CHENNAI: A mellifluous composition transports me into a heavenly realm. A rare piece said to be inspired by the richness of the diverse cultures integrating flawlessly as a way of life, is composed by Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash. In the city on Friday as part of The Leela Palace’s annual event, Icons of India, the Bangash brothers took Chennaiites on a melodious journey.
The hour-long concert had instruments of all kinds — string instrument (sarod), wind instrument (flute), and membrane instrument (Tabla) — at play. The artistes ensured that they rendered classical music from the four corners of India. “The very interesting nature of Indian classical music is that everything is unrehearsed, there is no written score. My brother and I, depend a lot on the language of telepathy. We also don’t really practise before we sit on the stage. Everything happens right on stage,” said Ayaan. The brothers smiled and encouraged each other throughout their performance, and little could the audience decode the messages behind those smiles and gestures.
The duo was joined by Sruthi Sagar on flute, Vijaya Natesan on mridangam, and Anubrata Chatterjee on tabla. “It is the first time that the five of us played and we literally met two hours before the concert. That is the magic of Indian classical music everything falls into place, everything just flows — the energy, the positivity,” added Ayaan about the memorable evening.
The audience of 200 plus gasped and cheered as they performed a jugalbandi, and also recorded it on their phones to revisit later. “I am very thrilled to be here as always. Amaan, Ayaan and Anubrata have been friends for many years. And today in the beautiful ambience of The Leela Palace, listening to their music was completely exhilarating, and as always they excelled themselves,” shared Lakshmi Ravichander.
The maestros held the audience’s attention when they performed a rendition of Rabindranath Tagore’s Ekla Chalo Re. The sounds of the strings, taals, and standing ovation reverberated through the room. “It was a divine rendition and transported us to a different world. What struck me is that our country is in such a difficult phase, there is this transition period that is going on, seeing Sruti Sagar, Ayaan, and Amaan on stage...they are the real Icons of India. This is what India is all about — music and mics,” said Lakshmy Ramakrishnan, filmmaker and actress. With a promise of coming back to the city soon, the artistes bowed out of the stage bringing an unforgettable evening to its end.