MUSINGS OF MAHESH KALE
“Abhangs” are impressive, creating fervor, rousing the audience to sing and clap along
The grand finale concert of the recently held Saptak festival, the single largest classical music festival in North India was by the young star Mahesh Kale. His awarded songs in the Marathi film “Katyar Kaljal Ghusli” brought him into the limelight 3 years ago; his subsequent unique rendering of “abhangs” fuelled huge interest of the younger generation in his music. His popularity, especially in the Maharashtra region is astounding. Mahesh explained how he postponed his departure back to the US so that he could sing at this finale concert at Saptak, which “he had heard so much about. The audience was amazing.”
Mahesh’s “abhangs” are truly impressive, slowly building up in speed, creating fervor, and rousing the audience to sing and clap along. His hypnotic chant of “Vithal Vithal” interspersed with different Ragas, different moods, coming back to the chant which slowly picks up in tempo is magnificent and creates a wonderful elevating mood of devotion that has to be experienced.
In his words “abhangs are very special for me, I grew up being surrounded by them. I am a trained engineer; I don’t have to be professional singer, but it’s my sheer love for abhangs and wanting to share them that keeps me singing. Bahut kam baar hota hai ki jis cheez mein aapko mazza aa raha hai, doosron ko bhi woh accha lage. When that happens it’s like a musical avalanche, where people are enjoying your music as much as you are.”
Mahesh is based in San Francisco, where he teaches classical music to upwards of 300 students, he sings between 100- 150 concerts in India every season. Right now, he has been judging a music reality show for Colors TV, for which he has been spending 5 to 6 months in India. For him, his main target audience is undoubtedly India; though strangely, as he admitted he had never sung in Kolkata and his last concert in Delhi was 3 years ago. He shared “I would love to sing in Kolkata, and again Delhi. The first 3 years of my life were in Banaras, my dad was posted there and opened the Bank of Maharashtra branch there. When I sang there recently, it was amazing that people in the audience knew stuff about my life there that I did’nt know myself. I actually like singing in different places in India, where I am maybe not such a popular artist, as I don’t want complacency to come into my music by singing only to a familiar audience. I would love to pay my respects and perform “hazri” at the Sankat Mochan festival held in the temple, in Banaras in April. Concerts are not only about the money one earns.”
Films had definitely added to his popularity, but his main goal was to popularize Indian classical music amongst the youth. As he says “classical music is definately my calling”. Mahesh said he refuses films where the lyrics do not “speak to his heart.” He explained how he had agreed to sing at a youth festival, a Sunburn type festival outside Pune recently even though it was of pop music with a beer drinking audience; “if the 30000 or so audience liked my semi classical music, maybe next time the organizers would take the risk and invite another classical music trained artist. I am happy to act as like an alchemist.”
Mahesh continued “living in San Francisco, I find increasing interest and respect there for Eastern heritage arts; I feel in comparision with fusion and lighter music, there are more people trying to train in classical music. I also feel more than ever before, post the Ravi Shankar ji period, there is a huge wave of following for our arts. Vocal music has never been as exposed I feel, as instrumental music in the Western world, and that’s one of the reasons I stayed on in San Francisco, and I limit my concerts. If I wanted I could have a concert every day, if I accepted every concert offer. I don’t want to spend more than I earn from music.
This is the age of Sound – youngsters are used to good background sound in the music they listen to, I try to give them that even in the classical music I sing. Of course this is what I have trained in too ( Mahesh has a post graduation degree in multi media engineering) I always sing with several accompanyists; harmonium, violin, sometimes even an organ. I also add pakhawaj, along with tabla sometimes. I don’t of course negotiate with the basic template, but within the tradition, do try to have 2 people on the left, 2 people on the right.”
Impressively, despite his success as a singer, Mahesh continues to imbibe and learn. As he said “I get music inspiration from Shounaq dada ( Guru Pt Jitendra Abhisheki’s son) whenever I am here, I also try to collaborate with South Indian musicians as I learn something each time.”
Mahesh will now be touring the US in a series of concerts for the next two months.
living in San Francisco, I find increasing interest and respect there for Eastern heritage arts
— MAHESH KALE