By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 12 Apr: SPIC MACAY, a non-profit organisation that promotes Indian classical music, dance and culture has commenced a month-long ‘SPIC MACAY Fest’.
Pt Brij Narayan, who is the first artist of the SPIC MACAY fest, gave a mesmerising Lecture-Demonstration on the Sarod at MKP PG College, here, today. He was accompanied by Shubh Maharaj on the Tabla.
Pt Brij Narayan, a celebrated Sarod player, mesmerised the audience with his soulful renditions of Indian classical music. On the occasion, he said, “Sarod is a difficult musical instrument which is played by sitting in Gomukhasana yogic posture. It draws its name from ‘Saarod’, which means ‘the sweet sounding one’. The instrument is ancient and we find its reference in the frescoes of Ajanta and Ellora and sculptures in Champaran.”
He added, “Our Indian classical music is considered one of the world’s best forms of music. It has so many unique characteristics that, today, the entire world learns from our form of music. Similar to how our body’s blood pressure and temperature are different at different times of the day, our Indian classical music has Raagas which correspond to different times during the day. Lastly, I would want all the youngsters present here today to imbibe the rich heritage that our vast Indian culture has to offer.”
He played the Shudh Saarang Raag in Bhakti Ras. During the performance, he also informed the audience about the various ragas which are performed during the afternoon. Shudh Saarang Raag, a member of the Sarang Family, is one such Raag that produces a strong and lasting impression.
Brij Narayan, the eldest son and disciple of the world-renowned Sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan, was born in Udaipur, Rajasthan, in 1952.
He has been honoured by several cultural organisations, the latest being the Sudhanshu Award 2008 by the Keli Festival. Pt Brij Narayan received the President’s Gold Medal for 1st place in All India Radio -1967.
Presently, he is the Chairman of the Akal Academy in Himachal Pradesh, where he has been teaching young students a number of instruments.
One of the spectators at the event, Ritu said, “The Sarod performance by Pt Brij Narayan at MKP PG College was a grand success and left a lasting impression on the audience. The event was a testimony to the rich cultural heritage of India and the efforts of organisations like SPIC MACAY to promote it.”
During his circuit, he also performed at Hopetown Girls School. He will also be performing at Mount Fort School and The Doon School on 13 April.
The other artists who will be performing in the month-long SPIC MACAY Fest are Lakshmi Parthasarthy, Anupriya Deotale, Uma Sharma, A Kanyakumari, Kapila Venu and Raghunandan Panshikar.
SPIC MACAY will hold its 8th International Convention at VNIT, Nagpur, from 29 May to 4 June, 2023. The organisation welcomes schools and students to register for it.
