IKSA’s ‘Save Hindustani Sangeet’ Nite, a memorable and melodious one !

IKSA’s ‘Save Hindustani Sangeet’ Nite, a memorable and melodious one ! IKSA, the brain child of Guru Indrajeet Keisham Singh better known as I.K.Singh to his dear friends like Udit Narayan and Prasoon Joshi, has been consistently organising musical evenings for the last 7 years in Mumbai and these events have been graced by the biggest and most famous celebrities in Bollywood as well as the corporate world. The event I am writing about is the most recent one held on 14th April 2023 at Nehru Centre Auditorium, Worli.

The main motive and aim of IKSA - to keep the tradition of rich Indian melodies alive for the generations to come, got another shot in the arm with a serenade of able performances by amateur well-trained shishyas of Guru Indrajeet Keisham, as they brought alive the songs originally sung, composed and written by legendary artistes who have left behind a legacy that is so rich and varied that even a new gen upstart would be forced to acknowledge its power.

The collection of performances by corporate head honchos who have been training for several years under the able guidance of Indrajeet Keisham, highlighted works of legendary singers like Lata, Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Hemant kumar, Mukesh, Mahendra Kapoor, Asha, Jagjit Singh, Udit Narayan sung to the tune of music directors like Roshan, Kalyanji-Anandji, S. D Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, R.D Burman, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chaudhary, Khayyam, Madan Mohan, Rajesh Roshan and others of their ilk. The songs performed on stage also brought to light the haunting meaningful lyrics by lyricists like Anand Bakshi, Nida Fazli, Asad Bhopali, Gulshan Bawra, Gulzar, Hasrat Jaipuri, Javed Akhtar, Khurshid Halluri, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Nakshab Jarchavi, Pandit Narendra Sharma, Sahir Ludhianvi and others.

Today mainstream sangeet has become kitschy and unpalatable. Gone are the days when Hindustani Sangeet represented in the mainstream by Bollywood artistes was melodious with lyrics that touched your hearts and lingered in your memory for years to come. Keisham’s effort should be viewed in that context, His aim to bring back melody and soul touching singing and lyrics back into the mainstream is therefore supremely appreciable.

The event was graced by Padma Bhushan Udit Narayan, Padma Shri Prasoon Joshi, Music Director Daboo Malik, Subhash Goel of Zee and Actress Bindu all of whom have been regulars at most of the concerts that IKSA has been organising over the years. At the event both spoke about their association with the event and the history behind their friendship with Indrajeet Keisham.

Udit Narayan even elaborated with anecdotes on his Bollywood struggle when he and Indrajeet were both students at Bharitiya Vidya Bhavan and were finding it difficult to find a foothold into the music industry. Udit willingly entertained the audience with mukhdas of a few of his popular Bollywood numbers while Prasoon Joshi also performed one of his lesser know songs. At the event, Indrajeet Kaieisham also announced the initiation of the IKSA Relief Fund for the benefit of senior Bollywood artistes who have fallen into penury.

The evening got better and better as the talented group of amateur performers, 11 chosen shishya's who otherwise wheel and deal as businnesmen and women of the corporate world, gained in confidence egged on by their near and dear ones in the audience. IT was a real pleasure hearing the likes of Manish Chokani, Vijay Taparia, Rajesh Madawewala, Tejal Bajla, Sejal Shah, Sanjay Kothari, Ekta Biyani, Shetu Jhaveri, Priyadarshini Kanodia, Sonali Mehta and Aditi Goenka who were encouraged and enthused by the motivating pearls spewed by the very able compere.They performed gallantly and bravely even though some were plagued by wellness issues. It definitely was a noght to remember! Johnsont307@gmail.com