Step into the time circle of music

It has been traditionally believed that ragas are most effective at particular times of the day. The ragas in Indian classical music were thus divided based on the time cycles or four prahars of the day. Bringing to the fore this traditional aspect of classical music, the concert Chaturprahar will take the audience through the journey of ragas sung in different time periods, from dawn to dusk. With an impressive list including Gundecha brothers, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Jayateerth Mevundi in performance, the concert promises to be an enriching experience for the audience.

The Gundecha brothers will be performing ragas of midnight to 3 am

"In five hours, the singers will take the audience through the journey of ragas from dawn to dusk," says singer Ashwini Bhide, who adds that she believes in the time theory of ragas and makes it a point to always sing a raga at the time it is supposed to be sung. "If sung at the appropriate time, the raga is more effective and it becomes a beautiful experience for the singer and the audience," she adds.

Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

Clockwork precision

At the concert, each prahar (a unit of time equal to three hours) has been condensed into 75 minutes. Bhide will be performing ragas of the prahar between 9 pm to 12 pm as well as that between 3 am to 6 am.

"Though all the ragas will not be presented at their appropriate time, the ragas will be presented in a choronological order and it will thus be effective," adds Bhide. Ramakant Gundecha, who will be performing the ragas of midnight to 3 am at the concert, feels that such attempts also help the audience understand the ragas better. "Ragas are based on the time-cycle on the day as also the biological clock. Hence the experience of singing them at a particular time is different. In Paris, we had done a 24-hour concert showcasing ragas of all the eight prahars," informs Gundecha.

Though there are many ragas in each prahar, the singers will be performing the most important ragas of the prahar they will be presenting. "The audience will also learn what ragas are sung at what time and will experience the effect of the ragas," explains Jayateerth Mevundi. "Singing a raga at a particular time creates the right mood, it creates certain vibrations, which the audience will also be able to experience," he informs.

On: Today, 5.30 pm to 11 pm
At: Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call: 66223724