It is not too often that one gets to hear a world-class artiste live in our city, that too, during an Independence Day weekend when things are, and have been for the past several decades, insufferably tense vis-à-vis the “law and order situation”. It was indeed a wonderful experience, as well as an unexpected one, therefore, to be able to listen to Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt playing his Mohan Veena before an invited audience at the reception hall of a city hotel on the evening of the August 16.

The introductory Maru Behag was, according to the Pandit, his favourite raag, and one which is very well suited to his instrument. Certainly, his love of this particular raag came out in every stroke, in every beat of the exposition. The Shringar Ras that Maru Behag encapsulates was evoked through sheer aural poetry, though often, it was “Love” of a philosophical nature, a kind of Bhakti that travelled beside Romantic Love on the voyage of exploration. The modified slide guitar that is the Mohan Veena is particularly suited to long meends, and the Pandit took advantage of this characteristic of his instrument to incorporate amazing octave-long glides with effortless ease. The exposition of this raag was a beautifully nuanced exploration of the “softness” of the predominant Ras, with a strong emotive component. The “feminine” aspect of the Shringar Ras was beautifully balanced with the “masculine” characteristics of powerful stroke play, and vigorous gamaks. And yet the Mohan Veena spoke in endearments, even during the most invigorating portions of Sawal Jawaab and the dramatic Jhaala. The bracing placement of the Shudh Madhyam was often electrifying, and showed the seamless blend of intellectualism with emotion, which, along with technical expertise of the greatest order, is the hallmark of the highest musical performances.

As is the trend with quite a few instrumentalists these days, the Pandit interspersed his next few semi-classical pieces with his own vocalisation. When the Mohan Veena sang after these interludes, it brought with it the realization that sometimes, a musical language needs no words to convey the aural beauty of emotions and passion.

The light classical pieces included a Malhar- Jhuk Aiyee Badariya and a Misra Tilak Kamod – Neer Bharan Kaise Jau. The ever popular Kesariya Baalama brought with it a whiff of the desert, while the Des-based Vande Mataram was movingly rendered in recognition of the fact that this was an Independence Day weekend. His Grammy Award winning Joy was exhilarating. The programme ended, fittingly, with the National Anthem, played luminously on his Veena, while the standing audience joined in with their voices. The maestro was given restrained support on the tabla by Subhen Chatterjee.

The texture of any live function is always enhanced by the kind of audience that views and listens to it. The Rasikas who attended this baithak type of function were indeed an informed lot, well versed in the nuances of the music as well as of the kind of musicianship required to produce it. In any case, the maestro’s illuminating introduction, and the oral notes with which he punctuated his performance, showcased him to be a wonderful communicator through both instrument and verbalisation.

Listening to the ease with which Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt pushed musical boundaries on his Mohan Veena, it was difficult to comprehend that this instrument has come into the lexicon of Indian Classical Music comparatively recently. His has been a double journey. While internalising the tenets of Hindusthani Shastriya Sangeet, he has also had to modify an existing instrument, to make it more suited to the demands of this challenging style. But when the Mohan Veena sang for its creator in the way it did that evening, listeners knew that the aural feast surrounding them was not something that had been available to audiences of even a generation ago.

The maestro was accorded a formal welcome to the dais by cultural icons Birendra Kumar Dutta, Arun Sarma, Romen Barua and Romen Choudhury. Debashish Sharma spoke on behalf of “Deepshikha”, the cancer foundation. The function, compered animatedly by D P Bajaj, was flawlessly organised by a team led by Sajjan Jain and Ashok Sarawgi under the aegis of a newly formed cultural organisation, “SA”. One hopes that the aptly named “SA” will continue to hold cultural nights of this standard in future.

Mitra Phukan