Since the lockdown began, flautist Pandit Pravin Godkhindi has kept himself busy, giving concerts and taking music classes online. He has also been involved in the ‘Someyochane’ campaign initiated by music composer Pravin D. Rao.
One such activity that has caught the attention of music lovers is his three-minute presentation the song ‘Hum honge kamiyab’, featured in the ‘Positive Harmonies’ series of MyGov India social hub, an initiative of the Union government.
As part of this initiative, artistes produce a three-minute video in which they present a traditional composition and also send out a message asking people to follow social distancing and proper hand washing techniques, and to have confidence that the country will overcome this hard time. “I am truly humbled in getting an opportunity to showcase my music and lift the spirits of my countrymen in the fight against the coronavirus,” he told The Hindu.
Under MyGov’s ‘India Fights Corona’ initiative, such videos are posted on Twitter, Telegram, YouTube, and Instagram.
The first among the series of presentations is from Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on Mohan Veena. The other artistes featured include violinist N. Rajam, sitar maestro Pandit Nayan Ghosh, Baul folk singer Parvathy Baul from West Bengal, the Tetseo Sisters from Nagaland, tabla maestros Pandit Bickram Ghosh and Ustad Taufiq Qureshi, flautist Pandit Ronu Majumdar, singer Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramaniam, violin maestro L. Subramaniam, santoor virtuoso Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya, and vocalists Purabayan Chatterjee and Mahalakshmi Krishnan.
Among the interesting presentations are that of young tabla player Ishaan Ghosh, wherein the artiste presents an old tabla composition in which he links the “bol” of the composition with the need for social distancing and the right way to wash hands. Singer Ila Arun has presented the song ‘Sun lo na...’, while Ustad Qureshi has used the African instrument Djembe to present a traditional composition. Young singer Vedanth Bharadwaj has presented a fusion of two songs — ‘Maithreem Bhajata’ and ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon.
Harmonium player Narendra Nayak said, “Like film stars, musicians too have big fan followings. These musicians will touch the hearts of their listeners and instil in them the discipline needed.”
Tabla player Bharavi Deraje said the ‘Positive Harmonies’ feature has helped him listen to many old compositions. Pramod Gabbur, another tabla player, said these classical compositions can soothe the minds of listeners.