Music lovers await Eighth Edition on February 6, 2016
Venkat Raman –
Watching ‘Old is Gold VII’ at Dorothy Winstone Centre of Auckland Grammar School on Saturday, May 2, 2015, one could not escape from the thought that we have a wealth of talent in New Zealand and yet some of us chase celebrities, pay them a hefty price and put up shows, ending in loss of money or friends or both.
One could also find it difficult to get away from the feeling that there are people who take us for a ride with their own dramas and yet there are people like Amit Sengupta and his team of talented singers and musicians who strive to provide quality entertainment and make a very good job of it.
Large Contingent
The Seventh Edition of ‘Old is Gold’ featured 33 songs (three of them dancers) rendered by 19 singers and ten instrumentalists, each complimenting the other. As Master of Ceremonies Kashika Singh (who reports for Humm FM Radio 106.2 FM) said in chaste Hindi, “Each of them was a jewel in the Crown of golden melodies. Their sincerity and cooperative spirit was contagious.”
Ahead of time
Amit Sengupta promised to commence the programme at 7 pm and end it at 1025 pm.
He did not keep up his word.
‘Old is Gold VII’ started at 658 pm and concluded at 1022 pm, with a perfectly timed 20 minutes of intermission.
It was a programme that rekindled memories of the past, bringing together people who had a good ear for good music. The timelessness of these songs were again proved and it was a delight to see younger members of our communities rendering the songs of yore with enthusiasm and confidence.
All the songs bore testimony to the richness of talent that is inherent among the members of our communities.
While every singer and every member of the orchestra rose to the occasion with dignity and poise, I must make a special mention of three singers who were in their elements, doing more-than-expected justice to the original versions.
Special tributes
They were Dr Hubert D’Cruze (‘Yeh Nayan Dare Dare’ and ‘Ye Raat Ye Chandni’); Rachit Bhatia (‘Suno Jana Suno Jana’ and ‘Ye Chand Sa Roshan Chehera’); Siddharth Krish (‘Chaudhavin Ka Chand’ and ‘Dil Me Chhupakar’); Akhila and Abhaya Puthigae (‘Kajra Mohabbatwala’).
The three dancers- Nirmita Ghosh, Ratna Venkat and Divya Krishnamurthi- added lustre to the songs (respectively ‘Tune O Rangila,’ ‘Mose Chhal Kiye Jaa’ and ‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Kiya,’ the last of which was a dance duet with Ratna and Divya).
One-liners for all
We pay a one-line tribute to each of the singers.
Abhaya Puthigae: A perfect ten matching her age
Akhila Puthigae: Surprising growth
Amit Sengupta: The Master always calls the tune
Ananya Gomez: Promising prospects
Guncha Singh: The Mangeshkar sisters must have adopted her
Hubert D’Cruze: Hemant Kumar would have found his own voice
Kanika Diesh: Peace has never been so valuable
Mahek Agarwa: Reviving a legend
Moneesh Mittal: Mukesh calls encore!
Pratap Banerjee: The Priest of Love adores
Rachit Bhatia: Yeh Bade Ustad Hai
Rita Krishnamurthi: Serenity personified
Rohan Raghavan: A sure guide to melody
Rohitesh Prasad: The first and second Kumar would have been proud
Siddharth Krish: It is hard to hide talent
Sucheta Banerjee: The spirit of 1956
Vibha Trivedi: Time Machine again
Vidya Teke: Dancers’ delight
Vishnu Mangalkari: High scale
The Orchestra
The ten-member band of instrumentalists also deserves our accolades. They include Amit Sengupta (Harmonium), Antony Yempee (Lead Guitar), Basant Madhur (Tabla), Diya Antony (Rhythm Guitar), Hemant Thaker (Keyboard), Joseph Alexander (Electronic Drums), Kamla Prasad (Dholak), Madan Kalyan (Keyboard), Shivam Padayachi (Bass Guitar) and Vishnu Mangalkari (Acoustic Percussion).
Strong Partnerships
The most significant aspect of ‘Old is Gold’ (VII) was that it featured father-child and siblings partnership, not often heard in local concerts.
We now look forward to the Eighth Edition of ‘Old to Gold’ due for presentation on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the same venue. It would be a great tribute to ‘Waitangi Day,’ celebrations all over the country.
