Renu Gidoomal is a talented singer known for her powerful vocal style that brings together sounds from the East and the West. She sings Hindi bhajans and Western jazz with equal ease and grace. The Bhajazz group includes jazz artiste Petr Kroutil from Prague and the talented Vikash Magdani on tabla.
“I think Petr must have just bought the Indian suit he is wearing,” laughed the young friend who was accompanying me. “I can still see the folds from the shop shelf.”
Although a few friends had warned me that Renu had an exceptionally dynamic stage presence, nothing had prepared me for the catchy melodies she sang in a gracefully rich voice.
She started with a song based on the Sanskrit verse – lokah samasta sukhino bhavantu (may all the beings in all the worlds be happy). It only took a few minutes to have the audience clapping to the catchy tune and the uplifting lyrics. Petr’s saxophone was a perfect accompaniment to an enriching song.
Renu continued with other enchanting numbers, which included Sylvia Bishop’s soul-stirring poem to God called ‘Oh Lover of my heart’, a rapturous rendering of ‘He Ram’ to the accompaniment of a melodious clarinet from Petr, a trans-Atlantic hop that mixed native American lyrics with English, and a moving composition by John Lord called ‘Dear Soul’.
Her best piece was “Chitta Chora Yashoda ke baal” which she performed in two different tunes. The first tune was a melancholy melody that symbolised the motherly affection of Yashoda for Krishna, while the second tune was a fast-paced rhythm that correctly portrayed Lord Krishna’s playful cowherd friends. Both tunes cleverly captured the moods of Lord Krishna’s devotees with such perfect aesthetic intelligence that many in the audience were visibly moved to tears.
“I like her better when she is singing Indian tunes though,” commented my young friend, who appeared mesmerised after the last song.
Renu explained that the concert was in benefit of Music for Medicine, a charity project that sought to provide medical care to those who could not afford it. She felt inspired to support this project after she met Professor Suren Gopal, who had invited her to a medical camp in the Garwhal district of the Himalayan region of India.
“I told him I knew nothing about medicine and could not contribute much,” she explained. “But he said that I should just go there and sing to the patients.”
Renu ended up in a remote village near Nainital, where she saw the desperate condition of villagers who had no access to doctors and medicines for hundreds of miles.
“People walked 60 miles to visit our medical camp,” she remembered fondly. “And I saw the wonder that one human can do for another.”
Petr Kurotil, her partner in charity and music, explained that after a successful concert in Prague last year, they had recorded a CD called Bhakti Junction.
“Music is really my service to the Divine,” he said. “I want to continue my Bhajazz concerts with Renu, and hope that people who hear us feel uplifted and joyful.”
Chandru Gidoomal was the perfect host – he stood near the exit directing people to the dinner tables.
“What kind of suit is he wearing?” asked my friend. “And why does it shine like the full moon?”
“It just adds the ethnic touch,” I answered. “Haven’t you seen the Mahabharat TV serial where all the men wear shiny costumes?”
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