Varanasi: The Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh’s fifth night was a mesmerising blend of dance and music at the revered Sankat Mochan Temple. Pt Ram Mohon Maharaj’s kathak performance stole the show, backed by talented musicians — Pt Sanju Sahay on tabla, Arif Khan on vocals, Vinayak Sahay on Sarangi, Siddhant Chakravarti on Sitar, and Vishal Krishna on Bol Padhant.In the second presentation, Pt Tejendra Narayan Majumdar’s sublime Sarod rendition entranced the audience, weaving a spell with alap, jod, and jhala in Raag Nand, followed by intricate compositions in teentaal and jhaptal. The maestro concluded with a breathtaking Gatkari in tritaal, Raag Tilak Kamod. Pt Kumar Bose’s masterful tabla accompaniment created a mesmerising jugalbandi, etching the evening in memory.In the next presentation, Pt. Ronu Majumdar from Mumbai, along with his son-disciple Rishikesh Majumdar, enthralled the audience with soulful flute music. They performed alapchari in Raag Darbari, followed by Gatkari in teentaal in Raag Abhogi. They ended the performance with a bhajan. They were accompanied by Rohen Bose on tabla.Senior vocalist Kankana Banerjee took the stage, enchanting all with Raag Bageshri compositions in jhumra and teentaal. She concluded with a soulful piece in Raag Bihag (teen taal) and a Bhajan. Pt Samar Saha’s tabla and Mohit Sahni’s Sanvadini added depth to her mesmerising performance.As the evening progressed, Ustad Maskoor Ali Khan of the Kirana Gharana from Kolkata impressed the audience with his powerful singing. He began with Raag Kaushik Dhwani. He presented two compositions in ektaal and teentaal, followed by a Tarana set in teentaal in Bahar. Bilal Khan Sonavi assisted him on tabla and Mohit Sahni on Sanvadini.Amarendra Mishra’s Sitar recital was a treat, with Alapchari in Raag Kaushik Kanhada, followed by teentaal and ektaal compositions. He ended with a captivating tune. Next, Aniruddha Bhattacharya’s soulful vocals in Raag Lalit mesmerised all, with Subrat Dandpav’s tabla support.In the final presentation, Pt. Abhishek Vyas from Ujjain rendered Raag Ahir Bhairav on the Makrand Veena. He concluded his performance with Gatkari in teentaal. Anshul Pratap Singh accompanied him on tabla.
