Pushkar Lele's homage to Kumar Gandharva

Once in a while, in this city that has left me wondering nowadays what I’m doing here at all …comes an evening that reaffirms your faith in Pune, its denizens, its relationship with its past, and its vibrant present. S M Joshi auditorium, tucked away in the heart of Pune, saw an unprecedented phenomenon on the 12th of Jan, Kumar Gandharva’s death anniversary. There was a veritable stampede of listeners, who had waited patiently in a serpentine queue that simply kept growing! When the doors were opened, people literally poured into the hall, found seats, or finally just settled down in the aisles, up the stairs to the dais, and some were accommodated even on the dais itself! There were easily 40 people who simply had to, and resolutely did, stand right through the next 3 mesmeric hours! Another horde of people who came a little late, simply had to be turned away, since there was literally no room for a single more person, after a point.
Singer Pushkar Lele, and musicologist and harmonium player Chaitanya Kunte presented Kumar Darshan – a programme of music, narration and audio visuals that took us on a journey through the life and times and musical-spiritual journeys of Kumar Gandharva. To tell more about this programme would be to give away details of this perfectly conceptualized and executed homage to Kumarji, that simply has to be experienced by anyone fascinated by this blazing meteor of the Indian music firmament. To say that Pushkar did justice to his subject would be a gross understatement – the smiles, nods, claps, and shouts of approval, and even tears that his singing elicited, were testimony to the fact that Pushkar is the next big thing that has happened to Hindustani music. Whatever city you live in, India or out of India, get this travelling programme to come visit, and you’ll fall into that place where regret at the passing of greats like Kumarji, is replaced by a soaring pride and joy at the fact that his legacy is alive and well, not just in the archives and public memory, but in the hands of singers and Kumar devotees of the caliber of Pushkar Lele. His voice has that rare quality of being sweet and yet robust.
I ‘stumbled on’ Pushkar through the dear departed World Space Radio which used to run 24/7 in my home. I woke up very late one night to his voice – which I had never heard before. I was sure it was some old stalwart singer who I had never encountered before. The unique quality of his voice woke me up fully, and I sat listening well into the night. I wrote to the Gandharva channel, asking them who it was that they had featured that particular night. Pushkar Lele, they said. I googled him, and whadyouknow, he lived right here, in Pune – and what a shame I hadn’t heard him up until then. Anyway, I am fast making up for that by attending anything that he does and buying anything in the market out there by him. My find for this week is a CD with a reposeful, imposing and substantial collection of 6 ragas by Pushkar – Kalyan, Kedar, Suhana Kanada, Khamaj, Des and Madhukouns. Pick it up by calling 020 24346506 or email rainbow_music_company@yahoo.co.in.
Pushkar is performing at the Kabir festival in Kalina, Mumbai, on 21st Jan at 5 pm. In the meanwhile catch him on Youtube too.