Swara Shraddhanjali - A Tribute To Gangubai Hangal: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR SWARA SHRADDHANJALI - A...

Hindustani music lovers will be heading to Ravindra Bharati on 28th August to participate in Swara Shraddhanjali, a musical event organised by Karnataka Sahitya Mandira, as a tribute to the late Padma Vibushan Dr. Gangubai Hangal, who passed away this year on July 21st after a career spanning more than 70 years. The program starts at 6pm.

The evening starts with a keynote speech by Dharmappa Barki (Green Oscar Award Winner), followed by a Hindustani classical recital by Ashok Nadgir (disciple of Gangubai Hangal for 18 years) and Jayateerth Mevundi (Singer & Rashtrapathi Award winner). They will render compositions of Hangal, and will be accompanied by Surendra Bharati on the Harmonium and Uday Karpur on the Tabla.

The chief guest for the evening is D Nagender (Health & Family Welfare Minister, AP), and the guests of honor are M Anjan Kumar Yadav (MP) and K V Ramanachary, IAS (Principal Secretary, Revenue Endowments, AP).

Gangubai Hangal, born in 1913 in Dharwad (Karnataka), was a singer of the 'khyal' genre of Hindustani classical music. She belonged to the Kirana gharana. Her mother Amababi Hangal was a Carnatic singer.

She showed an inclination for Hindustani music at a very young age, and began to train formally aged 13 at the music school of Krishna Acharya. She also learned from Dattopant Desai before studying under Sawai Gandharva. As a teenager, she traveled from Hubli to Kundgol everyday by train, to take music lessons from her guru, Gandharva, who was a disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan.

She performed all over India, and for All India Radio stations until 1945. Hangal had initially performed light classical genres, including bhajan and thumri, but concentrated on khyal. She served as honorary music professor of the Karnatak University.

Hangal has an honorary doctorate from 5 universities, and also won the Padma Vibhushan in 2002. The government had felicitated Gangubai on her 95th birthday in Hubli. Among her other credits are the Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy Award (1962), Padma Bhushan (1971), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1973), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1996) and Padma Vibhushan (2002). When she breathed her last on 21st July 2009, the Karnataka state government declared 2 days of mourning for Hangal.

Jayateerth Mevundi, born in 1972, is a Hindustani classical vocalist. He took to music at a very tender age under the guidance of his mother. He started his formal training in classical music from Sangeet Ratna Pandit Arjunsa Nakod. He is currently undergoing training from Pandit Shripati Padegar, a disciple of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

Mevundi has received a scholarship for 3 years (1986-88) by the Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy (Bangalore), and is also a winner of the 2nd prize in an AIR Hindustani Classical vocal competition during 1988-89 at Ahmedabad, the 1st prize in the competition organized by ITC Sangeet Research Academy (Calcutta), and the Pandit Jasraj Gourav Puraskar in 1995. He has sung several Hindustani classical, Kannada devotional and Kannada film songs.

Karnataka Sahitya Mandira (KSM) was established 70 years back as a literary & cultural organisation, and works for the welfare of Kannadigas living in the twin-cities. It organises literary seminars & symposia, cultural programmes, ghazals & mushairas, and dramas and dances, of various cultures.

Entry is by invitation only. Please contact Vittal Joshi at 93468-82626 for further details.