Attend this event to learn about the musical legacy from Mumbai’s Bhendi Bazaar

The English called the neighbourhood lsquoBehind the Bazaarrsquo according to its location between the bustling lanes of Mohammed Ali Road and Khetwadi This soon evolved into its more familiar nomenclature Bhendi Bazaar over time But unknown to many it is also home to one of the premier gharanas of Hindustani khayal music This weekend the fifthgeneration exponents of the style Shubha Joshi Kishori Janorikar and Anuradha Kuber will drop in to Mumbai for a twoday lectureperformance Behind the Bazaar Revitalising the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana at G5A in MahalaxmiAnjanibai Malpekar was the inspiration for this Raja Ravi Varma portrait Pic CourtesyWikimedia CommonsIn Hindustani classical music a gharana refers to a musical style that is passed down from teacher to student or through lineage Anuradha Kuber a fifthgeneration exponent explains ldquoThe importance of a gharana for any musician can be equated with that of having a family Just as a family gives you a sense of belonging a gharana gives you the validation of belonging to a certain musical stream or thoughtrdquoCity rootsIn 1870 Ustads Chajju Khan Nazir Khan and Khadim Hussain Khan founded the eponymous gharana in the neighbourhood ldquoA gharana often takes its key characteristics from its founding member but with three brothers laying the foundation each had their own specialtyrdquo vocalist and lead consultant on the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana Project Tejashree Amonkar points outAnuradha Kuber in performance Pic CourtesyInstagramThis further evolved as the brothers brought students to their fold The first and perhaps the best known was Ustad Aman Ali Khan under whom names such as Pandit Shivkumar Shukla Pandit TD Janorikar as well as Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey studied Kuber a student of the late Pandit TD Janorikar says ldquoMany veterans learned from Ustad Aman Ali Khan saab The gayaki was very different from the other singing styles prevalent during that time That was probably its attractionrdquo This history and nuances of the gayaki singing will be a key part of the lecture discussions between Kuber and Kishori Janorikar during the twoday eventStylistically uniqueLike the other gharanas the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana had certain unique facets that set it apart Kuber says ldquoThese include the way the bandish is decorated with sargam patterns and bols and the aesthetic use of grace notes There is also a slight Carnatic influence on the sargam patterns employed by this gayakirdquo Among the many students who turned to this school was the legendary Kishori Amonkar Tejashreersquos grandmother who learnt under Vidushi Anjanibai Malpekar mdash the first female Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowshipwinner and a muse to artists like Raja Ravi Varma and MV Dhurandhar This personal connection was another reason that drew Tejashree to the projectTejashree AmonkarDescribing the facets of the style Kuber adds ldquoThe gayaki placed a lot of emphasis on the way the words had to be pronounced in a bandishrdquo This focus on enunciation sets the style apart from other khayal forms of singing ldquoRaagdaari in Hindustani classical music can sometimes be obscure Singers of this gharana have a very good balance between projecting the notes and the alphabet without compromising eitherrdquo shares Tejashree Democratic valuesIn some ways the gharana imbibed the values of the city it resided in ldquoAs far as I know this is the only gharana that grew without the patronage of a royal court It was helped by the British administration but mainly it was the public that patronised itrdquo Tejashree remarks Yet as the 19th century turned over the lines between gharanas grew increasingly blurred with the name even limited to the circles of Hindustani classical musiciansKishori JanorikarTo conserve and encourage this school and its distinct style was one of the focus of the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana Project by G5Arsquos cityLAB Artistic director Anuradha Parikh states ldquoWe wanted to acknowledge its vital contribution to Mumbairsquos legacy by introducing the gharana through its exponents and presenting a weekend of performances an exhibition a lecdem and the launching of a dedicated websiterdquo Saurabh Hantolkar 22 is the first new student to be mentored by Shubha Joshi as part of the programme The difference is in the experience he says is in the approach ldquoI lacked a certain selfawareness of the skills and their scope That focus is something that I have learnedrdquo he says While it seems that everything has changed the gharana might still continue its historical legacy in the city starting with a weekend of historical and musical recollectionON June 15 6 pm to 10 pm June 16 10 am to 1230 pmAT G5A Warehouse Shakti Mills Lane Mahalaxmi WestLog on to insiderinEntry RSVP mandatory