Through the sound of music and steps of dance, the Ibtida festival salutes the work of Kathak exponent late Pradeep Shankar and sarangi maestro late Ustad Siddique Ahmed Khan. On the occasion, Pradeep’s daughter, Kathak dancer Mahua Shankar, will perform in remembrance of her father, along with other artistes of repute.
Mahua misses her father terribly. Not a day begins without his thought on her mind and his name on her lips. “People mostly know him as an excellent dancer, but his identity goes beyond his professional life. Those who knew him beyond work will tell stories of his generosity, love and compassion,” she says. It’s this spirit that his daughter is wanting to highlight through the festival.
Of the performances lined up, there is a Sufi kalaam by Kabul Rishi with accompanying artistes such as Fateh Ali Khan on sitar, Anil Chawla on keyboards, Zakir Hussain Warsi on the tabla, Tarit Pal on percussion and Owais Khan on acoustic guitar.
Ibtida also sees Aalok Shrivastav reciting poetry, and Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel showcasing a Bharatanatyam piece. For both these recitals, music has been composed by Murad Ali Khan. Co-artistes are Shuheb Hasan and Zohaib Hasan with vocals, Shahbaaz Khan on the tabla, Siraaj Khan on the tenor and mandolin, Sunil Nirman on dholak and Nupur Shankar reciting poetry.
You also have Sitar-Milan by Pt Shubhendra Rao and Fateh Ali Khan, accompanied by Ustad Akram Khan on the tabla. You’ll see a Hindustani vocal performance by Shubha Mudgal with Aneesh Pradhan on tabla, Pt Sudhir Nayak on harmonium and Murad Ali Khan on sarangi. August 22-23, at 7 pm, at Indian Habitat Centre.