Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Feb 1: As part of the ongoing 8th edition of Annual ‘SaMaPa Aalap Festival’, the premier classical, Sufi and folk music festival of Jammu & Kashmir State, a scintillating Sufiana music concert by Ragni Rainu, the daughter of soil, was held at the Jammu Press Club, here today.
Organized by Sopori Academy of Music And Performing Arts (SaMaPa), today’s concert kick started the fortnight long festival which is to hold 35 presentations till February 15 at more than 25 different venues across the Jammu region, border areas, etc. by a number of upcoming and eminent musicians of the State and the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Abhay Rustum Sopori, young Santoor maestro and Secretary of SaMaPa, said that SaMaPa is committed to preserving and popularizing the diverse and ancient heritage of Indian music and performing arts through teaching and propagation of Indian classical and traditional music and performing arts.
He said in the youth-oriented cultural feast conceived by Santoor maestro and music composer Pandit Bhajan Sopori, the founder of SaMaPa, over 35,000 students, music connoisseurs and general public are expected to witness various events. The SaMaPa Aalap Festival 2013 is being presented by SaMaPa in collaboration with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu & Kashmir Police and Department of Tourism, Jammu.
In today’s concert, disciple of Pandit Bhajan Sopori, Ragni Rainu, the young Sufi Vocalist, who hails from Jammu, presented soulful renditions of Sufi Kalam of Punjabi and Urdu poets. She started with Peer Mehar Ali’s “Kithe Mehar Ali, Kithe Tere Sana”, followed by Baba Bulle Shah’s “Zaro Zaree” and Kafi “Ranjha Jogadiya”.
Her raw and robust singing, exuberance and inimitable voice brought to life the ecstatic expression of Sufism, each rendition drowning the audience in the richness of this tradition and sending it into raptures. With a strong base of classical gayaki (vocal system), her style is embedded with tayari (fluency) and bhava (aesthetics and expressions).
She was brilliantly accompanied by Sachin Sharma on Tabla, Abid Hussain on Sarangi, Ravi Sharma on Harmonium, Vijay Anand on Dholak and Jagmeet Singh on Guitar.
Rajni Saigal, SSP, Jail, was chief guest while Sohail Kazami, senior correspondent and Secretary General, Jammu Press Club, presided over the function. Eminent music critic and musicologist Pandit Ravindra Misra, was also present.
Ravinder Kaul, well known media personality beautifully compered and conducted the program.
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