Emotions take centre stage: Mogara Phulala presents an evening if multi-genre Marathi light music in Hyderabad

Traditional music has its own unique charm. Sometimes all you want to listen to is some soothing voices full of emotion which tell a story with melody, and get lost in them. Mogara Phulala, organised by Kalabhishek and Udaan Performing arts, a Marathi light music performance by Hemangi Bhagat Nene and Vinayak Lalit will give you an evening of immersive regional music. Vinayak explains light music, “In classical music, the composition—ragas and talas are given primary importance, but in light music, lyrics take centre stage. Music is just a medium to convey those lyrics and stories.”

In this show, they present Abhangs, Natyageet, Ghazals, Bhaavgeet and some Hindi songs. While Abhangs are devotional songs sung in praise of Vitthala, Natyageet is a Marathi folk form of storytelling in the form music. There are often complete conversations with dialogues which happen through music. “Performing a Natyageet is like a comfort zone for me as it is very close to classical music, somewhat like a Bandish. I have added my own element to it with the placement of aalaps and such elements,” says Hemangi.

They will also present some duets like Jab Deep Jale Aana from the movie Chitchor. The performance ends on a high note with a Gavalan, a devotional song in five languages. The name of the song comes from its premise—krishna as a cow herd. In these ghazals, Vinayak says, “The lyrics of the second line and the composition of it evokes an element of suspense in the audience, which makes them want to listen to it even more.”

The ensemble also includes Thakur Singh on tabla, Omar Khan on the synthesiser and Vinayak himself on the harmonium.

Talking about the classical music scene in Hyderabad, Hemangi and Vinayak have observed it to be on a steady rise. Vinayak notes that a few years ago there were multiple percussion players in the city, but not many vocalists. As the city became more and more cosmopolitan and people from other cities else started moving in, we gained vocalists. To this, Hemangi adds that this city is very warm and welcoming to outsiders. She also observes that in around 2019 there was a plateau, but with multiple organisations promoting artistes, the scene is slowly and steadily growing.

Their opinions on the perception of classical music in the younger generation align. While both believe that it is a dying form, they iterate different reasons. Vinayak says that in a world full of Instagram and Tik Tok, the generation is not consuming enough classical, and if there is no consumption, one cannot expect an ignited interest. Hemangi on the other hand says that although there are a couple of students who have the talent and will, they get totally immersed in academics with no time left for the arts. On a concluding note, she also advices everyone to consciously take some time out from their busy schedules, whether it is academics or jobs, for art.

Tickets at ₹200. January 4, 6.30 pm. At KMIT Sardar Patel Auditorium, Narayanguda.