TRIPUNITHURA: It was perfect blend of creativity and technical skill. Since Mohan veena, the string instrument, itself was the outcome of the artist’s unique aesthetic passion, Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt’s performance was heart-rending. The music buffs gathered at JT Pac were lost in the tonal beauty of sarod, sitar and veena. In his introductory speech, Mohan Bhatt explicated the extraordinary appreciation levels of Hindustani concert. He started with his favourite rag ‘Maaru Bihag’. “It is very similar to South India’s ‘Amrutha Varshini’ and I am trying to explore the unique features of monsoon through my instrument,” Mohan Bhatt explained the mood of the rag.Keeping the traditional track of Hindustani Concert, the artist started with the slow paced ‘Aalaap’. Through the elaborate ‘Aalaap’, the artist could convey the soothing mood of ‘Maaru Bihag’. Exploring the matchless ‘gamakaas’ Mohan Bhatt could transfer the entire spirit of the rag into the minds of the listeners. It was similar to the ‘gayaki’ style that we play in our veena.The second phase ‘Jhodh’ was the delineation of the intricacies of the rag without the accompaniment of tabla. Then Himamshu Maand accompanied him on the tabla by keeping the perfect tune of the basic sruthi. When the dynamic rhythmic support of young Himamshu teamed up with the mind-blowing finger techniques of the maestro, the listeners could really experience the elating mood of music. Here the maestro and the Himamshu brilliantly presented a ‘sawaal-jawab’ round which was very similar to the ‘thaniyavarthanam’ in Carnatic Music. Himamshu could recreate the tonal beauty of each strike made by Bhatt on Mohan Veena.Then the duo entered the climax of the rag delineations, ‘Jhaal’. By going a step beyond as an instrumentalist, Bhatt presented a vocal display of the ‘Swara Sanchaaras’ of ‘Maarubehag’ which was then recreated on the strings of his Veena. After the vocal delineation and its modulated reproduction on strings accompanied by tabla the artists presented an unbelievable presentation of ‘Drutha Kaal’, where Mohan Bhatt reproduced the chirping of birds, humming of cuckoo and the pleasing sound of peacock on his magical strings, to bring out the nascent mood of a rainy season. As a response to the maestro’s rare playing style, Himamshu on his tabla recreated the symbolic tonal recreation of the cloud-filled sky and the thunderous rain. When the two joined together to play the concluding notes of ‘Maaru Behag’ the listeners could really feel the flow of streams from a forest soon after a heavy downpour, with which the first phase of the concert, the monthly programme at Jose Thomas Performing Art Centre, concluded. The second phase started with a light tune from the maestro’s famous album, ‘Sleepless Nights’. Here the artists played some striking light tunes which was well received by the music lovers with thunderous applause. Then the maestro switched over to a popular folk tune from his native state, Rajasthan. He vocally rendered the folk lines, ‘Kesariyaa Balamu’ with the tonal support from his own Mohan Veena. Through his brilliant style of the ‘dhakka’ and ‘tabla’, Himamshu could unveil the serene mood of ‘Maand’.The singer narrated the inner nuances of the folk song describing the naive village belle’s desperate longing for her lover. Next to the folk version of ‘Maand’, the artist selected another melodious rag ‘Keeravani’, to portray the deep sorrow of separation. Through the ‘Aalap’ the deep pathos of missing the beloved one was profusely transferred to the minds of the listeners. It explored the subtleness of serene love.A melodious piece from the Grammy Award winning album, ‘A Meeting with River’, was really a scintillating performance and through this piece the artist could convey the infinite possibilities of this unique string instruments in exploring the prolonged ‘gamakas’. As a salute to the nation on the occasion of Independence Day celebrations, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt presented the improvised version of ‘Vande Maatharam’. While exploring the beauty of the lines Shubra Jyothsna….the artist could transfer the sweetness of the line to the listeners. He concluded the concert in a unique manner by playing the National Anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’. JT Pac president Jose Thomas presented an Aranmula kannadi to the artist as a mark of honour.
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