To take a step back, for the unitiated ---- " Stories in a Song ", a 2 act, 7 point narration takes the audience through the various cresecendos that Indian ( largely north Indian ) music has seen over the last - oh, a mere 4000 years or so. Geniuses like Anish Pradhan and Shubha Mudgal made sure that this lovely event would never ever be a one time watch for those who partake in it.
Without going into detail - where else could we imagine that in a space of just under 2 hours ----- a journey that moves from vedic chants to mujras to geets to Qawwalis to bidai songs to a full fledged nautanki to Opera ( Yes, Opera ) to hindustani classical to Remixes ( and the aforementioned two in the same narration ) to finally culminating in an almost forgotten but always delightful Kajri ( in an akhada no less - watch to know more ).
And the artists ---- and I deliberately don't refer to them as actors or for that matter singers ---- because either would be an inadequate discription. Artists who through the strength of their talent and ( am sure ) the extent of their efforts trully brought a hall, an audience, a menagerie of emotions together, please you, the artists take a bow.
Some of these do deserve the honor of a mention. Ketki - the soulful nautch girl and the gutsy bahadur ladki. Namit - the extraordinary voice that took pitch to a different pitch ( experience it, and you would know how limited an exposure he got in his exceptional performance as Ranbir Kapoor's best friend ). Pia - let me leave it at saying " watch the 5th narration ", you would know what I am talking about.
Finally, very rarely can a collective come together to be a genius, if the Nautanki was an exceptional effort serenading the fast disappearing art form by involving every single eye ball in the audience, the Kajri akhada too it to the next level - not only did it make the audience one with the narration but thats when me and everyone in the hallowed Prithvi theater wished the play could last an additional act, a few additional minutes or atleast an additional narration.
When you feel raptourous about an experience and yet unfulfilled ( unfulfilled because it got too over too early or you didn't have tickets for the next evening's show ) ----- you know its time
----- ITS TIME TO DO AN ENCORE AND WAKE UP EARLY MORNING WITH A SONG ON THE LIPS which you don't have - on your IPOD, on the laptop, in an album - just you.
