Kuwait: Sitar Concert by Pandit Janardan Mitta 4th Feb

By Vinod Lewis
Bellevision Media Network

Kuwait, 30 Jan 2013: Kalanjali Kuwait, an independent and non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of Fine Arts from India, in existence since 2004 and who have organized many programs since then, is organizing a Sitar Concert on 4th Feb 2013, in Indian Community School, Senior Branch, Salmiya from 6.30 pm onwards.

 

This program is dedicated to Late Pandit Ravi Shankar and to commemorate 64th India’s Republic Day.

 

Pandit Janardan Mitta, one of the senior most students of Late Pandit Ravi Shankar, will perform for the music lovers of Kuwait.

 

Pandit Janardan Mitta attained the excellence of a consummate, elegant artist that he is today, under the distinguished tutelage of the world-renowned Sitar maestro Pandit Ravishankar… He has traveled widely across the country performing at all the leading Sabhas, Radio & TV and abroad all over the USA, CANADA, WEST INDIES, UK, FRANCE, GERMANY, BELGIUM, POLAND, SINGAPORE and SRI LANKA.

 

 Pandit Janardan is one of the few distinguished musicians to have performed at the United Nations in 1971 and the first Hindustani musician to have performed at the Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival at Tiruvaiyyaru in 1976, He was conferred the title ‘Asthana Vidwan’ of Sri Sarada Peetham, Sringeri. A graduate in Music, a post graduate in Sociology and a Doctorate scholar in Musicology. While he was debating within myself to resolve the dilemma of two seemingly contradicting demands (of Engineering and Music) came the inauguration of a Film Studio in Hyderabad.  He was asked to play Sitar for the first song which, incidentally turned out to be the beginning of his musical career, on D-day the 6th June 1958. If vocation and avocation are the same (Music) one would compliment the other or so he thought and moved to Madras in January 1959, the capital of all the four South Indian language films.

 

Sri Janardan worked with all the Music Directors in all the four South Indian languages - including Hindi, Bengali, Oriya and English. From the Carnatic classical based compositions of Sri G. Ramanath Iyer and Dakshina Murthy through the golden period of Viswanathan Ramamurthy and K.V. Mahadevan to the Modern Music of Ilaiya Raja and Deva and now the Ultra Modern Music of Sri A.R. Rehman & Harris Jeyraj.

 

In most of the Songs Sitar stood out as solo pieces as well as in unison with other Indian Instruments and in Harmony with Western Orchestra. His ability to adapt to the mood of the scene in the background score of any movie was very much appreciated and applauded, like the theme Music of "PESUM PATAM"- with no dialogue. Many outstanding Art Films, Documentaries & short films having his Sitar as the main or the only instrumental music, won Awards and received rave notices from critics as also the press.

 

Janardan composed Music for some Award-winning movies, Documentaries and short films.

 

Private recordings of Devotional songs like the immortal "Bhagwath Gita" and ASHTAPADI by Padmasri Ghantasala Venketeswara Rao. FUSION MUSIC by Mr. Andrew Lum, Singapore,  Guruji-Philip Gloss’ "PASSAGES" and leading Band OXYGEN to mention a few. With his vast experience in both Classical & a Film Music, he is now composing Fusion Music.

 

JUGALBANDIS: With STALWARTS like Padmasri: M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Prof: T.N. Krishnan, Sagita kalanidhi Sri Chandrashekar, Parur Sri Ananthraman, Kalaimamani Ms. KanyaKumari (Violin), Vidwan Ravikiran, Sri Durga Prasad, (Gotu Vadyam) Mandolin, Sarod, Flute etc to the accompaniment of Veterans like Padma Bhushan Umayalapuram Siva Raman, T.V. GopalaKrishnan, Guruvayur Dorai, Mannargudi Eswaran K.V. Prasad, etc...

 

Pandit Janardan Mitta has been invited as Judge at various Music competitions including many TV Channels & Institutions and the Ministry of Culture and Human Resources, Government of INDIA for awarding of Scholarships to young upcoming Artistes. He was External Examiner for 5 years at Sri Satya Sai University, Puttaparthy. Radio & TV artiste since its inception.

 

Various Sabhas have conferred Titles and Awards, including among others,                         
• SITAR SAMRAT, SITAR CHAKRAVATHY, Sri G.RAMANATHAN AWARD - August 1999
• OUTSTANDING MUSICIAN AWARD by CINE MUSICIANS’ UNION.
• VETARAN MUSICIAN AWARD by Padmasri KAMAL HASAN for F E F S I.
• LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2008 NEW JERSY, by American Telugu Association.
• SPECIAL JURY AWARD 2010 for OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION to FILM MUSIC.
• SAN FRANCISCO AWARD for Short Film BLISS.
• STATE AWARD for a Feature Film, “AGNI SAMSKARAM“, Documentary “DANCING NATRAJ” and Ooty FLOWER SHOW 
• SIVA FOUNDATION AWARD 2011 - for promoting Classical and Film Music on SITAR!
Sri Janardan was the President of CINE MUSCIANS’ UNION & Convener-Treasurer of its TRUST for 3 years each. During this period he tried to improve the working conditions of the cine musicians - No night work, equitable distribution of work, pension for the retired &  on demise, a lump sum payment to the bereaved family, extra payment for additional tracks played and overtime payment for late finishing of recordings. Even now, as a ROTARIAN he is arranging HEALTH Check -up Camps for the Musicians and their families.

 

Shri Chandrajith, will accompany Pandit Mitta on Tabla. Shri Chandrajith, son of music director late Shri K. DURAIRAJ is well known for his keen sense of rhythm, sound production and tonal quality. He believes that the credit for nurturing his talent and shaping him in to the Tabla player he is today goes to his Guruji Pt. Abhjit Banerjee (a student of Pt. Gyan Prakash Ghosh of the Farukhabad Gharana) who is today one of the finest Tabla players in the world, whose tutelage Chandrajit has been under since late 2003. 

 

In 1995 he was awarded “The KALAIMANI” Title with First class Gold Medal Diploma in Mridangam by the Government College of music in Chennai. Chandrajith’s repertorie boasts of numerous performances around the world, including at the prestigious international music festival in UZBEKISTAN, The ITC Sangeet Sammelan in New Delhi, Surya World Tour festival in 2008, various Jugalbandi programmes with eminent artists and Hindusthani classical Tabla Solo performances at many Sabhas in India, especially at Sri Guru Ganayogi Panchakshara Hindustiani Music festival, every year in Chennai. He has toured all over the world with performances in Mauritius, Reunion, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Switerland, Denmark, London, Singspore, Doha, Muscat, Kuwait, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi and Dubai to name a few.

 

He has accompanied Top artists such as his Guruji Pt. ABHIJIT BANERJEE (Tabla Solo), Sitarists Ustad Rafeeq Khan, Pt. Janardan Mitta, Sarod artist Pt. Parthosarathy Bandhopadyaya, Slide Guitarist Ms. Kamala Shankar, Saxophonist Padmasri Kadri Gopalnath, virtuoso Violinist Smt Kanyakumari, Veena Artist Sri. Rajesh Vaidya, Singers Ms. Sandya Kathavete, Ms. Lalitha Sharma, Sriram Parasuram, Palghat Sriram, Flutist SHASHANK & BALASAI, ace Mridangam players Shri D.A. Srinivas, Thiruvarur Bhaktavalsalam, Tavil Vidwans Padmasri A.K. Palanivel, T.R. Govindraj and many others. Accompanying Ghazal artists is one of his passions and he has also been part of many musical collaborations. He has been an integral part of his own fusion band “SHIVAM” since 2010 and also performs with the Basavaraj brothers and their critically acclaimed groups “The Yakshas & Pranavam, Paanchajanyam”.

 

The event is open to all Kalanjali Kuwait members. Kindly contact 66457286 (Murali Manohar) or by email kalanjaliq8@gmail.com regarding the membership, entry passes for the event and for guest entries.