Music lovers in Qatar were in for a rare treat as the legendary playback singer and Carnatic vocalist K J Yesudas performed to a packed audience at the Doha Cinema yesterday.
Yesudas: still a crowd-puller
The classical music concert, titled Sopaanam 2011, was organised by Samanvayam, a forum of Indian expatriates in Qatar.
Popularly known as Gana Gandharvan (the celestial singer) among his millions of fans and admirers, Yesudas’ presence brought cheer to the gathering, many among them seeing him perform live for the first time.
“Carnatic music is like an ocean. Even after learning and practising for more than five decades, I am still a student. A lifetime is not enough to learn anything substantial in classical music,” he told the audience.
The concert began with raga thodi, one of the popular ragas in Carnatic music, that set the tone for the evening. Accompanied by musicians Thripunithara Radhakrishnan, S R Mahadeva Sharma, Visweswara Prasad Krishnan and Omnakuttan, the quintet segued into raga Hamsadavni, that received a rapturous response from the audience. For those unfamiliar with classical music, the singer made things easier by giving lucid explanations on the significance of each raga before the rendition.
Yesudas then proceeded to sing a keertana by the legendary vocalist Chembai Vaidyanathan Bhagvathar, his guru and mentor, in raga Hamsanandi. “Without the guru’s blessings, it’s impossible to perform in a concert. I pray and seek the blessings of all my seniors before every concert,” he said. After Hamsanandi, he captivated the audience by a composition from Thyagaraja in Devagandhari raga. This was followed by raga Devamanohari, completing the cycle with raga thodi once again.
M S Mani, who had come all the way from Al Khor for the concert, said that he had always wanted to see Yesudas perform live but had never got the chance. “This concert will remain a memorable experience,” he said.
K Aravindan, a longtime resident of Qatar, had made the trip from Dukhan to attend the concert. He had booked the tickets in advance to avoid any last minute hassles. “I saw Yesudas perform live here in Doha in 2003. I have been his fan since childhood and didn’t want to miss the opportunity of seeing him live this time. It’s a rare treat for Carnatic music lovers,” he said.
The musical evening began with a one-minute silence being observed to pay respect to artist M F Husain who passed away on Thursday.
Speaking to the audience earlier, Indian Ambassador to Qatar, Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa, who was one of the dignitaries present on the occasion, said Husain’s death has left a deep void in the art world.
