SPOTLIGHT
ASHWINI BHIDE-DESHPANDE TO HEADLINE RAAG-MALA SEASON OPENER
Raag-Mala Toronto has announced another exciting concert season, once again in partnership with the Aga Khan Museum. Vidushi Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande will be the opening artiste on Sunday, March 29.
Raag-Mala Toronto has announced another exciting concert season, once again in partnership with the Aga Khan Museum. “We are thrilled that Vidushi Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande will be our opening artiste on Sunday, March 29,” said Nishant Parekh, President of Raag-Mala Toronto. “It is a rare opportunity for us to present an artiste performing both late-morning and early-afternoon raags in a single day.”
The idea for this two-part program came to me in January last year, when I attended a morning recital on January 26 (India’s Republic Day). On that occasion, Ashwini ji presented the beautiful morning raag Vibhas, followed by Hindol-Bahar and a Marathi abhang.
Ashwini ji, the leading torchbearer of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, was among the Padma awardees announced the previous evening (Republic Day eve). I had the distinct honour of congratulating the newly minted Padma Shri awardee after the recital on behalf of her many admirers in Toronto.
The Jaipur-Atrauli gharana is especially known for its complex and demanding repertoire, including raags such as Bihagda, Sampurna Malkauns, and – most notably – jod (compound) raags like Nat-Kamod and Basanti-Kedar, as well as Hindol-Bahar, which Ashwini ji performed that morning.
Speaking about the 2026 season, Parekh added: “By a happy coincidence, Manjiri Asanare, who will also perform in 2026, sings largely within the same gharana’s stylistic framework. Manjiri ji last performed for Raag-Mala at the Glenn Gould Studio in October 2018, when she presented raags Lalita-Gauri and Nat-Kamod. It will be exciting to hear her again after such a long interval.”
No mention of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana would be complete without acknowledging its most illustrious luminary, Kesarbai Kerkar, and her iconic rendition of raag Lalita-Gauri – one of my personal all-time favourites. Incidentally, Kesarbai’s recording of raag Bhairavi (Jaat Kahan Ho Akeli – Where are you going alone? I feel afraid, my beloved) is among the recordings included on the Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977.
As Wikipedia notes: “NASA’s Voyager Golden Record is a 12-inch gold-plated copper disc launched aboard Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 as a cultural time capsule intended to convey the richness of Earth’s life and music, should extraterrestrial intelligences ever intercept it. The record carries greetings in dozens of languages, natural sounds such as wind and whale song, and a curated selection of global music spanning many cultures and eras.”
The April concert will feature the brilliant torchbearer of the Senia gharana, Alam Khan, accompanied by tabla virtuoso Salar Nader. Alam Khan received his taalim from his father, the legendary Swara Samrat, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Saheb. Salar Nader began his training at the age of seven under the late Ustad Zakir Hussain, who attained iconic status in Indian classical music before his untimely passing last year.
In May, Pandit Uday Bhawalkar will perform at the Ismaili Centre Toronto. Dhrupad – the antecedent form of raag sangeet – predates khayal, which became the dominant form beginning in the 17th and 18th centuries.
“Uday ji is the leading exponent of dhrupad in India today,” said Parekh. “He has performed in Toronto several times, and local audiences are among his most ardent admirers.”
Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande is the leading torchbearer of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana.
Rounding out the spring season will be a rare sarangi-santoor jugalbandi featuring Toronto-based sarangiya Pankaj Mishra, with Vinay Desai on santoor and Vivek Pandya on tabla. All three artists are in high demand and are known for the youthful energy and freshness they bring to their performances.
At the Nuit Blanche concert in early October, Indrani Mukherjee will make her Toronto debut. “Indrani ji has performed extensively in India and abroad,” said Parekh. “We are delighted to add Toronto to the list of North American cities where she has appeared.”
The final mainstage concert of the season, in late October, will once again be curated by tabla maestro Pandit Shubhen Chatterjee. The concert will feature Pandit Partho Sarathy on sarod and Vidushi Mita Nag on sitar. “Shubhen ji has worked closely with us to bring some of the finest performers in their respective crafts,” said Parekh.
Two years ago, Shubhen ji organized a tour featuring Mita ji and shehnai nawaz Janab Hassan Haider Khan that delighted Toronto audiences. We are thrilled to welcome Mita ji back, this time alongside one of the leading exponents of the Senia gharana, Pandit Partho Sarathy.
When I congratulated Ashwini ji earlier this year, I urged her to include Toronto on her next North American tour. She held her hands together as if in prayer and responded, “Inshallah,” while I simultaneously said, “Bhagwan ki ichha ho”. We both smiled at the exchange – she, a Hindu, using a Muslim phrase, and I doing the opposite.
Later, I was reminded of one of my favourite songs by Lata Mangeshkar, “Allah Tero Naam, Ishwar Tero Naam,” and how that brief exchange with Ashwini ji reflected the syncretic spiritual sensibilities of many diasporic Indians I knew growing up in Tanzania, as well as those I have met during my travels across India.
The Raag-Mala team, with invaluable input and support from the Aga Khan Museum, is confident that we have assembled a season featuring some of the finest artistes in Indian classical music.
I hope the universe will once again bless us with a successful and fulfilling season.
See inside front cover in this issue for performance dates.
When and where: Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium, Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Drive, Toronto. Details and tickets at www.agakhanmuseum.org.
• Mohamed Khaki is the Programming Director of Raag-Mala Toronto.