The number of concerts of Pt. Shivkumar Sharma attended by me cannot be counted on fingers. I have heard Panditji live for more than 10- 15 times, but still, every concert is different. Every concert attains a different height. I have heard Pt. Shivkumar Sharma sitting 5 feet away from him also among thousands of listeners. The physical distance never matters. The spell of his music can catch you even if you are miles away. I would say, his music is filled everywhere and hence it can felt everywhere.
Pt. Shivkumar Sharma always says that he is a medium. It is absolutely true. Such a divine music is not a cup of tea of any human being. It can descend down only through a medium. Panditji has been a medium between all the listeners and the divine vibes which have filled the entire universe.
Pt. Shivkumar Sharma performed Raga Antardhwani in Sawai Gandharva Festival 2012. Antardhwani means sound from within; but it also means sound present everywhere around us. Sound inside a human being is nothing but echo of the universal sound, the Nad Brahma present everywhere. This Raga Antardhwani is created by Pt. Shivkumar Sharma himself. This Raga even if heard for a second or two, makes you introvert. It has some strange power of cutting you from the outside world and taking you inside you.
The concert started with Alap, Jod and Jhala. The entire crowd of 15,000 people was absolutely silent. Antardhwani had casted its spell everywhere. Eyes of almost all the persons were closed on their own. After Alap, Jod and Jhala, Panditji played three compositions in the Raga Antardhwani and each of them was making the Raga more penetrating, more realizing. This aura of notes resonated in the concert hall for more than one and half hour but it is resonating in the hearts of thousands of listeners even today.
Pt. Shivkumar Sharma again did it as he always does. He is a medium who serves bliss.
Photo Credits- Kanchi Bhawalkar
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