The Maestro’s Soulful Magic

He came, he sang, he conquered. With both: the magic of his voice and the range of the music. National award-winning vocalist Rahul Deshpande in concert, was a gift to those lucky enough to hear him on a memorable September evening. A fitting way to celebrate a decade of Corporate Citizen, 25 years of Sri Balaji Society, and the foundation year of the SBUP’s School of Liberal Arts, with selected guests and music for the soul

Music, it is said, is the speech of angels.

This is even more so, as we marvel at the sheer versatility and flight of a velvet voice that is nevertheless welded to the steel of classical discipline. This is the vocalist whose Sur rings true, no matter what genre. A singer whose singing continues to cast a spell, long after he’s stopped. A singer who is unfettered by constraints of language, genre or milieu.

Unsurprisingly, the audience hung onto the many-splendoured notes that transited from classical to iconic Hindi and Marathi old film songs to devotional compositions.

Such is the magic of Rahul Desphande—but most of us know that already. The magnetism of his music conjures up joy, happy tears and hope. His sway over young and old was evident, even as he established how classical Hindustani music forms the base of so many well-loved old songs, seamlessly and effortlessly. So whether it was the haunting Saanjh Dhale Gagan Tale, the romantic ghazal Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya or a tribute to the Sur Saraswati herself, namely the Late Lata Mangeshkar with the Marathi composition Bhaya Ithle Sampat Nahi from the album Maitra Jivache, the evening progressed in a delightful sequence.

Rahul’s personal take on Kishore Kumar’s legendary number Hum Bewafa Har Giz Na The, raked in the whistles and thunderous applause, even as listeners gasped at the skill of a young maestro—who did manage what most would not—manage to present a fresh new version of an already-perfect and beloved number. As he told the audience, “We recorded this on an evening off in Australia. Instead of going out to enjoy ourselves, we hired a system and recorded some songs—this was one of them, for I am a huge fan of Kishore Da…please be kind and enjoy it!”.

The audience did just that for Rahul and team had woven their own magic into the melody, thereby making a case for the timelessness of an iconic song steeped in love. This was followed by Koi Faryad Dil Mein Dabi Ho Jaise gently transiting to Paani Paani Re, Khaare Paani Re.

Of course, the evening could not be complete without tribute to Rahul’s grandfather Pandit Vasantrao Deshpande with the Marathi bhavgeet Baglyanchi Maalphule, followed by a gem from his very own cinematic oeuvre—Katyar Kaljat Ghusli.

The abhanga, Kanada Raja Pandharicha Vithal Vithal, was the perfect high note to conclude the evening on, redolent as it is with the bhakti tradition of the Warkari Sampradaya-Maharashtra’s pride and identity.

In the words of IT professionals Vinay and Anagha Patil, “Rahul Deshpande is the epitome of excellence and perfection. The organisers of the event invited an artist that represents the values of the institution. He appealed to everyone to listen to good music and develop a taste for classical music.”

Elderly members of the audience were particularly riveted by Rahul’s careful selection of age-old musical gems. As Dr. Mungde from Tapas Senior Citizen’s Home put it, “It was a musical treat; all the seniors thoroughly enjoyed it.”

The evening’s Young Achievers’ Awards were conferred upon upcoming young talents—Alapini Nisal (kathak),Karan Deogonkar (classical music) and Mahima Thombre (theatre), most fittingly at Rahul’s hands. Present on stage were SBUP chancellor Prof. B. Paramanandhan, vice chancellor Dr. Gangadhar Shirude as well as Dr. Manisha Shukla, head, SRI Build and Dr. Preeti Joshi, principal, School of Liberal Arts, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, SBUP. Dr. Shirude explained that the point of these awards have been instituted to emphasise the importance of art alongside academics.

The concert ended with a sumptuous dinner which gave the attendees to relive and discuss the evening once again.