By Sonali Tambe
On a warm spring evening, March 22nd marked a memorable occasion as Arti Ankalikar-Tikekar, the acclaimed Hindustani vocalist, inaugurated a newly established Thomas Tull Music Hall with a spellbinding performance. Within the sleek, state-of-the-art acoustics of this newly unveiled space, the concert was a radiant celebration of Indian classical music.
The evening was presented by MITHAS, in collaboration with LearnQuest Academy of Music. Founded over 30 years ago, MITHAS (Massachusetts Institute of Technology Heritage of the Arts of South Asia) is the oldest nonprofit organization in the Greater Boston area dedicated to the promotion of South Asian music and performing arts. The Thomas Tull Music Hall now becomes its new permanent home.
The evening’s significance was underscored by the heartfelt remarks of George Ruckert, MITHAS’s founder, who traced the organization’s three-decade journey and its commitment to nurturing classical traditions. Dr. Anantha Chandrakasan, Dean of MIT’s School of Engineering, further illuminated the university’s vision for the arts and significance of Thomas Tull Music Hall. He also introduced the ensemble and invited them to the stage.
One by one, the musicians took their places on stage: Suryaksha Deshpande on tabla, Suhail Yusuf Khan on sarangi, Kedar Naphade on harmonium, Anuradha Palakurthi and Pradnya Jadhav providing vocal support, and Seemantini Nadkarni on tanpura. Finally, Arati Tai stepped onto the stage, her presence calm yet commanding. She took a moment to glance around the hall — a deceptively intimate space that seemed to draw the audience closer — before settling into the evening’s offering.
She began by announcing that she would open the concert with Raag Madhuvanti, a beloved late-afternoon raag known for its lyrical beauty and gentle pathos. Arati Tai’s interpretation, however, was anything but conventional — her exploration of the raag was marked by unexpected turns and a fresh, inventive approach that revealed new dimensions of its emotive core. Her treatment of teevra madhyam and komal nishad was particularly striking. In Raag Madhuvanti, komal nishad is traditionally used sparingly and although being a prominent note, teevra madhyam is rarely used as a resting or resolving note. The Ni-Ma sangati in this raag is very unconventional. Yet Arati Tai leaned into its emotional tension, using it deliberately and with great care. The result was a haunting quality, evoking the restless yearning and delicate unease often felt in the throes of love.
Her work in each taal cycle was intricate and layered, revealing a deep command over rhythm and phrasing. She employed delicate glides and subtle microtonal shifts, stretching notes with care and intention. Each phrase unfolded at an unhurried pace, as if lingering to savor the raag’s beauty. As she approached the sam, the resolution point, the music seemed to hover — poised between tension and release — imbuing the performance with a quiet, aching intensity that held the audience in rapt attention. The influence of her guru, Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, was unmistakable in the way she approached the sam — with thoughtful phrasing precisely tied to a deep sense of aesthetic timing. The influence of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana shone through in her dazzling taans — intricate, rapid, and exquisitely crafted. In the drut bandish, she launched into taans starting precisely at 4½ beats, a bold and challenging entry point that showcased her command over laya and taal. These virtuosic passages were both technically brilliant and emotionally charged, leaving the audience in awe of her precision and creativity. She concluded the hour-long exploration of the raag with a vibrant and rhythmic tarana, bringing the presentation to a spirited and satisfying close.
Next came Raag Basant-Bahar, a Jaipur gharana specialty and a captivating blend of two distinct raags — Basant and Bahar. Rich in both complexity and charm, this raag employs all 12 notes of the chromatic scale, making the precise intonation and seamless navigation between the two raags a demanding task. Rendering it accurately requires not only deep technical mastery but also a refined sense of aesthetics — both of which Arati Tai brought to the forefront with remarkable ease. She presented a composition by her guru, Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, whose work is known for its seamless integration of poetic expression and musical sophistication. The bandish, a vibrant ode to spring, painted a vivid tapestry of the season’s beauty, drawing a striking parallel between the blossoming colors of nature and the exuberant hues of the Holi festival. It was a challenging composition, demanding both technical precision and emotional sensitivity — yet Arati Tai rendered it effortlessly and flawlessly. A drut composition followed that was equally captivating, showcasing her agility, precision, and command over fast-paced melodic phrasing.
Arati Tai’s versatility shone through in the lighter, nuanced pieces she presented later in the concert. She demonstrated her command over the Gwalior gharana with a spirited tappa — a challenging form characterized by fast, flowing, and intricately woven melodic phrases. Her agility and control brought the composition to life with dazzling clarity. She followed this with a chaiti, a seasonal form of Thumri traditionally sung in the month of Chaitra (March–April) in the Indian calendar. With its earthy charm and folk-infused expressions, the chaiti offered a beautiful contrast. The final two pieces, both set in Raag Bhairavi, were tributes to her gurus. She first presented one of Pandit Dinkar Kaikini’s well known composition, followed by a soulful Marathi abhang popularized by Kishori Amonkar. Through these renditions, Arati Tai concluded the concert with depth, devotion, and grace.
At any concert, it is the synergy between accompanists that breathes life into the performance. This particular evening featured exceptional accompanying artists from the New England area. Suryaksha Deshpande, on tabla, played with a steady, restrained hand — his rhythmic clarity and subtlety perfectly complemented the unfolding of each raag. Suhail Yusuf Khan’s sarangi echoed the emotional depth of Arati Tai’s music, adding layers of pathos and beauty. On harmonium, Kedar Naphade offered sensitive, responsive support, seamlessly mirroring the intricacies of her phrases. Vocalists Anuradha Palakurthi and Pradnya Jadhav enriched the melodic texture, adding gentle harmonies at the right moments. Arati Tai, generously gave each accompanist the space to shine, inviting dialogue — a hallmark of true collaborative artistry.
With Arti tai’s music, the Thomas Tull Music Hall was not just inaugurated — it was consecrated. Moved by the depth and beauty of the music, the audience left the stunning new venue with hearts full and spirits uplifted.
