Soulful sitar recital by Dr Renuka mesmerises City music-lovers at PKK monthly baithak

Soulful sitar recital by Dr Renuka mesmerises City music-lovers at PKK monthly baithak

By Ramesh K Dhiman

CHANDIGARH

The city music lovers on Thursday evening went hysterical when an acclaimed Sitar maestro Dr. Renuka Gambhir from Hisar regaled the audience at the 294th Monthly Baithak Programme organized by Pracheen Kala Kendra at the M.L. Koser Indoor Auditorium here.

The packed-like sardine Auditorium reverberated with the soulful strains of the sitar with the appreciative audience applauding the robust recital to the skies.

Dr Renuka Gambhir, a retired Associate Professor from Government P.G. College, Hisar, and an ‘A’ grade artiste of the All-India Radio, has been associated with the legendary Maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan of Imdadkhani Gharana, who taught her the rudimentary of the craft. She inherited the craft of playing Sitar from her father, late Pandit Om Prakash, a former Head of the Department of Music (I) K.M.V. College, Jalandhar, who introduced her to music at an incredible tender age of nine. Thence on, there had been no looking back for her since. She learnt the finer nuances of music, Sitar playing to be precise, from her uncle and guru, Dr. Pandit Virender Kumar and later by Pandit Harvinder Kumar Sharma, an established artistes of the country.

A recepient of numerous prestigious awards in various contests held at the both regional and national levels, Renuka has come a long way to establish herself in the genre she had patronized.

As a brilliant student of music, she was awarded the Gold Medal in Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan continuously for seven long years, which speaks volumes of her command over the craft.

Renuka chose the melodic Raga Saraswati to set the stage afire with her scintillating recital elaborating on reposeful alap followed by jod-jhala,which evoked her full-throated encomium from the audience. Then she moved on to present certain traditional gats in Vilambit and Madhya laya, rhythmic touch, perfect strokes adding to the powerful recital, exhibiting her mastery over the craft.

Renuka’s uncanny knack of handling the divine musical instrument was a testament of her talent.

She concluded her recital with the fast-paced jhala amid thunderous applause from the audience.

Accompanying her on the stage was Tabla wizard Dr Nitin Sharma on Tabla.

The baithak ended with the Kendra Registrar Dr Shobha Koser, Secretary Sajal Koser and veteran prominent artiste Meera Madan honouring the artistes.