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The unfading notes
Artistes from across the spectrum pay tribute to Veena Sahasrabuddhe.
Meeta Pandit
(Hindustani vocalist)
The association between our families dates back to several years since both were closely connected with the Gwalior gharana. One of the reasons why I felt an affinity towards her music was because we share our musical roots. She was one of the most significant branches of the banyan tree called Gwalior. The speciality of the gharana, the aada chautaal, came through beautifully in her singing. Her father and guru Shankar Shripad Bodas, one of the earliest disciples of the legendary Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, moved to Kanpur at the behest of his master to take music to the industrial town. Such was the family’s guru bhakti. Impeccable intonation, clarity of approach and a varied variety repertoire made her stand apart as a vocalist. A great teacher, committed musician and a balanced person, I will always regret not having been able to record her singing for the ‘Masters of Hindustani Music, a series I was working on. But she leaves behind a rich treasure for us to hold on to.
Vijay Siva
(Carnatic vocalist)
Soaked in fine aesthetic values with a strong traditional base, Veena Veena Sahasrabuddhe represented the fast dwindling community of genuine musicians. Although her music reflected her father and brother’s influence and training, it also showcased her individual brilliance. Those who listened to her last concert in Chennai at Kalakshetra auditorium will remember the ease and grace with which she sang. I was at Pune a few years ago to wish her speedy recovery. Her gentle smile of acknowledgement remains as fresh as her music in my memory.
Ranjani Ramachandran
(Hindustani vocalist and faculty member, Santiniketan)
I have known Veenatai’s (as she was fondly referred to) family since my childhood since I grew up in Kanpur. I also learnt from her brother Pt Kashinath Shankar Bodas in Kanpur. I was under Veenatai’s tutelage for more than 10 years in Pune. I have had the privilege providing vocal support at her concerts, which was a great learning experience. While steeped in the Gwalior gharana gayaki, especially the Paluskar styleof vocalism, she also imbibed nuances of the Kirana gharana. She admired Vidushi Kishori Amonkar and Pandit Kumar Gandharva’s gayaki apart from many others. Gifted with a powerful and captivating voice, her music and performances were always emotionally intense. She was a also a scholar, who took a keen interest in everything related to music — teaching, composing and writing (one of her published books ‘Nad Ninad’ is a compilation of bandishes composed by her, and her brother and father). With a Masters in vocal music and Sanskrit, she was a Sangeet Praveen (equivalent to Ph.D) from the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Her thesis was on Tarana of which she was one of the finest exponents. As a teacher, she was dedicated and a hard taskmaster, who took keen interest in the progress of her students. As a person, she was affectionate, positive and a perfectionist. It was an unforgettable moment to be conferred the Pt. Ramkrishnabua Vaze Yuva gayak puraskar on the same day when my guru was awarded the Pt. Vinayakbua Patwardhan Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar by Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in December 2013 in Pune.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Friday Review / by Chitra Swaminathan / July 08th, 2016
Presenting, at 332kg, world’s largest samosa
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HIGHLIGHTS
– A group of 10 enthusiasts have sought a place in the Guinness Book of World Records by preparing, what they claim, world’s biggest samosa
– The quintessential Indian snack, weighing 332 kg, was made at Gopal Nagar colony of Maharajganj district.
– The group, led by 20-year-old Ritesh Soni, has now approached the Guinness Book Committee to get their feat ratified.
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Gorakhpur:
A group of 10 enthusiasts have sought a place in the Guinness Book of World Records by preparing, what they claim, world’s biggest samosa. The quintessential Indian snack, weighing 332 kg, was made at Gopal Nagar colony of Maharajganj district. Thousands of people thronged the venue where the feat was being achieved. The group, led by 20-year-old Ritesh Soni, has now approached the Guinness Book Committee to get their feat ratified.
Soni , who runs a small roadside restaurant at Gopal Nagar, says that he was inspired by the world’s largest jalebi which was made by another group in the district. “Last year, a group in Katharia Bazar made world largest jalebi and now it is in the Guinness Book. Like them, we also want to make our town famous through our feat,” Soni told TOI.
” Earlier, Bradford College of England made the biggest samosa weighing 110 kg. Our samosa is three times bigger,” said Naveen Tewari, another group member. “Through the Guinness recorgnition, I want to get the attention of leaders towards my small town as after so many years of independence it is still facing illiteracy, basic infrastructure and electricity problem,” he added.
“From the past 15 days, we are preparing for and started working on the final preparation on Monday evening. By Tuesday morning, it was ready for display,” Sonia said. Since then thousands of people have visited the site to see it. The group earlier planned to make it on Eid but later it was extended administration didn’t give them permission.
The group spent around Rs 40,000 in the making, “It took 90 litre refined oil, 1.75 quintal wheat flour and 2 quintal potato to prepare it. The samosa is 3 meter high and its three sides are 2 metre, 1.5 metre and 1.5 metre. Its radius is around 36 inch,” Ritesh said.
Most group members are involved in catering business and aged between 16 and 30 years. Four of them are class 12 students. “We all pooled in around Rs 30,000 and rest of the amount came through donations,” Ritesh said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Varanasi / TNN / July 13th, 2016