Every Thursday, a group of professionals from Guruvar Mandal ('Thursday Group' in Hindi) gathers on the first floor of a house in New Nallakunta, Hyderabad. The weekly baithak begins at 9pm with the traditional invocation, Jai Jagadish Hare, before giving way to a two-hour Hindustani classical recital. IT professional Neha Kashikar Shailendra opens the evening with Dhoond Ban Saiyan in Raag Nand, followed by Ajahu Na Aaye in drut laya. Her father, Satish Kashikar, then takes over with the bandish Kaun Gat Bhayee in Raag Bageshri before moving through compositions in Shahana Kanada and Kafi. Chartered accountant Surendra Bharathi accompanies them on the harmonium, while Vivek Kayal, Shrikant Bhatlawande, Prashant Sardeshmukh, Vijay and Sandeep take turns on the tabla.Seven decades and more
Pandit Jasraj regales listeners at Guruvar Mandal (right) with tabla maestro Shaikh Dawood Khan
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Special Arrangement
Guruvar Mandal met for nearly a decade at Satish’s home. But the story of these intimate baithaks stretches back more than seven decades, sustained by people who have balanced careers with a lifelong passion for Hindustani classical music.The group was founded in 1956 by Hindustani vocalist Bhaskar Rao Udgirkar, recalls septuagenarian Satish, a former insurance agent who first became associated with Guruvar Mandal as a teenager.“One day, Bhaskar Rao saw a long queue outside Dilshad Talkies near his home in Sultan Bazaar and wondered if people spending hours waiting for movie tickets could use that time more creatively,” says Satish. A connoisseur of Hindustani classical music and a devotee of Dattatreya, worshipped on Thursdays, Udgirkar began hosting weekly music sessions in the living room of his home. He called the informal gathering of classical music enthusiasts Guruvar Mandal.A few prominent attendeeesPandit Jasraj, Bhim Shankar, Madhsudan Bhave, Malini Rajurkar, Shaikh Dawood Khan, Girish Wazalwar
