Living in harmony

Enthusiasm and youthful zest marked the finals of Saaz, the light Indian music competition, on January 26, the concluding day of Pepsi-Ve...

Enthusiasm and youthful zest marked the finals of Saaz, the light Indian music competition, on January 26, the concluding day of Pepsi-Verve ’99. Cheering crowds, pulsating music and a buoyant atmosphere lasted all of five and a half hours at the ground auditorium of the MIT.

The final round, which compulsorily included a raag remix, a qawwali and a non-filmi Indipop number besides perennial favourites – the Indian film songs – threw up a musical medley of the good and the mediocre. A mixture of old film songs and recent Indipop and film releases made up the repertoire of the five finalists selected out of 17 teams, most of whom stuck to the 45-minute time limit set for their performance. The competition started on a semi-classical note, with Niyati Upadhyay of Abasaheb Garware College of Arts and Science rendering a tuneful Raina Beeti Jaye with an innovative interlude on the guitar. This proved to be the highlight of their show, with the numbers that followed, a much-modified version of Lucky Ali’s O Sanam and Jara Sa Jhoom Lu Main from the film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge proving pale shadows of the original.

Nowrosjee Wadia, next to take the stage, put up a passable show beginning with Azeez Naja’s Chadhta Sooraj, a qawwali that was later to prove popular with two other teams as well. Strong on the vocals with Surjeet, it was the excessive use of the available orchestra that included a drum set, octopads, keyboards and guitar that was perhaps their undoing.

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Baiya Na Dharo presented innovatively in the raag remix category – where the teams were supposed to select a song based on a raag and remix it – and sung well by Maithili Panse – was the only high spot for the Garware College of Commerce. Their other songs, Dhoom Pichuk Dhoom, Dam Maro Dum, Aaja Aaja and Hum Kissi Se Kum Nahin were sung with more gusto and enthusiasm than talent.

Vivek Jhavar set the tone for the performance of his college, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering (BVPCOE), with an energetically-sung Aisa Zakhm Diya Hai. While the college put in an ordinary performance for the songs in their repertoire – Deewana, Main Tera, Chadhta Sooraj and Yaad Piya Ki Aane Lagi – their raag remix, an innovative fast-paced version of Hai Rama Yeh Kya Hua, climaxing to an impromptu jam, had an appreciative crowd clapping for more. The panel of judges, comprising musician Anil Kulkarni, classical singer Vinod Bhushan Alpe, composer and owner of music studio, Music Byte, Ravi Vedant and flautist Ajit Soman must have had a tough time deciding between BVCOE and Fergusson College, the last team to perform, which put up a good show.

Astad Kale and Amrita Kolhatkar, with their grasp of classical singing, wowed the audience with their rendering of Aaye Sur and Mera Kuch Samaan respectively. Their piece-de-resistance in the raag remix category was a composition of saint-poet Kabir Tu Hi Mori Lagan, set to music by Amrita, with a bit of rap thrown in for good measure. All in all, the event left many a note to remember.