Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore / Udupi (VM)

Mangalore Feb 4: A musical treat to the people of Udupi district is being organized by Corporation Bank on Sunday February 5.

A constellation of artistes will bring the best of Indian music including a Jugalbandi by Suramani Praveen Godkhindi on flute and Ustad Rafique Khan on sitar. The music concert will also host Pt Ravindra Yavgal and Pt Raghunath Nakod who will accompany them on tabla. 

A classical and devotional songs recital by Pt M Venkatesh Kumar will also be held at Syndicate Bank golden Jubilee Hall, Manipal. The programme, which is restricted to invitees will be held at Udupi, the birth place Corporation Bank as part of its centenary celebrations.

A brief introduction of the artistes:

Praveen Godkhindi: Praveen Godkindi is the son of Pt Venkatesh Godkhindi an eminent vocalist and basuri artiste. He gave his maiden public performance at the age of 6 manifesting his taste for layakaari at the very first concert. Over the years, Godkhindi has been featured at some of the most prestigious sangeet sammelans and music festivals of the country. He is an excellent composer, music arranger and a vocalist, apart from being a popular bansuri artiste. Having worked with Loius Banks the great jazz pianist and Shivamani, the famous drummer and percussionist, he has eminently contributed to fusion music. Godkhindi has traveled and performed in USA, Canada, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Portugal.

Ustad Rafique Khan: Ustad Rafique Khan had his initial training on sitar from his father Abdul Karim and later came under the tutelage of popular sitarist-brothers Ustad Usman Khan and Ustad Bale Khan. A winner of the prestigious Sur Mani Award from Sur Singar Samsad of Mumbai at the age of 23, Rafique is a master of gayaki ang and tantakari ang and maintains a balance between two styles of playing sitar as well as the purity of the ragas, which he presents. He has performed at prestigious music festivals like Sawai Gandharv music festival, Pune, Swami Haridas Sangeeth Samaroh and Kal Ke Kalakar programme. The Ustad has recently given performances in Italy and Slovania. He is an A grade artiste of All India Radio, Mangalore.

Venkatesh Kumar: Venkatesh Kumar, who hails from Lakshmipur village in Bellary district, was brought up in the rural folk tradition. Pt Puttaraja Gawai was his guru. He later went on to take his postgraduate degree in music from Gandharva   Mahavidyalay.   Gifted with a robust and vibrant voice, rich in tradition, deep in devotion and dexterous in expressions, Venkatesh Kumar has won admiration for his rendering of vachanas and Haridas kritis. An A grade artiste since 1988, he has performed at almost all major music, art and cultural festivals and has featured in the National Programme of Music. Venkatesh Kumar has more than 10 audiocassettes to his credit.
At present, Venkatesh Kumar serves as a faculty at the Music College, Dharwad University.

Pt Rajendra Nakod: Tabla artiste Pt Rajendra Nakod hails from a family of distinguished classical musicians and inherits a musical lineage that has become synonymous with taala vaadya. He has accompanied outstanding instrumentalists and vocalists like Begum Parveen Sultana, Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Pt Ronu Majumdar. He is an also an 'A' grade artiste of All India Radio.