Santoor Exponent Satish Vyas Talks About Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan, Mumbai, And More

Started in 1977 by vocalist Pt C.R. Vyas under the aegis of Maharashtra Lalit Kala Nidhi, the annual Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan is one of the most-awaited classical music events in Mumbai. This year, in its 49^th edition, it returns to the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Prabhadevi.

C.R. Vyas’ son Satish Vyas, santoor exponent, says the event was held at Ravindra Natya Mandir from 1977 to 1989. He recalls, “Each year, it was packed. After that, the Maharashtra government had other plans. Though they restored the venue after 10 years, we moved to Nehru Centre in Worli, Except for our silver jubilee year, held at Shanmukhananda Hall, and two years during lockdown, we have held it at Nehru only. But this year the Ravindra Natya Mandir has been renovated wonderfully, and we have gone back there.”

This year’s festival begins on Thursday, November 27, with Satish Vyas and vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty lined up. On Friday, a tribute will be played to tabla great Ustad Zakir Hussain by Taufiq Qureshi on djembe and Yogesh Samsi on tabla. This will be followed by a vocal recital by M. Venkateshkumar. Saturday will feature vocalist Shubha Mudgal and violinist N. Rajam. Sunday’s programme will be held in the morning, with Suhas Vyas’s vocal recital followed by a sarod performance by Amjad Ali Khan.

C.R. Vyas started the festival in memory of his guru, Pt Jagannathbuwa Purohit, who used the name Gunidas. According to Satish Vyas, who has curated and organised the event, all senior artistes have performed at some point. These include sitar maestros Ravi Shankar and Vilayat Khan, vocalists Bhimsen Joshi, Mallikarjun Mansur, Pandit Jasraj, Kishori Amonkar and Parveen Sultana, his guru santoor monarch Shivkumar Sharma, flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, Amjad Ali Khan and tabla great Zakir Hussain. He says, “Ravi Shankar Ji played five tines at Gunidas. I still remember his Puriya and Parmeshwari. Like my guru Shivkumar Ji, he was like family. All senior artistes have shown their love, both towards the festival and to me.”

Asked if the tilt has been towards big names, Vyas says, “One has noticed that if there are slightly lesser-known names, audiences do not pack houses. I am not an event organiser, but I want to give the audience what it wants. If there is a surplus from Gunidas festival, it is used to promote younger talent or to organise concerts in smaller towns.”

Vyas says that at one point, he wanted to expand the coverage of the festival, and began having it in four other cities besides Mumbai. He adds, “But I realised that each city already has many events, and Gunidas festival did not stand out. So I decided to stick to one city, Mumbai.”

Talking of the Mumbai scene, Vyas says that though big artistes manage to fill up halls, the percentage of classical music listeners has reduced. He clarifies, “I don’t know of any specific figures but am going by what I have observed. Also, too many events are being held, and as such the audience is divided. Shows take place on weekends, but people have other plans.”

Another trend, feels Vyas, is of how so many people are using mobile phones at shows. “They either see them or take photographs. There should be some discipline. I wish there is a way people can hand over their mobiles at the security during the concert, but it’s not easy to implement,” he says.

The santoor exponent says that after renovation, Ravindra Natya Mandir can match up to auditoriums from other parts of the world. He adds, “The sound system is fantastic and the overall design is marvellous. Because of the new metro station near Siddhivinayak temple, there is great connectivity both towards south Mumbai and to Andheri, from where one can go to Ghatkopar.”

The Maharashtra Lalit Kala Nidhi plans to celebrate the golden jubilee next year in a big way. But from the 51^st year onwards, Vyas plans to introduce a new format. He says, “I have some ideas, but it’s still early to talk about them.”

Vyas points out that his focus now is to concentrate on classical concerts. He says, “The year 2025 has been hectic but rewarding. I did a tour of Australia and New Zealand, and that included a performance at the Womad festival in Adelaide, Australia. After coming back, I did a tour of north-east India, with 10 shows in 13 days. Then I went to the US and Canada.”

The musician says his performance at Jodhpur RIFF last month was very satisfying. He elaborates, “The festival has folk music from India and other parts of the world. But they have a separate open-air area for classical music. I was to start at 5.30 pm and play till moonrise. It was called the moonrise concert. I played raags Jhinjhoti and Charukeshi, and many people were hearing classical music for the first time, but loved it.”

Vyas is now gearing up for performances in Aurangabad, Kolhapur and other towns of Maharashtra. “I enjoy playing for different types of audiences, whether abroad or in India. As classical musicians, we can’t compare with Bollywood, where artistes are charging such huge fees and audiences are paying such exorbitant ticket rates. But there’s a purity and depth in classical music which nobody can match,” he concludes.