SUNNYVALE: Sanatan Dharma Kendra, Sunnyvale hosted a special concert of Padmini Rao, a senior disciple of the legend Dr Prabha Atre of Pune, India, who is traveling in USA to perform in a few States.
The music lovers in the Bay Area were especially keen to listen to her performance.
Smt Padmini Rao is a multi-faceted personality and blends in her music the glorious musical traditions of two stalwarts of North Indian Classical music with whom she underwent her rigorous training.
Her principal Guru has been Dr Prabha Atre, a doyen of Kirana Gharana and also of the late Ustad Zia Moiuddin Khan Dagar, the well-known Dhrupad Rudra-Veena maestro and scholar.
Padmini is acclaimed by discerning audiences as one of the most gifted voices to emerge from the new genre of singers belonging to the Kirana style. This was especially enriched by great vocalists like late Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi and late Gangubhai Hangal and many others.
Sangeet Dhwani was proud to sponsor this concert. The audience at the Concert comprised a good number of music teachers, and music lovers, who felt it a rare opportunity of listening to an enchanting performance. This was her very first performance in the Bay area. Padmini has gone through an enriching journey over 28 years by performing and conducting music workshops, lecture demonstrations and sessions in ethno- musicology not only in India but also in Asia, Middle East and Europe.
She has developed techniques in Khayal singing, time theory of Hindustani Classic Music. Her academic career was also dazzling as she holds a Masters in Music, topping the University in the process and bagging a number of honors including the “Gana Hira Award” for musical excellence. She is an accomplished theatre artist and has worked in avant-garde and experimental theatre and has acted in television serials on Indian National Television Doordarshan.
At the outset, Padmini selected a popular Raag “Madhuvanti” which described “Lord Sri Krishna” and was composed by her Guru Dr Prabha Atre. Her melodious performance with all its nuances received rounds of applause from the audience. She then selected “Raag Shankara” which narrated the valor of Lord Shiva. She later, moved on to semi classical and devotional series – Bhajans of famous Saints Meera Bai, Surdas and Kabir.
Most of the music for the bhajans was composed by Padminiji in the raags Khamach, Sohoni and Bairagi as well as Bhairavi.
Her sonorous voice created an aura of spiritualism in the temple. Padmini concluded her performance with Raag Bhairavi on deities which her Guru Dr Prabha Atre had composed. The audience was in a way satisfied that Padmini’s performances were qualified by a few pieces of her Guru, legend Prabha Atre.
Padmini was ably accompanied by the popular Harmonium Maestro Manoj Tahmankar and Tabla Maestro Shripad Torvi.
Vote of thanks was proposed by Sangeet Dhwani President Pradeep Joshi to all artists, audience, Board of Directors of Sanatana Dharma Kendra. The Chief Priests Kumar Swami and Shashidhar Somoya also honored the artists with silk shawls, flowers and fruits. The sound was very well managed by the Sound Manager Dilipbhai Shah.
India Post News Service
