MUMBAI: In Hindustani music, the Malhar groups of ragas showcase different moods of the monsoon, ranging from gentle and life giving to gloomy and tempestuous. The searing heat of the plains of India is dispelled by the dark clouds of the monsoon, romanticised by the Malhar ragas. A peacock dancing in joy upon seeing black clouds, the despair of a nayika over the rain that prevents her lover from meeting her, and the majesty of a thunderstorm, has inspired composers, musicians and connoisseurs of Hindustani Music.

In keeping with the spirit of the season, SwarYatra presents the fifth ‘Avahan - a concert on Malhar ke Prakar’ a unique chamber concert on the theme of different ragas of the Malharang. The concert is happening at Hall of Quest, Nehru Planetarium, Worli, Mumbai on Sunday, 4 June 2017, from 4 pm. This year, the stage will be graced by the famous Gwalior gharana vocalist, Pt. Sharad Sathe accompanied by Shri Shrutindra Katgade on Tabla and Pt. Vishwanath Kanhere (Harmonium).

Pt. Sharad Sathe joins the ranks of eminent musicians, vocalists, Ustad Raja Miya (Gulam Hussain Khan), Ustad Asalm Khan and Vidushi Shaswati Mandal, and the Surbahar maestro, Pandit Pushparaj Koshti, in performing at this event.

Manoj Mandalikar, Director, SwarYatra says, “Since inception five years back, we at ‘Swaryatra’ have been striving to provide a platform to eminent musicians to present their unique talent. Each of the above chosen artistes has a distinctive style of presenting their art, adhering to their tradition. Connoisseurs have appreciated our efforts to preserve tradition, and innovate within it, not outside it.

Baithaks or chamber performances provide the most intimate connect between the musician and the listeners. It has been a satisfying experience for me to try to keep the baithak tradition alive.”

Pt. Sharad Sathe, born on 18 February 1932, began his rigorous formal musical training in the hallowed guru-shishya tradition under Pt. D.V. Paluskar, son of the famous missionary-musician Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. After Pandit D. V. Paluskar's premature demise in October 1955, Pt. Sharad Sathe came to Mumbai to continue his music studies under the well-known musicologist, Prof. B.R. Deodhar, for nearly a decade. It was after 1966, when he became a disciple of Pt. Sharadchandra Arolkar, a veteran vocalist of the Gwalior school, that Pt. Sharad Sathe's talent and musicianship acquired depth, maturity and a new dimension. Pt. Arolkar gave him a new insight into the ideological base of the Gwalior gayaki and handed down to him several rare khayal compositions as well as tappas and taranas.

Today, Pt. Sharad Sathe is a vocalist who has made a mark on the contemporary musical scene through informed assimilation, on solid bedrock of traditional Gwalior Gayaki. In 1972, he was specially invited to sing for the Films Division documentary on Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar.He has been a resident professor of vocal music at the London center of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, in 1986-87. In 1996, Pandit Sathe was invited by University of Washington, Seattle, USA for archival recordings of rare ragas.