The notion that Indian Classical Music is hard to comprehend has been there for a long time. But over time, this notion is changing. With youngster generation artistes taking a keen interest in classical music, it has become widely acceptable. The Whitefield Music Festival organised by The Ananda Dhwani Music Trust aims to promote this form of music. In their third edition, this two-day festival brings together established as well as upcoming artists. This year the festival will see a number of big names in concert. The festival is set to happen on November 16 and 17 at Inner Circle Ground.
Ishita Datta who is one of the organisers, talks about the concept behind such a festival says, “As a Trust, we did a lot of informal music gatherings. We used to discuss classical music in India and its future. We realised that there people are moving away. Kids are into listening to Bollywood and Western music. The genre is perceived to be elusive, exclusive and boring. We wanted to increase awareness and get exposure among younger kids.”
Another main objective of this music festival is to encourage upcoming artistes. “The demand for classical musicians is coming down. We wanted to support upcoming artistes and one of the ways is to have maestros present as well,” she shares.
Maestros like Padma Shri Pt. Rajeev Taranath and Padma Shri Ustad Rashid Khan alongside Odissi dancer Vidushi Meghna Das and Vidushi Anjali Raj Urs will be present. She adds, “Informally, we have been hosting the Festival since 2011 on a small scale. Officially, we premiered in 2017 making this our 3rd edition. In terms of popularity, we have grown in the number of seats getting filled.”
City-based Odissi dancer Meghna Das will be performing a traditional piece along with Anjali Raj Urs. She says, “One of the members from the organising committee saw me perform and invited me to dance here as well. I will be performing along with Anjali. The vocalist — Gurupriya Atreya is from Bengaluru and we will be joined by an orchestra from Bhuvaneshwar. We will be doing a traditional Odissi performance with very old choreography. They are my guru’s choreographies and are less popular but very beautiful.”
Pt Rajeev Taranath who feels that this Festival is extremely necessary for today’s age talking about his concert says, “It will a concert in Hindustani Classical instrumental music. And my instrument is a Sarod. Prabhir Bhattacharya has invited me to play at the festival.” Talking about what he will doing at the festival Ustad Rashid Khan shares, “I will be playing a mix of original compositions as well as old ones.”
