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#kalaghodacafe Coffee, baked goods, wines & light bites prepared in a modern, artistically minded cafe & gallery. and with quaint decor. How many commonly used kitchen items can you count in ceiling decor? #ropewalkstreet #kalaghoda #iconicmumbaieateries https://www.instagram.com/p/CozexZSNly0H-x3BIpFkvoqgJvozmBvMVQVfjM0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Japanese Bridge at Hoi An is an iconic symbol of Hoi An Ancient Town, near Dan Hang. It has the honor of being printed in Vietnam’s 20,000 VND banknote.Had the pleasure of being at Hoi An night market on 20th December. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmdX2s6vtSP0xWa2vAtCJzbm4mgWUG5gzRast80/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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An underdog never had his day! Story of Samudramanthan where the Good took help of Bad to retrieve nectar from an abyss. Good flex away with the booty- leaving the Bad to rot in Ugly hell. Swarnabhoomi Airport, Bangkok. ‘Samudramanthan’ https://www.instagram.com/p/CmNWfpKPuFMSMKZ-CVAZgzRsBJvZ8Vqyfw0gKI0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Bandra gets into Christmas Mood- rather early this year! New themes adorn windows of #Damien furniture and design store at Hill Road, Bandra #yuletide #bandrahillroad #bandrawalk https://www.instagram.com/p/Clqdyk0tnm40UHLCywDIctCdqgfuM1RAzk73Kc0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Back to Bandra for a while with it’s pretty cafés, quaint streets and graffiti #bandrawalks #lovefools #vandre #bandora # Bandra villages https://www.instagram.com/p/Clim2cpM2j7Gwe0PjvtTnkkLIFHntR286IbHWE0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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@avocaderia Industry City Brooklyn…#yougotsomegreensinyourteeth #footlooseinNY (at Industry City Courtyard 3/4) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfpDy8Ur9StFQ3FImD3HjvHz6gxXaDd-VTCBzI0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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@avocaderia Industry City Brooklyn…#yougotsomegreensinyourteeth #footlooseinNY (at Industry City Courtyard 3/4) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfpDy8Ur9StFQ3FImD3HjvHz6gxXaDd-VTCBzI0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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# London diary Sunday at Camden Market (at Hampstead Heath) https://www.instagram.com/p/CedSTO1Mb95ttmRr3uH3xJX00FZhWi_jnGD5-I0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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# London diary Sunday at Camden Market (at Hampstead Heath) https://www.instagram.com/p/CedSTO1Mb95ttmRr3uH3xJX00FZhWi_jnGD5-I0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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http://www.pugdundeesafaris.com/ (at Pench) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb4KFpVPcAxW2IoRg-FlYSJGAbbsGj8YWs6Bcg0/?utm_medium=tumblr

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‘After The Rain ‘ a mural by Jocelyn Isiah at Industry City, Brooklyn, NYC. In artists words the mural “shows figures gathering amongst flowers that have bloomed after the rain. This piece is symbolic of reunion after a long period of isolation. I wanted to mark this moment in time where we’re finally able to reunite with others. It feels like we’re finally entering the light at the end of the tunnel and I want this artwork to serve as a reminder that with darkness there is also lightness and that with vulnerability there is also resiliency.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CQAbzw4HCBGNhBNk8ADVh1lrOqr9bnPob0pQwY0/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Chapel Rd - a farewell walk. Had read about latest BAP ( Bollywood Art Project) edition- a tribute to Irfan Khan by Rahul Dahiya. Couldn’t resist a deko. So there it was on this house of my favorite walk on the Chapel Rd - just beyond Ranwar Village. The artists signature is on right bottom. Previous work that was a caricature of Nawazuddin Siddique makes way for this one. Great walk, great feeling https://www.instagram.com/p/COnJpLyHq88gPmtxKSimXW6rX2OPhG46-Shp080/?igshid=xqfxtv5kx4k4

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A walk to Worli Fort,overlooking Mahim Bay. It was built in1675. Approach is through Worli Koliwada, where the fishermen community resides. Rather densely populated and the entire community seemed to be seized by cricket fever as we walked past at least 5 ‘pitches’ where games were on rather passionately. As one ascended the Worli Hill through labyrinths between human dwellings, the fort wall became visible. Two short flights of stone cut staircases, we reached small but very well kept Fort . Got a great view of sun set and Sea Link bridge on one side and Dadar beach and it’s dense skyline on the other. It was a spontaneous walk with Prasad, Avinash and the birthday boy Narayanan who turned 60 yesterday. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMUPbjOHCEwl8FQ6PH-pJECt2lTWXzaeTLTbGM0/?igshid=6yvg17fmfp2v

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Enjoyed doing this quiz after doing a course on Molecular biology 🧬 Scored a surprising 9/10 ( psst... have never go this kind of score at any kind of evaluation ever! Even where it mattered)

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Motivated by the positivism at the market place, we too decided to dig into street side goodies..Saturday afternoon delights https://www.instagram.com/p/CGKMN90npptgYzf4R6ml0wrLNQwe50pJ6U3nds0/?igshid=1r58gl86q6lnr

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Jatan Buch, Dean’s Faculty Fellow at Brown “As a Faculty Fellow for the upcoming academic year, I will tentatively be offering the course Statistical Physics in Inference and (Deep) Learning in Spring 2021. This course, aimed primarily at undergraduate students, will explore the statistical physics concepts underlying several Bayesian statistical techniques and deep learning architectures widely used today in industry and academia alike. “ says Jatan. “Exploration of deep learning, in my opinion, cannot be divorced from its use for objectives that are antithetical to the values of social justice. Accordingly, a part of the course will provide a space for students to interrogate such practices, and reflect on the ethical, political, and policy frameworks that are urgently needed in the age of surveillance.” adds Jatan . Our best wishes in his endeavor https://www.instagram.com/p/CE6vnIpH8JWQ7sVKHS1sn7x83pmZJ-82KbzJm00/?igshid=ve9i66h870fa

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Late Sangeet Martand Pt Jasraj

Blog Post of March 2014 in memory of Late Sangeet Martand Pt Jasraj

Tushar Buch

Reproducing a blog post of March 2014 as homage to Late Pt Jasraj. I had the priviledge of being in the audience at a programme that the legend had graced:

It was Saturday,15thMarch (2014). Took a quick look at Mumbai Mirror for listings in city and suburbs and was disappointed to see an  NCPA announcement for  7 pm show of London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) at Jamshed Bhabha Theatre with bold header “Sorry we are SOLD OUT!” – That’s rubbing salt on wounds !! Hence eyes wandered unwillingly for other listings and one titled ‘The 1stMale Female Duet Festival’ caught my attention. It was a Durga Jasraj –Neeraj Jaitley initiative and the evening promised two duets – a percussion jugalbandi and a vocal duet,titled ‘Jasrangi Jugalbandi’ featuring Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Sanjeev Abhyankar. The name Ahwini Bhide was enough to make me take the notification seriously  and after quick telephone call to the organisors I realized that the event had no entrance fee.My resolve to be there became firm and the ire directed at NCPA for the having sold out  the LSO event faded to the background

The event started off a bit late. I thought that the hold up was due to His Excellency the Governor of Maharashtra, despite his red beacon and a pilot, was still unable to beat the traffic jam to the venue which was about 4 kms from his abode on Malabar Hill! Soon it became clear that ‘Bapuji’, as Durga Jasraj kept referring to Sangeet Martand Pt Jasraj, was a bit behind schedule. To keep the audience engaged Talat Aziz ,who was seated next to Pankaj Udaas in the audience went up and in a conversation with Durga (a male-female duet had already begun!) informed us about the project, which had blessings of United Nations Information Centre for India & Bhutan and Bank of Baroda. Talat Aziz impressed me-his tall frame, Urdu and ease with which he quoted from milestone events to emphasize that women are on a equal footing with men in all social walks-by their sheer force of achievements; if not denied an opportunity by unfair social action and inaction!

But soon Panditji and his entourage- ‘Ma’, Baba Goswami (a dhoti clad elder who was evidently being revered by many artists and musicians present), etc lit the ceremonial lamp and before one realized, Durga Jasraj had announced that Rimpa Siva and S Swaminathan would begin the evening’s first presentation. She on tabla-a percussion instrument so popular (and we have an accomplished exponent of the instrument in our batch, too) and yet so closely associated with great exponents, that one waited with bated breath to discover why this young artist has shot to fame as ‘The Princess of Tabla’, ever since the French have made a documentary on her by the same name in 2009. On the other hand one was equally curious to hear what kind of magical sounds would a young man in orthodox Tamil attire, complete with a tilak and choti, would beat up from his percussion disc, the size of a full moon, called ‘kanjira’- (a mini version of a duff). But by word! What an ecstatic performance followed for next 45 minutes. She was strong and subtle at the same time as she began from simple ‘taals’ and went on to play,’gats’,’tukdas’ and  ‘bandishes ‘ composed by her father as well as legendry Keramatullah Khan of Farukhabad Gharana. And complementing her music were the now primordial and now exhilarating sounds from Swaminathan’s Kanjira as he dipped into the vast reservoir of Karnatak Music traditional thaats, innovatively blended with beats from Tamil folk music and to my ears, even Afro-Caribbean beats to weave a spell of magic. Truly you have to hear his recordings to believe that such range of sounds and beats could be extracted from a humble looking kanjira!

Niranjan Lele kept the accompaniment on harmonium and displayed enough dexterity to complement at once two artists playing music from two completely different traditions at the same time.

Spellbound as I was, I completely agreed with Durga Jasraj’s opening remarks that we were going to be privileged audience to a young ‘powerhouse’ performance.

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His Excellency had arrived. So had some famous Mumbaikars like Shabana Azmi, Dolly Thakore (oh, I never thought I would see her other than at St Andrew’s Bandra at a Rael Padamsee production or at Salt Water Café or Bunglow No 9 type of an eatery in Bandra!), Pt Ratan Mohan Sharma, etc. So to do the honours, some of these dignitaries including Ms Kiran Mehra-Kerpalman, Director, UNIC India were called to the stage and rituals completed with some fuss. Shri Mundra, CMD Bank of Baroda spoke very few, yet erudite words ,quoting from an exchange of couplets between Miyan Tansen and Surdasji, drawing parallel to gender equality. His Excellency in his heavily Mallu accent soon after finishing his officially scripted message went on to add that while both Rimpa and Swaminathan are child prodigies, the day is not far when a just born child would start acting smart, as is currently being shown in some ad on the telly!

The programme was already behind schedule, but who would want to give up the chance to hear Dr Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar duet?

The title Jasrangi Duet was new to me. Durgaji wants us to believe that Pt. Jasraj was the original activist and promoted gender equality by contributing ‘Jasrangi’ – a musical philosophy to our society, long before page 3 variety socialites began crying hoarse, about recognition of equal status to women in society. The philosophy was simple- to achieve the equality through fusion of ragas encompassing male/female styles, swara, renditions, etc. And before us were an accomplished ‘young ‘master of Jaipur Atrauli Gharana on one side and an even ‘younger ‘master from Mewati Gharana and disciple of the veteran Pt. Jasraj, himself in the audience to bless his disciple, promising a Jasrangi Duet. Could hardly wait on how the rest of the evening would unfold!

And as Abhyankar made brief opening remarks on music the two had in store, what followed was personally an education for me. The Pandita would begin the opening in raag Lalit -a morning raga- from which he would pick the 4th note and adjusting his scale to treat the same as his first note complement the same to produce raag Puriya Dhanashree; an evening raga! As if this seeking of union of two ragas meant for opposite hours of the day was not symbolic enough, the very styles of rendition being from different schools-Atrauli Jaipur and Mewati further added to the symbolism for Durga Jasraj’s venture U & I. And of course the personal factor added by the two accomplished musicians- to quote “Ashwini’s musicianship is characterized by a blend of tonal sweetness coupled with vitality and emotion and raga structure-architecture. Her raga delineation shows an unerring grasp over the grammar of the raga yet maintaining a soulfulness in her singing”. Whereas under the towering presence of his guru, it was but natural that mellifluousness was effusing in Dhanashree rendered by Abhyankar, his tonal quality even close to mimicking his guru’s! However, let me confess. The scales, unevenly balanced in Ashwini’s favour from the start, dipped even more in her favour as the music unfolded, for two reasons- one, she was at her best that evening in evoking notes of the six note lalit and second that Abhyankar at times found to difficult to match the scale set for him from which he had to take off to transform lalit to Dhanashree. To the uninitiated-the closest Bollywood number in lalit is ‘Ek shahenshah ne banwaa ke hasin taj mahal’. And somewhat close to Puriya Dhanashree would ‘yeh, pehele pyaar ki khushboo, tere saanson se jo aa rahi hai…’ But the complementing aspect of nature in union of ‘stree and shakti’ or ‘ardhanareshwar’ seemed to have been accomplished by the musicians.

The ecstatic audience (me included) gave a long, long ovation to the two artists; such was the impact of their Jasrangi jugalbandi experiment!

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Incidentally, by some more Google search, I came to know that Dr Ashwini has a full-fledged Ph.D. in Physics under her belt which she got while interning at BARC Mumbai, a career she gave up in pursuit of her musical calling.

No doubt, science has not lost and musical heritage of this country has been further embellished