The upcoming three-day Omkar Music Festival at Prestige Shantiniketan marks the 10th anniversary of the Omkar Music School, led by Hindustani vocalist Iman Das. Over the past decade, the school has trained nearly a thousand students from across the world.
Though the festival will feature performances by youngsters on all days, one can also expect performances by star artistes like sitar player Ustad Shafiq Khan from Dharwad and Partha Bose from Kolkata, solo tabla recital by Ustad Najmuddin Javed, Mohiniyattam and Kathak performances by Rekha Raju and Snigdha D.S. respectively, and Thumri, Dadra, Kajri and Chalti performances by Iman Das himself.
Iman says he is happy that Hindustani singer and retired IAS officer Muddu Mohan, a disciple of Basavaraj Rajguru and Gangubhai Hangal, will be performing at the festival this year. “This annual festival is growing every year and we have around 50 artistes participating in the three-day festival. Apart from a wide range of music and dance styles, including bhajans and bhavageet, there will also be a painting competition for children based on music.”
Shafiq Khan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The event will feature santoor player Madan Oak from the US, a team trained by Carnatic veena expert Suma Sudhindra, and electric guitarist Swarnabha Gupta from Pune. Hindustani singers Asmita Banerjee and Ankita Kundu, senior students of Iman, will also take part in the event.
Iman has taken advanced training from Pandit Ajay Chakravarty (a disciple of Munawar Ali Khan) and Pandit Shantanu Bhattacharya, today his disciples are from all over the world. “Each gharana brings a new approach to music, its interpretation or form, which embellishes the existing structure. My lineage is linked to the Patiala gharana.”
seed of a dream
“I want to see if Bengaluru’s IT city can become a parallel IC (Indian classical) city and I am working in this direction through my academy.” One of the aspects of the Omkar Music Academy, Iman said, is housing lessons that discuss all systems of world music, in addition to Indian classical Hindustani which is taught here in all its forms.
“I have many fans of Western music and the best way to teach them is to make them sing in their own style while I follow the Indian system of swaras and ragas. No other system can do that, except our sur-based musical scale, which can be notated in its precision.”
Iman says any world style can be notated through the seven swaras (tones) based sur, and this system helps students of other styles understand the melodic contours and tonality of a piece. “At our music school we teach students to cherish and value Indian music systems.”
Iman Das | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Iman Das, who grew up in Kolkata, settled in Bengaluru after his work was well received in the city, which “embraces new aspects of culture and music with wide acceptance.”
love for new ragas
Iman’s inclination towards new ragas and composing music began in his childhood, when he was drawn to sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar’s masterpiece, Raag Parameshwari. “Its scale haunts you; when I wrote a piece on Goddess Indira, who is believed to be an incarnation of Mirabhai, I used it for the song ‘Maa Meera’.”
The track became an instant hit and was recognized by WNYR New York Radio in the category of ‘World’s Top Emerging Artists’ for the special song/Sanskrit Shloka.
He says, “The blend of two great scales here makes it an interesting study for learners to contemplate its winding flow.” His own raga innovations are Swarnadesi, Vishwa Bahaar and Swarnamadhu which have been appreciated by Anup Jalota, Amit Kumar, Venkatesh Kumar and other artistes.
Suma Sudhindra Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Iman has also chosen Swarnadeshi for ‘Ek Bharat Hum’, a song she wrote and composed for nine visually impaired music students she trained as Team Sunada. These students recently performed at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Iman, who has performed on global stages, is the recipient of this year’s Basavaraj Rajaguru National Award and was also honoured with Karnataka’s ‘Bhasha-e-Kala Samman’ (Linguistic Arts Award) in Varanasi on September 14.
This award, instituted by Hindustan Samachar, Varanasi Patrakar Manch, was given for his book One Nation, One Music: One India, One Music and talked about his contribution to music. “I am happy to be recognised, but the success of a true musician lies in understanding the right ‘sur’ in the ocean of tunes. Also, every guru must pass on this understanding to his students.”
Omkar Music Festival will be held from 20th to 22nd September at Algorithm, Nexus Shantiniketan Mall. 4 PM to 9 PM. Passes on BookMyShow
Published – September 16, 2024 12:51 pm IST
