How Diwali Paat, the early morning concerts that originally started in Pune, are now held around the world
How Diwali Paat, the early morning concerts that originally started in Pune, are now held around the world
The festival of lights is celebrated all over the country with the same enthusiasm but in different ways. Bengalis will have ‘Bhoot Chaturdashi’, Gujaratis will start their new year, Goans will burn colorful effigies of Narakasura, and Odias will worship their ancestors.
Apart from religious, Diwali also has social, cultural and literary significance, especially in Maharashtra.
Somewhere in the early 1990s, Satish Desai organized a cultural program in Pune under the aegis of his organization Tridal. Such an event was not unusual for Pune, which is the de facto cultural capital of the state. But what made this program different was that the music program was organized at dawn on the day of Diwali. And the dawn has special significance during Diwali, as it marks the journey from darkness to light.
Although this revolutionary idea did not work in the first year, Satish Desai persisted and soon the rasiks gave a positive response.
Artists performing at the Diwali Paat of Mumbai-based Sanand Nyas which has been organizing these concerts for the last two decades. , photo credit: special arrangement
paat in mumbai
In Mumbai, the Diwali Paat (Diwali dawn concert) was pioneered by organizations such as Chaturanga, which features many successful artists.
Over the next five to ten years, the idea grew to such an extent that Diwali Paat was organized not only in Maharashtra, but also by Maharashtra mandals in Indore, Hyderabad and Baroda. Ashish Joshi, who is organizing these concerts in Baroda along with Anjali Jambhekar, says that the event draws huge crowds every year.
Over the years, hay fever has reached the coasts of the UK, Canada, the US and Dubai.
Hindustani classical music or Natyasangeet adds to the festive fervor in these music festivals. Apart from smooth music, film and folk music, forms such as poetry recitation or ‘abhivachan’ (dramatic reading) are also performed.
You would think that this activity would have decreased after the Internet attack. But it is a matter of surprise and relief that even today in any city of Maharashtra the concert halls are packed at 5.30 am on the day of Diwali.
digital hill
Smritigandha, a Facebook page, organized the first digital Diwali Paat when they streamed the concert in 2017. Amit Tillu of Smritigandha says that his activity has not stopped even in two years of the pandemic. Last year this concert got 7 lakh views.
Although the paat has seen a slight decline in classical music festivals, it is expected that they will see a rise again.
As an artist I find this concept unique, and the experience, humbling. Humble because I am filled with gratitude that people dedicate their special festival time to listen to you. Diwali Paat may be a relatively new phenomenon, but it has already become part of the tradition. I remember the words of Michael Novak: “Tradition survives as young people come along who capture the romance of it and add new glory to it.”
The writer is a musician from Mumbai.