Pt. Dhananjay Kaul wows music lovers

ATLANTA, GA — Pandit Dhananjay Kaul, the Sufiana maestro from India, performed to a standing ovation from the music lovers at a recent concert at the Impact Center of Global Mall in metro Atlanta!

The July 16 dinner-music charity concert was a well-organized feast to benefit plans for construction of a replica of Kheer Bhawani USA temple in Atlanta.

Tej Kaul of Kashmir Overseas Association (KOA), an architect by profession, explained the efforts under way for planning and design of the Kheer Bhawani USA temple within the 11.4-acre premises of Shiv Mandir Atlanta in the northeast corridor of Metro Atlanta.

Kashmir’s Kheer Bhawani is the most venerated temple dedicated for Maa Ragnya Bhagwati (another form of Durga) at the holy spring in Tula Mula about 15 miles from Srinagar.

The spotlight for the evening nevertheless was on Pt. Dhananjay Kaul of India as the stage with backdrop and decorations typical of Kashmir was set for his florid vocalism.

Recipient of numerous State and National awards, Dhananjay’s gayaki (singing) is cast in devotional mould and his voice is full-throated and bold with beautiful tapestry of Swaras and Shrutis.

The Pandit invoked Lord Shiva with the classical bhajan (devotional) recital by a Sanskrit stotra in raag/raga Bhairav with his nifty fingers controlling the keys of his harmonium with a slow melody.

His second striking melody, the Kashmiri sufi kalam (song) “Roz roz”, set a lighthearted tone to the raga. Pt. Dhananjay also enthralled the audience with the compositions of singer Mehdi Hasan, including the ghazal of Ahmed Faraz, “Ranjis hi Sahi” in raag Yamen followed by “Zindagi mei to pyar” in raag Bhimpalasi.

He shifted to Hindustani classical, singing a nostalgic thumri of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in raag Kaushik dhuni.

The crescendo heightened when Dhananjay sang Punjabi sufi kalams. The audiences broke into spontaneous dance and ovation for his Punjabi/Patiala gharana beats.
He continued entertaining with the famous Kashmiri Sufi kalam of great Saint Ahad Zargar, “Na chum tan pan” in raga Bilawal.

As requested by Jyoti Ganju (one of the organizers of the concert), his final song for the evening was a patient, minimalist lyrical rendition of Kashmiri sufi kalam by great Saint Niyma Saeb, “Che gaste hai” in raag Khamaj.

The charity concert, which sold out with an attendance of over 200 expatriates, raised over $20,000 (total collections so far) for the Kheer Bhawani USA Temple Fund.