HINDUSTANI

CARNATIC

Kalapini Komkali is the daughter and disciple of Pandit. Kumar Gandharva and Vidushi Smt. Vasundhara Komkali. An awesome inheritance resides in her genes. The curious consequence of this circumstance is that it is not only an affirmation of what is called the Gwalior Gayaki, but also of the wholly reconstructed and transformed style that revolutionized and transformed style that revolutionized Hindustani classical music. The Gayaki of Kumar Gandharva is a difficult inheritance to claim.

Merely developing a Gayaki of the weave and quality of that inheritance is a daunting task, which Kalapini has been able to fashion with grace and beauty, and there is little doubt that Kalapini is on her way towards exceptional musical distinction in her life’s work.

Her voice and musical presence already possess exceptional implications, and that would remain a matter of abiding curiosity and interest as she grows older. And most of all she is capable of shattering effort and dedication which are even more important than any gift, mere mainstream intelligence or other natural inheritance she might have possessed.

Kalapini can be said to possess an Alto just a little husky but true as a blade. Her Akar is perhaps the closest yet to that of Kumar Gandharva, a magical mixture of the five vowels that make language ring true and unforgettable. She uses much the same technique her father used to do, that lets you hear the swara as part of the raga and the swara also as pure swara kindled separately and individually. No two people can ever do this the same way, but when it is achieved the listener notices its strange impact. The next thing is to listen to the Sahitya of the Bandishes with its gentle folk intonations, the whisper of the land of Malwa which Kumarji first brought to life.

If you possess a true Gayaki it can never be imitative. It is a living and growing thing that develops with the life lived. You do not get the whole of the Gayaki at once. What you get is a life which only means that you merely get the means of making a Gayaki which becomes your life. Listening to Kalapini, you recognize that she has all the means at her disposal that she can ever get from another life, even if the life is that of Kumar Gandharva.

Kalapini has performed widely across the country in many prestigious music festivals. After her post graduation in Library Science, Kalapini learnt music from her father and is now an active trustee of the Kumar Gandharva Sangeet Academy, which has been structured to present and promote his genius. At present she trains intensively with her mother. She received project Scholarship from ministry of Human resources in the field of Indian classical Music. She also Honored to receive Kumar Gandharva Award from prestigious pujari pratishthan at Pune. Cassettes ‘Aarambha’ and ‘Inheritance’ by HMV and ‘Dharohar’ by Times Music have been released on her name. A live concert CD “Swar-Manjiri” has been released by Vergin records . She also gave her voice in films called “Paheli” and “Devi-Ahilya”.

kalapinik@yahoo.com

OTHER