Saptak: Tabla-sarangi exchange sets stage for doyenne’s musings on eternal bliss

Ahmedabad: The sounds of the sarangi linger like a lover in no rush to end an embrace. On Day 5 of Saptak, on Monday, Sabir Khan's sillage of sarangi notes formed a trail leading to the genius of his father, Sultan Khan.Sarangi supremo Sultan Khan always made Saptak audiences fill venues tightly, like keys fit onto harmoniums. In the 2011 edition of Saptak, the mighty ustad sang an ode to Lord Krishna, "Mharo pranaam, Baanke Bihari".
The audience had no inkling then that the prayer would also have to serve as a requiem for Khan — he passed away in Nov 2011.But Day 5 of the festival's 2026 edition was about the immortality of music. Sabir Khan upheld a sarangi legacy, while tabla stalwart Yogesh Samsi — whom Sabir Khan was accompanying — cemented his position as a star in the Hindustani constellation. The two reached the finale of their performance with the speed and grace of hope rising during worship.The final baithak of the night featured the doyenne of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana, Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande. Her gharana's style is built, note by note, with scholarly thoroughness.But the beating heart of the methodical approach is a lithe, practical presentation of beauty on stage.On that count, Bhide-Deshpande's Tilak Kamod was beauty fulfilling its promise. The first bandish, set to a slow tempo was "Sakala Dukha Harana Sadanand", or the remover of all unhappiness.Bhide-Deshpande's delivery was precise, as stipulated by her gharana's tenets. But more importantly, the sound had a palpable effect — it moved like a nimble yoga instructor, mellowing the audience's mind into meditation."The bandish does not invoke any particular God, but [speaks to] Nirguni," Bhide-Deshpande told TOI.Nirguni denotes a formless divinity and in this context, Sadanand stands for eternal bliss. Bhide-Deshpande's rendition gave that sense of bliss the solidity of feeling.That is the signature power of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana: transmuting a concept into the thrill of a physical sensation.