BHUBANESWAR: A chilly December evening was no deterrent for the denizens of Capital City who thronged the Indira Gandhi Park in large number to witness legendary Pandit Jasraj perform on Saturday.
A live performance by the maestro in open air happened for the first time in the City with the crowd, which comprised music lovers, classical artists as well as the general public, getting a musical treat of Raagas presented by Panditji.
Pandit Jasraj (88) with his unmatched versatility captivated the audience with renditions of several Raagas including ‘Jog’ and ‘Basant’. While he sang ‘Hanuman Lala’ with ‘Raag Jog’, his own composition ‘Eso Patra Padhao’ came with ‘Raag Basant’ which left the audience spell-bound.
The soulful voice of the ageless doyen of Mewat gharana of Hindustani Classical presented a unique experience to the gathering. Panditji was joined by his disciple Pandit Sougata Banerjee, maven of the Vishnupur Gharana of Hindustani Classical music. Pandit Ram Kumar Mishra supported the concert on tabla.
The occasion was the inaugural chapter of ‘Music in the Park’ in the City. Bhubaneswar is the third city after Delhi and Jaipur to hold open air performance by classical legends. Cultural organisation SPIC MACAY in collaboration with Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) organised the event as part of a series which was introduced a few years back.
Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda inaugurated the event. Among others, BDA vice-chairman Dr Krishan Kumar, Odisha Mining Corporation Managing Director Vineel Krishna and former Member, Board of Revenue Ashok Tripathy were present.