The second edition of Ragas by the River, set against the scenic backdrop of Jim Corbett National Park and on the banks of the Kosi river, was held from March 21 to 23. 500 music aficionados from across the country and the world were presented with Hindustani classical music and exquisite food that included diverse flavours from Rampuri, Persian and Kumaoni cuisine.

Festival Director and hospitality professional Vir Srivastava, who studied music under Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, revealed that he was also inspired by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, with whom he is associated as the managing trustee of the Sarod Ghar museum in Gwalior. Srivastava says the idea of this immersive cultural retreat literally came to him in a dream. “The intention is to feel music in nature and enhance the experience. This forum is to promote music among the young generation as well,” he said.

The second edition of Ragas by the River, set against the scenic backdrop of Jim Corbett National Park and on the banks of the Kosi river, was held from March 21 to 23. 500 music aficionados from across the country and the world were presented with Hindustani classical music and exquisite food that included diverse flavours from Rampuri, Persian and Kumaoni cuisine.

Festival Director and hospitality professional Vir Srivastava, who studied music under Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, revealed that he was also inspired by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, with whom he is associated as the managing trustee of the Sarod Ghar museum in Gwalior. Srivastava says the idea of this immersive cultural retreat literally came to him in a dream. “The intention is to feel music in nature and enhance the experience. This forum is to promote music among the young generation as well,” he said.

Ragas by the River opened at the beautifully adorned Kosi lawns of the Riverview Retreat, with Shubha Mudgal’s soul-stirring performance, Classical Echoes, with tabla maestro Aneesh Pradhan, in which she presented themes of love and longing through the rich tradition of khayal and thumri. She began with two compositions in Raga Madhuvanti. As her magnificent voice filled the air, the sky grew darker and a neat row of seven white birds majestically flew overhead. Mudgal ended her performance with the ghazal Gajab Dha Gaye Tore Naina Murari, which got much applause from the audience.

After a break for tea and snacks, sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee took over the stage along with young vocalist Pratibha Singh Baghel and tabla maestro Satyajit Tawalkar for Strings and Verses, which wove together classical, semi-classical and ghazal melodies. As the sitar conversed with the beat of the tabla, the crowd swayed to Baghel’s soulful tunes. “Music came into being with man imitating the sounds of nature – the chirping and twittering of birds, the rustling of leaves and the flowing of a stream,” said Chatterjee, before starting his performance with Raga Hamsadhvani, which celebrates the swan.

Baghel sang a number of popular ghazals and Bollywood numbers including Rang Sari Gulabi Chunariya Re, Aaj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo, Jashn E Gham, Chhaap Tilak Sab, and Intaha Ho Gai Intezar Ki with the crowd echoing many of the lyrics. In between, Chatterjee also did a little jugalbandi with the keyboard. The energetic solo tabla performance at the end left the audience spellbound. The night closed with evocative qawwalis by Rehmat-e-Nusrat at the resort’s poolside venue.

Day two began with a traditional Kumaoni dance performance on the sunny lawns complemented by an authentic Kumaoni lunch. The stage for the evening, was set on the banks of the river at the Taj Corbett Resort & Spa. Santoor maestro Rahul Sharma accompanied by his wife Barkha on the tanpura and Ojhas Adhiya on the tabla presented Kashmir to Kosi, which included pure and light classical compositions. “It’s a common misconception that if you don’t understand the raga, you will not enjoy the music. As long as the music touches your heart, gives you some peace of mind and makes you forget your mobile phones for a while, it’s good enough,” said Sharma before singing the calming Raga Charukesi, followed by three different compositions.

While he spun magic with his fingers on the strings of the santoor, artist Sidharth added vibrant colours to a canvas. “When you paint with colours, you create sounds as well as stories. Hearing the santoor gives one the feeling of water and air. I wanted to pay tribute to Pandit Shivkumar Sharma who I knew well, while also creating a landscape of Chaitra or spring,” said Sidharth, a singer and composer himself.

As a cool breeze blew, classical vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty and Kathak artist Bhakti Deshpande presented a rare collaboration called Nritya Raga that combined the singer’s melodious voice and the dancer’s graceful moves. Divided into five distinct sections that invoked Ganesha, Rama, Shiva, Krishna and Durga, the set then transitioned into a vibrant thumri celebrating Holi through music and dance – with songs such as Rang Darungi and Aji Bali Hai Mori Umariya. The evening ended with a power-packed celebration of nostalgia by Goa-based band A26, which played some timeless tunes that delighted the crowd.

The final day began early in the morning. Between sips of masala chai, the serene sounds of the flowing river mingled with the soothing vibrations of morning ragas by Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra. Beginning with Raga Ramkali in three rachnas, they went on to play a traditional song composed by their father. Another bhajan, a rachna in Raga Jaunpuri followed. “If a musician is trying to prove something, then it is not music. Music is prayer, not something to be proved,” they said before ending the performance with Sadh Re Man Sur Ko Sadh Re, a bhajan from the film, Sur Sangam.

Brothers Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash took the evening stage with Taufiq Qureshi on the djembe and Vijay Ghate on the tabla. Their electrifying performance, Ninth Wave, which was a confluence of nine ragas and nine taals explored each of the navarasas (nine emotions) – pathos, love, courage, joy, wrath, fear, hatred, wonder and peace. In between the two percussionists had an impromptu jam with Qureshi even using his breath to create rhythms. The audience showed their appreciation with resounding applause.

The festival’s finale featured Papon, who started with some light nostalgic tunes and ghazals like Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho, Yeh Nayan Dare Dare and Ek Akela Is Shahar Mein before launching into Benaam Si Khwaishe, the ghazal he composed for Coke Studio. This was followed by his film songs like Kaun Mera, Moh Moh Ke Dhaage and Tera Saath Hai. He also broke into Imagine by John Lennon before ending the evening with what he called Yaman with Papon, which had the audience singing lines of songs after him.

All of which meant that the festival ended on a high note. Of course, more editions are in the offing. “We are planning more editions such as Ragas by the Lake in Naukuchiatal, Ragas by the Sea in Goa and Ragas by the Fort in Gwalior. We may gradually want to even take it overseas to cities such as Dubai,” said Srivastava.

A freelance writer based in New Delhi, Neha Kirpal writes primarily on books, music, films, theatre and travel