Pandit Kedar Bodas - Mehfil in Delhi on 30 July 2016

One of the mainstays of the work of NaadSaagar Archives & Documentation Society for South Asian Music on outreach and dissemination has been to host regular mehfil-s cutting across genres of North Indian classical music vocal and instrumental forms, featuring eminent musicians who hold tremendous social & cultural significance within the discourse of South Asian music traditions. During the period between July 2012 & July 2018, we organized a total of 20 such mehfil-s at the India International Centre (IIC), with logistic and financial support from Jnana Pravaha: Centre for Cultural Studies & Research. What made these mehfil-s unique is the archival perspective behind them, wherein each artiste’s work is viewed as an archive in itself. I had curated these mehfil-s carefully in close consultation with the artistes featured and repertoires were selected in such a way that something unique was presented to the audience, ensuring that each mehfil was peerless. The other unique feature of these mehfil-s was that each one was webcast live so that anyone anywhere in the world can access these without being physically present at the venue. It is now my pleasure to share them with the wider community of rasika-s here on YouTube. Born in a family of professional musicians, Kedar Bodas received initial ta'lim from his grandfather Pandit Lakshmanrao Bodas who was a direct disciple of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar of the Gwalior gharana. Subsequently, he learnt from his father Pandit Narayanrao Bodas, Pandit C. P. Rele, Pandit T. D. Janorikar and Pandit Bhalachandra Pendharkar, thus extending the corpus of his musical knowledge across several gharanas. In an attempt to enrich his ta’lim further, Kedar became a formal student of Dr. Ashok Ranade who broadened his musical horizons based on a profound musicological vision. The styles of Pandit D. V. Paluskar, Pandit Ram Marathe, Pandit Gajananrao Joshi and Pandit Kumar Gandharva also had a deep impact on the structural thought process of his music.