Annual International Business Fest 'Intaglio' Concludes With a Fitting Finale at IIM Calcutta

Annual International Business Fest 'Intaglio' Concludes With a Fitting Finale at IIM Calcutta
Highlights of Intaglio Day 3

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Grammy Award Winner Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt's Mohan Veena Concert

Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt's superlative rendering of Rag Bihaag had a packed audience at IIMC's Management Centre for Human Values clamouring for an encore. The audience, that had started arriving for the concert almost half an hour in advance, did not allow the Maestro to leave on at least three occasions and he had to give in to their entreaties and play on.

Pt. Bhatt is a disciple of the great Pt. Ravi Shankar and the famous inventor of the Mohan Veena, a 19-string instrument that is a modified Hawaiian guitar with a design that allows it to combine the best of the sitar, the sarod and the veena. Playing on the Mohan Veena with blinding speed and faultless legato, he rendered tunes and ragas that completely mesmerized the audience. Beginning with delicacy, his compositions had a steady crescendo that culminated in dazzling speed. He was brilliantly accompanied by Subhankar Banerjee on the Tabla. The two musicians blended their music together seamlessly and conjured up a memorable performance.

The concert began with an instrumental solo rendering of Rag Bihaag by Pt. Bhatt. Thereafter, Banerjee on the Tabla joined him in the remaining melodies. The two maestros tuned their instruments through some introductory melodies and then moved to heavy duty Hindustani Classical Music. The two quickly moved to Jugalbandi, or musical sparring that was characterized by lightning speed. The audience, well-versed with fast western beats and music, gasped at the versatility and the precision with which the two maestros played their respective instruments.

Pt. Bhatt had promised to keep his music 'light' that evening as most of the audience was new to Hindustani Classical Music. However, the Mohan Veena, when played at full speed and string tension does have a heavy twang though it is not metallic but dulcet. Seeing that the initial melodies had given a taste to the audience of the heavier aspect of the Mohan Veena, Pt. Bhatt kept his promise by singing a lighter melody dedicated to all the women folk of the world. "The Mother is the Creator of the entire universe. The Mother's love for her child is the purest love in the world," said Pt. Bhatt.

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Contributed by -
Vishal Krishnan,
Class of 2007,
IIM Calcutta.

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