Tuesday, Jan. 2, 1940 | Amrita Bazar Patrika  | page 7 | column-6

Pt. Omkarnath’s Demonstration

MUSIC CONFERENCE

Session Concludes To-day

 Pandit Omkarnath Thakur one of india’s front-row musicians sang at yesterday’s morning sitiing of the All Bengal Music Conference. The hall was full to its capacity and Panditji found a very appreciative audience who vociferously cheered him after his songs which made a piercing appeal to everyone’s heart. The great artist found himself in the best of moods and his Raga-Bhava hardly left anything to be desired. His Kheyals in Devgiri and Todi followed by a Bhajan of Suradas were extraordinarily rich in feeling-contents, his style springing out of an enrapturing variety of form. His artistry yesterday was an example of technical facility. The writer, however could not appreciate Panditji’s endeavour to introduce something like Ramayan Gan as he did in his Bhajan) on a Music Conference platform. It appeared to him to be something like an anti-climax.

There were other artists also who received high encomiums from the audience yesterday morning. They were Prof. Sawai Gandharva of Bombay who sang Kheyal in Multan and prof. Hamid Hussain Khan of Lucknow, the famous Sitaria who did Bilaskhani Todi. The famous tablchi of Benaras Prof. Anokhelal’s Lahara and accompaniment play were also much applauded.

Among others who demonstrated yesterday morning and on Sunday were the following:—

Mr. K.C. De (Dhrupad—Adana), Sj. Jitendra Nath Banerjee (Tappa), Prof. Krishna Rao of Poona (Kheyal in Darbari Kanada, Adana and Bhajan), Prof. V.N. Patwardhan (Kheyal in Malkoush), Prof. Hamid Hussain Khan (Sitar-Alap in Puria and Sohini Gat), Dance by Gopal Brajabashi, Dhrupad in Iman-Kalyan and Bhupali by Dani Babu, Tabla Lahara by Sj. Hirendra Kumar Ganguly, and Kheyal in Adana and Bhimpalashi by Niharrani (?) Dutt of Tata Nagar, Sitar in Bhairavi by Renuka Saha and Kheyal in Gaud Sarang by Pandit Ram Kissen Misra and brothers.

In the evening sitting yesterday Prof. Faiaz Khan, Prof. Sadiq Ali Khan, Miss Nina (Russian Dancer), Miss Sushila Varadaraja of Indore, Mr. K.C. Dey, Prof. Sambhu Maharaj, Master Attra, Prof. Genu of Poona, Sj. Birendra Kishore Roy Chaudhury and many other Calcutta artists demonstrated. A report of the sitting will be published tomorrow. In the evening sitting of 30^th Sj. Bhagawat Ch. Banerjee sang Bhatiyali songs. And   on Sunday Sj Hirendra Kumar Ganguly did the Tabla Sangat with the Swarod play of Prof. Alauddin and Ali Akhbar. These two were not mentioned in our previous reports through inadvertence.

Note: This 1940 All Bengal Music Conference was held at Sree Cinema, 138 Cornwallis Street. [Ref. Advertisement in Amrita Bazaar Patrika, Jan 2, 1940)

This press clipping was collected from the reference below:

Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.

Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.