"Ek Raadha Ek Meera" -
The concept of Ek Radha … Ek Meera was brought to existence in conjunction with the founder of Manhar Sangeet Sabha and renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Pt. Hemant Pendse. The thought behind this concept was to portray the eternal love towards the almighty and the ways adopted by Radha and Meera to do so. This is done through selected poems penned by Saint Meerabai herself. To depict the love expressed by ‘Radha’, Dr. Rahul Deshpande, a renowned dentist and a poet, has worked his magic. All this literature has been elevated by the ever-talented Hemant Pendse as he gives justice to them with his soulful music.
Abstract
As mentioned earlier, Ek Radha ... Ek Meera is a musically enthralling experience in many ways. It comprises 16-18 beautifully penned songs in Marathi Rajasthani, Braj, and Hindi by Saint Meerabai and Dr. Rahul Deshpande. The language of presentation and narration is also ‘Marathi’. The number of songs presented usually depends on the time allocated for the presentation.
Music composer and eminent Vocalist Hemant Pendse, who is a senior disciple of Late Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki, has profound knowledge of many Ragas in Hindustani Classical Music and understands the nuances, moods and genre of each one of them. Hemant Pendse has carefully chosen the Ragas apt for the moods of the songs being presented. This truly takes the audience to the era depicted and portrayed in the bhajans.
Ek Radha … Ek Meera gives a pleasurable ride to the audience to the era gone by with its soulful music. It is a perfect confluence of tradition, bhakti and immense love shown towards Shri Krishna by his supreme beloveds – Radha and Meera. And all this flows and reaches the hearts of the audience through each of the song, included in this program, that is skillfully crafted and carved by Pt Hemant Pendse.
This program spans a duration of 2 to 3 hours depending on the time frame targeted or requested by the organizer along with 15 minutes of interval. The artists performing in this program are Hemant Pendse, Radhika Tamhankar and Pradnya Deshpande. The accompanists vary as per the individual availability on the date for which the program is scheduled. Usually, the instruments accompanying the vocalists are – Tabla, Pakhwaj, Harmonium, Flute, Side Rhythm.
Success Stories
Ek Radha … Ek Meera has over the years become extremely popular and has given many concerts across Maharashtra. Few of the mentionable ones are:
1. This concert has been presented multiple times at many places such as Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nashik, Thane.
2. Ek Radha … Ek Meera had inclusions of eminent celebrity artists such as Sushri Devaki Pandit and Pt. Shounak Abhisheki.
3. Few of the compositions from Ek Radha … Ek Meera has also reached the masses through CDs such as ‘Radhaji’.
4. Ek Radha … Ek Meera has been recognized by the All India Radio and Pune Aakashwani.
5. This concert has been presented for Pune Aakashwani on their special request and was also aired.
