The band comprises Vishal Mehta on drums, Neelranjan on guitar, Sovon on tabla, swapnamay on sarod, manish on keyboard and rajesh on flute It was an evening to celebrate India’s 60 years of independence. They did it rightly through a fusion music concert. Fusion is, after all, a melange of different sensibilities that brings together the old and the new traditions. And India can b e defined in similar words as well.
Holding the centre stage was Delhi’s Sky Group of Sovon Hazra at Stein auditorium. Founded by Sovon Hazra, a disciple of Pandit Vishvanath Bose, Jayant Bose and Kumar Bose of the Benaras gharana, the band comprises instruments like tabla, sarod, keyboard, Hawaiian guitar, flute and acoustic drums.
Ten compositions, each evoking a different emotion, marked the event that lasted just over an hour. The chief guest Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna honoured the artistes and spoke a few words about the need to create harmony.
The first composition of the evening was in memory of those soldiers who laid their lives for the country. Swapnamay Banjeree on sarod took the lead in this short piece titled “Arpan”, and was joined by Rajesh Prassnya on the mellifluous flute and Sovon on the tabla.
Through their next composition the group paid their respect to the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, whose birth anniversary fell on that day.
With Manish Babu on the keyboard, Neelranjan Mukherji on the guitar, along with flute and guitar, the composition was in raga Bhairavi.
The keyboard notes created magic, as the drum, played by Vishal Mehta, and tabla joined in for a fast-paced rhythm in this composition that lived up to its name – “Passion”. The sarod, the guitar and flute was a soothing contrast to the high beats in raga Keeravani.
“Anandam”, composed by Neel, celebrated the sense of achievement, while “In search of…” took you on a long ride to a world that is beyond comprehension.
The beautiful strings of sarod with its mystic sound in raga Keervani stir your soul, and the solo play by both flute and keyboard amplified the mood.
African Cajon too
Have you even been to the deserts? Do you know what it is like to walk in the sand? Tuned in raga Basant Mukhari, the mid-paced guitar and tabla showed you how it would feel. “Nurture your soul” reached out to your heart in raga Jogkauns, which started off with guitar and keyboard, was followed by “Illusion”. Shovon left his tabla for an African Cajon in this piece, as guitar and drums played the accompanist.
The “Tunes of India”, was specially made-to-order for the occasion. Different folk tunes blended with classical ragas in this tune as the rhythm flowed smoothly to make it foot tapping.
Though each and every composition was a treat to listen to, a true fusion concert is when all the instruments on the stage blends with each other and at the same time get its share of space.
Except for the Hawaaiin guitar, which left an impression, the tabla, sarod and the flute were clearly the major sounds, leaving the keyboard and drums to play the second fiddle.
Kaleidoscope of talent - Tribune News Service(2007-09-08)
Kaleidoscope of talent
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 9
Some people never travel without roots, like this group of eight artists from West Bengal, called Dimention 9. A rage on the art circuit, they bring with them nuances of the Bengal school of art, famous for its splendour and reach.
Forty of their artworks will open tomorrow in an exhibition, to be hosted by Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi at Punjab Kala Bhavan. But the works are already in place. “Works also need time to settle,” quips Nagaswar Sharma, leader of the group featuring promising young artists from Kolkata, namely Avjit Sengupta, Chandan Das, Chandan Sengupta, Partha Roy, Sanjoy Singha, Surajit Sarkar and Sanjib Mallick.
A cursory glance at their works explains why Nagaswar is leading. Five of his canvases, with their sheer novelty, stand out among the rest. He uses scratch technique for texture. Beginning by spreading out one colour on the canvas, he goes on to scrape it with blades, scissors, sand paper and sand grains to reveal endless possibilities. Unique patterns emerge - mostly abstract, sometimes realistic.
Nagaswar’s works may be in a league of their own, but he has competition from almost all others. The show is impressive with its range of realistic works, each one uniquely different and commanding. Avjit’s female forms, painted in Indian settings, are extremely striking, so are Sanjoy Singha’s figures painted with acrylic and charcoal.
Surajit Sarkar’s canvases are hauntingly beautiful. His figures are dark and relatable. The use of colours is superb, with canvases reflecting reds, blues and greens, all at once. Sanjib Mallick and Chandan Sengupta are almost on Sarkar’s plane but they seem more generous in their use of Bengal’s culture as an influence for art.
Abstracts come from Chandan Das and Partha Roy, celebrated artists both. They impress with their technique and provoke with their patterns. Beginning tomorrow, the works will remain on display till August 17.
And they finally met... - Times of India(2007-03-08)
He was the chief guest at Biplab Biswas’ exhibition, but the artist had never met art-critic Keshav Malik, so he couldn’t recognize him.
Unusual art do
This art do was a little unusual. The artist did not know who the chief guest was.
Biplab Biswas and Swaraj Das recently held an exhibition in the city, and invited Keshav Malik to be the chief guest.
Malik has written about Biplab in the catalogue of the latter’s paintings, but the two had never met. That led to some amusing confusion, but all was well in the end.
Lost for words
The visitors to the exhibition liked the paintings, and some told Biplab that his work resembled the work of MF Husain. Biplab couldn’t figure out if that was a compliment or a comment, and so he took the safe route – he just kept smiling back.
Painting the town red - Hindustan Times(2007-08-24)
Kolkata-based Ananta Mandal, 24, passed out of the city’s College of Arts and Crafts only last year, but he already enjoys international acclaim as a watercolour artist. This simple, soft-spoken lad from Chakdaha village near Kolkata, is counted in the same league as the country’s renowned watercolour painters like Paresh Maity and Sanjay Bhattachariya. Last year, he sold a painting for a whopping 2.75 lakh. “Times have changed, you can make it big in the art world if you have talent, dedication and commitment. Your age does not matter if your work has depth and vision,” says the young artist.
Ananta belongs to the Gen Next of artists who know the dynamics of the market, experiment with new techniques, boast of a fresh vision and know that they are in demand. “Art galleries and buyers are now more open to young artists. The only thing is that your work should be original,” says Delhi-based painter Anita Singh, 24, whose solo exhibition will be held next month.
Says Varunika Saraf, 25, whose paintings were recently exhibited at New Delhi’s Visual arts Gallery, “While I keep track of the latest trends, I do not go by them as I don’t want to be typecast.”
Lack of imagination - The Indian Art News(2007-08-23)
Biswajit Mandal’s solo exhibition of painting, showing at the Academy of Fine arts, West Gallery, can be summed up in one word: disappointing. This is perhaps his first solo exhibition. Although he has done many group exhibition in the last few years. Mandal’s works primarily with oil, and has a prediction for flora and fauna. He uses red, black and green liberally, but with a singular lack of imagination and skill. And this leaves little scope for further critical comment.
‘Sadrishya’ has organized a group exhibition in the North Gallery. The most artist of this exhibition is the student of the eminent artist Ramananda Bondyopadhyay. The group of artists who have gathered under the banner of Sadrishya has a unity of style. One is confronted with an assortment of garish colours, amateurish shapes and derivative subjects. The participating artist includes Panchu Gopal Datta, Bijoy Chakraborti, Biswarup Datta, Bageshree Datta and Millie Basu Roy. Depictions of Indian deities abound alongside figure studies. Anxieties of influence are also embarrassing pervasive. For this reason, it becomes difficult at times to distinguish between works by different artist. Durgadas’s terracotta sculptures particularly the ones depicting a reclining man with a newspaper- provide some relief from this dreary array. Such tritely decorative works of art inevitably leave the viewer with a mixture of boredom.
Embracing modernity - The Indian Art News(2007-08-17)
Inspired by regional art and craft traditions, Ramesh Gorjala was brought upon a healthy dosage of stories based on Hindu mythology and the art of Kalamkari from his grandfather. Since the age of eleven he has been painting in this style and he horned up his skill while studying Fine Arts. A popular figure in the region of Sri Kalahasti situated on the blank of river Swarnamuki, Gorjala’s works are replete with mythological forms with contemporary visual appeal. The principal figure in his drawings transformed into a sequence of narratives, a sequence rooted in the Purans. He breaks new ground by successfully appropriating this distinctive regional style of cloth painting on to the canvas. His work depicts the multi-layered imagery of gods, goddesses and demons, mythical creatures, metamorphosis of mythical beings and throbbing multiplicity of Indian avataras. Mon Art Gallerie is hosting an exhibition of paintings – Embracing Modernity – by Ramesh Gorjala till 30 august.
His traditional images break new grounds with his painting style. The chaos of flora and fauna builds up his vocabulary focused on details his works feature of an overlap of images. Suresh Jayaram, historian and art critic, says, “The ability to layer his principal images with narratives of the deity in his forte. He unifies flesh and spirit and affirms the ever-changing and multiple identity of representing gods and myths in all its diversity and imagination”. The most unique twist in his works is his ability to overlap the images. Gorjala’s first solo exhibition was held in Bangalore and was followed by a show at Alankritha Art Gallery.
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