The stage was set. We could see so the performers busy with their last minute sound set-ups. The performances ahead made up for the delay though. The sounds of the instruments being fine-tuned, singers softly crooning into their mics for sound checks, is what creates the happy anticipation according to me. It was nice to hear the casual banter between the young artists. And by that I am referring to the Trichur Brothers – Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan –Carnatic Vocalists and sons of Senior Mridangam Vidwan Shri Trichur R Moham who among others were performing atMILAP a classical music concert held on 10^th June at theSri ShanmukhanandaChandrasekarendraSaraswathi Auditorium in Mumbai.

The show began with the anchor’s introduction segment, a young lady who seemed to be pretty nervous in the presence of senior artistes. She later confessed to have calmed down listening to the Trichur Brothers perform their initial numbers.

Basics are evergreen. Their humility and the focus on the foundation was evident with the brothers setting their pitch right, singing the quintessential “Sa-Pa-Sa” to sync with the musicians. They began their performance with a “not so Carnatic” presentation – in the words of the brothers, with an upbeat and peppy rearranged version of Raag Purnachandrika ( Carnatic Raga ). The overall theme of the concert was a blend of Indian Classical, both Hindustani and Carnatic with western instrumentation. The unplugged version of a popular Carnatic song –Mokkshamu Galadhaa (composition by Saint Thyagraja ) was one of the best renditions of the evening. Soothing melody, effective music arrangement and a good balance and amalgam of the two singers. The surprise element was when they started with the Marathi AbhangVitthalache Naav – a very modern version with the works of Keshav Kishor on the Drums, Aalap Raju for the Bass Guitar and Navneeth Sundar on the Keyboards playing throughout the evening. Completing 50 years in the music field, the Trichur brothers’ father, Shri Trichur R Mohan also made his valuable contribution with the Mridangam in the renditions and added the Carnatic touch.

With the crowd settled in after such good performances, it was time to witness the musical genius of Ustadji. First of all, it was very heartening to see three generations perform together – Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khanji along with his sons, Murtuza Mustafa, Qadir Mustafa, Rabbani Mustafa as well as his grandson Faiz Mustafa (son of Murtuza Mustafa ). With a musical lineage from the 17^thcentury, Ustadji has been associated with Hindi film industry since the 1960s and as a teacher has trained several noted playback and classical singers.

They recreated the magic of the Raag Yaman Bada Khyaal – Aao Balma, (you perhaps have watched this performance on Coke Studio )composed by Ustadji in honour of his grandfather, the celebrated Ustad Inayat HussainKhan. The Trichur Brothers gave it a Carnatic touch by adding the Carnatic version of RaagYaman called Kalyani. This was followed by a dynamic Thumri in Raag Khamaj, set in Taal Kerva, with Ustadji taking the lead and his sons following with the Aalapi.

The most electrifying part of the evening was the face- off / Jugalbandi between the three percussionists on stage. Joining Shri Trichur R Mohan(Mridangam) and Keshav Kishore (Drums) on stage with a power packed Tabla performance was Ustad Ghulam Sultan Niazi.

The octogenarian Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan sahib retired back into the audience and let his sons carry on with the show. With popular Qawwalli numbers like Noor-un-Ala (Movie - Meenaxi) and Piya Haji Ali (Movie - Fiza) sung by Ustadji and his son Murtuza Mustafa, it was a no-brainer that they chose to render these energetic songs for this Classical fusion evening. Ustad Liyakat Ali Khan on the Sarangi enhanced the beauty of these songs.

The evening was drawing to a close. The Trichur Brothers chose to perform their popular track – the Namami Gange anthem, which was a part of a massive publicity campaign to spread awareness about government’s initiative to clean the River Ganga. With lyrics in Hindi and Sanskrit , the tune of the anthem has an inspiring effect on the mind.

As is the norm , the show ended with Raag Bhairavi. A heart touching Ram Bhajan , composed by Ustad Ghulam MustafaKhansahib , performed by all his sons and grandson along with Srikrishna and Ramkumar Mohan(Trichur Brothers) was extremely special to me for two reasons– one, music knows no man made religion and two , music is a powerful unifying force. It was wonderful to watch the Trichur Brothers perform with their father andUstadji with his children !

The conert was truly a space to relive the musical moments from my ears to your eyes.

Reviewed by Ashwini Narayangaonkar-Kamath

Ashwini Narayangaonkar-Kamath is the eleventh generation of her family to be dedicated to the ancient art form of Indian classical music. As a singer she has performed in India and abroad, has music albums to her credit and successfully runs her classical music academy - Deepak Music Academy all over Mumbai.

For more details do log onto her website:

http://www.deepakmusicacademychembur.com