated to a similar experience. The High Commissioner of India, H.E. Admiral (retd) Sureesh Mehta, was the guest of honour for the evening. Bharat Samaj was celebrating its Independence day celebrations along with MigHT-I in Wellington with the concert.
H.E. Admiral (retd) Sureesh Mehta, honoured the artist with a traditional Shawl and bouquet.
Panditji started the show with a variation of Yaman – Raag Yaman Kalyan. The surprise for evening was the rendition of the bandish “phaal netra har Pinaki” in Raag Malkauns. This raaga is very popular and is considered a very Majestic Raaga. The evening ended with the Bhairavi “Mero man Raam hi Raam rate” (my heart only sings the name of Lord Rama). The audiences in Wellington were left spell bound.
Panditji’s final performance will be in Hamilton as a fund raising activity for the Balaji Temple being co-hosted by Balaji Temple Trust. Pandit Ganapati Bhat’s visit would not have been possible to this country without the solid backing of D&R Digital and Source Link Agencies Limited. MigHT-I is looking at permanently bringing artistes of the calibre of Panditji to run month long training for upcoming students, who can then learn the true flavour of Indian Classical Music in New Zealand.
Migrant Heritage Charitable Trust Inc – aka MigHT-I, notched a first of sorts by bringing the tradition of Hindustani Classical music to New Zealand with an entire ensemble of Hindustani musician troupe for the first time to celebrate this wonderful occasion of Indian Independence Day with a...
Migrant Heritage Charitable Trust Inc – aka MigHT-I, notched a first of sorts by bringing the tradition of Hindustani Classical music to New Zealand with an entire ensemble of Hindustani musician troupe for the first time to celebrate this wonderful occasion of Indian Independence Day with a concert titled “Swar Ninaad”.
Pandit Ganapati Bhat, of Hasanagi, is a disciple of Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru and Bharat Ratna, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. An exponent of the Kirana Gharana , he proved why he is considered a master of his craft and a worthy heir to the famous lineage of Kirana Gharana.
To quote Panditji, music is a divine language which surpasses words and springs out magic solely through raaga and rhythm. No wonder, he is able to establish an instant connection with his audiences where he goes, be it US, Canada, Europe or India.
His first performance on the eve of Indian Independence on August 14 in Auckland was memorable. He started off the evening in Yaman and mesmerised the audience with finer nuances of the Raaga in both the vilambit and drut version of the Raaga. Panditji then moved to the Raag Hamsadhwani, which originally is a Carnatic music raag but very popular in Hindustani music now. He then sang Raag Durga ‘Jai jai durge mataaa bhavani’, his own composition.
The second half started with a bandish “Deko Sakhi barsan ko aaye badara” in Raaga Des. This bandish beautifully depicts the late hour of night and the feelings one has of longing at that time. Panditji’s rendition aptly summarised the feelings. He followed this up with a Bhajan – Raghuvar tum ko meri laaj! And the audience joined him in humming the tune! The instant connection with the audiences and the pious depth of the voice trained over several decades truly had the audiences in a spell.
Panditji then ended the night with the traditional Bhairavi, but instead of a bandish, he chose to sing Taranas to the longest ever standing ovation for a classical concert in Auckland.
A week later, on August 21, the audiences in Wellington were treated to a similar experience. The High Commissioner of India, H.E. Admiral (retd) Sureesh Mehta, was the guest of honour for the evening. Bharat Samaj was celebrating its Independence day celebrations along with MigHT-I in Wellington with the concert.
H.E. Admiral (retd) Sureesh Mehta, honoured the artist with a traditional Shawl and bouquet.
Panditji started the show with a variation of Yaman – Raag Yaman Kalyan. The surprise for evening was the rendition of the bandish “phaal netra har Pinaki” in Raag Malkauns. This raaga is very popular and is considered a very Majestic Raaga. The evening ended with the Bhairavi “Mero man Raam hi Raam rate” (my heart only sings the name of Lord Rama). The audiences in Wellington were left spell bound.
Panditji’s final performance will be in Hamilton as a fund raising activity for the Balaji Temple being co-hosted by Balaji Temple Trust. Pandit Ganapati Bhat’s visit would not have been possible to this country without the solid backing of D&R Digital and Source Link Agencies Limited. MigHT-I is looking at permanently bringing artistes of the calibre of Panditji to run month long training for upcoming students, who can then learn the true flavour of Indian Classical Music in New Zealand.
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