Touted in the local Marathi community (that which hails from the western Indian state) as an evening of music with local talent and a special guest from Pune, it was marketed through social media to those that crave said entertainment.
Myself not an avid listener and marginally enlightened about the Indian classical style, was not as intrepid as the spouse who was excited at the prospect of some socializing and getting an earful (of melodies).
But being the Memorial Day weekend in the states (honoring war veterans) and us being in the local zip code (not having left town) for the entirety of it, I complied and we made it a date night.
Drove to appointed venue which was a Yoga Studio when not used for sundry gatherings. On the second floor in an office complex not far from home. Warmed by the setting sun and poorly ventilated the desi gathering was quickly appearing to be a quagmire. Couple that with largely carpet seating - remember the audience otherwise was the floor hugging kind, this was not going to be good for the spine, groin, and overall physical well being.
Fortunately there was a bench in the back that seemed to have a few spots open and I hastily grabbed one on entry. The wife amazingly can still perform calisthenics I think as she hit a yoga pose similar to the Sukhasana.
I stretched my hinds in front of me from the bench and got comfortable. By the way the entry was advertised to come for a $15 donation. I noticed that not everyone was compliant. Another twist with arrangements made by desis is that there is no process. For anything.
As people gathered at the appointed hour surprisingly things got underway about 10 min behind schedule. May be the studio had a stiff penalty for late dwellers. Oops, better get out on time - the Maharashtrians that hosted this event are quite sensitive to overages as a cultural phenom.
The music itself comprised of ragas or melodic pieces like Dadra, Yaman and bhav geet or folk music, and ghazals (of Urdu origins) which is essentially a progression of classical to semi classical to cinematic both in Hindi and Marathi languages. Performers were local with some singing talent with varying degree of maturity.
The percussion was from the visiting talent (all the way from Pune, India) in the form of Ramdas Palsule who is a tabla maestro. Tabla is a set of two drums with stretched hides strung into place by rope.
The surface texture is varied with a dark central umbra stained with ink and a lighter hide on the penumbra. That combination results in a striking bass that can be modulated based on where the fingers hit the leather.
The attendees that evening were largely of advanced age with nostalgia tugging at their heart strings along with the aayojak mandali (the host committee comprising of some misc locals that like the occasional spot light). It was fascinating to see the Marathi ajya (grandmas) using Apple technology to record a moment that they were enjoying. Their less than better halves were also doing what I was - giving their bride the company they need. Except many had a hearing aid attached to their ears. I am not there Yet!
Mr. Ramdas also an engineer from the same alma mater as me and the wife concluded the evening's performances with a solo tabla recital that spanned various taal (beats) with his hands literally beating on the hide like a hummingbird flaps its wings. It was mesmerizing. Accompanied on harmonium was another College of Engineering acquaintance and it was on the whole a decent return on investment.
Myself not an avid listener and marginally enlightened about the Indian classical style, was not as intrepid as the spouse who was excited at the prospect of some socializing and getting an earful (of melodies).
But being the Memorial Day weekend in the states (honoring war veterans) and us being in the local zip code (not having left town) for the entirety of it, I complied and we made it a date night.
Drove to appointed venue which was a Yoga Studio when not used for sundry gatherings. On the second floor in an office complex not far from home. Warmed by the setting sun and poorly ventilated the desi gathering was quickly appearing to be a quagmire. Couple that with largely carpet seating - remember the audience otherwise was the floor hugging kind, this was not going to be good for the spine, groin, and overall physical well being.
Fortunately there was a bench in the back that seemed to have a few spots open and I hastily grabbed one on entry. The wife amazingly can still perform calisthenics I think as she hit a yoga pose similar to the Sukhasana.
I stretched my hinds in front of me from the bench and got comfortable. By the way the entry was advertised to come for a $15 donation. I noticed that not everyone was compliant. Another twist with arrangements made by desis is that there is no process. For anything.
As people gathered at the appointed hour surprisingly things got underway about 10 min behind schedule. May be the studio had a stiff penalty for late dwellers. Oops, better get out on time - the Maharashtrians that hosted this event are quite sensitive to overages as a cultural phenom.
The music itself comprised of ragas or melodic pieces like Dadra, Yaman and bhav geet or folk music, and ghazals (of Urdu origins) which is essentially a progression of classical to semi classical to cinematic both in Hindi and Marathi languages. Performers were local with some singing talent with varying degree of maturity.
The percussion was from the visiting talent (all the way from Pune, India) in the form of Ramdas Palsule who is a tabla maestro. Tabla is a set of two drums with stretched hides strung into place by rope.
The attendees that evening were largely of advanced age with nostalgia tugging at their heart strings along with the aayojak mandali (the host committee comprising of some misc locals that like the occasional spot light). It was fascinating to see the Marathi ajya (grandmas) using Apple technology to record a moment that they were enjoying. Their less than better halves were also doing what I was - giving their bride the company they need. Except many had a hearing aid attached to their ears. I am not there Yet!
Mr. Ramdas also an engineer from the same alma mater as me and the wife concluded the evening's performances with a solo tabla recital that spanned various taal (beats) with his hands literally beating on the hide like a hummingbird flaps its wings. It was mesmerizing. Accompanied on harmonium was another College of Engineering acquaintance and it was on the whole a decent return on investment.
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