OK I think I got it. You mean to say style/tradition should be preserved or we will loose them forever. It will be good if music companies do a project by getting big names as well as new comers to do a series of hindustani classical music which could be like an encyclopedia of traditional form with High fidelity recording. This will preserve our heritage and would be of great help to new comers. (I think Americans are very good at preserving history and such stuff I read they have digitized phonograph cylinders of edison and music artists of that time)
Hindustani Classical Music
- Thread starter sumeetbagade
- Start date
sivasarjun
Active Member
Heard Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan for the first time.Fascinating style.Particulrly the taranas.Would like to know more about the style.
Sivasarjun,
Although you keep saying you do not have much knowledge, from your posts, your list of favourite artistes etc, you appear to me at least as a serious listener of Indian classical music, both Carnatic and Hindustani.
A classical musician has to be a virtuoso, that is, he or she has to master all the skill elements, including rhythm and laya (sense of equal interval of time), ornamentations such as meend (smooth movement from one note to another), gamaka, clarity of taana etc. However, virtuosity or mastery over the skill elements cannot be the end result. Musicality has to be always the last word. There is no question about it.
Different gharanas or schools have different approaches to music, some involve more rhythmic interplay or other skill elements: Gwalior style with quite a lot of rhythmic mastery; Jaipur-Atrauli with long breadths in aa-kar vistar (raga exposition using the vowel AA) and elaborate behelwa (raga exposition with slow taans ornamented with deep meends and gamaka) and their famous kuta-taans (taans with quite complicated swara movements); Patiala has been made famous by the electrifying speed and range of taankari of Bade Ghulam Ali, Agra for their famous bol-taans and halak-taans as exemplified by Fayyaz Khan. Kirana on the other hand has a more plain format, emphasizing more on raga vistar than anything else.
However, all the great representatives of each school were at the end only musicians, and not mere performers of swara-gymnastics. Establishing the raga mood is the final goal, and anything else is a way of reaching that goal. However, classical music also has tremendous richness of form and hence mastering different skills is good, but nobody should forget what they are for, they are only avenues to reach a destination and hence cannot be more important than the destination.
Skill elements also are to be used in a spontaneous way. The musician should have such mastery over the skills that he or she should not use any skill in an imposed or a pre-designed manner, it should come quite naturally. Let me give you an example of rhythm. When a child dances naturally to a simple 2-2, 3-3 or 4-4 rhythmic cycle, he does not know or care about the cycle, he just feels the rhythm within himself and moves his body. The classical musician should be able to do the same spontaneous movement with his voice or instrument over a complicated rhythmic cycle of, for example 14 beats Jhoomra or a 16 beat tilwada. Tehais (repetition of the same movement thrice to come to the first beat) should naturally present itself rather than a rehearsed one. Believe me, all these are possible with talent and practice so that everything becomes natural and not a pre-designed or pre-reherased exercise.
In the above, I have written about Khayal form of vocal music. For instrumental music, the form is a little different and I have to write seprately in a different post. However, I shall end with a comment by an instrumentalist (Ali Akbar Khan). When asked in Kolkata about how to perform a raga in a concert, he said: First tune the tanpura(s) well. On the stage, let the tanpuras play for a while. Absorb the basic scale within yourself. Start movements in your chosen raga. Give yourself just a bit of time so that you are completely immersed in the melodic movements of the raga. From this point onwards, things will flow naturally. You just be with the flow. But one word of caution: do not try to do something consciously on your own.
I think the above should clarify a few things about the ultimate goal of our music.
Regards.
Although you keep saying you do not have much knowledge, from your posts, your list of favourite artistes etc, you appear to me at least as a serious listener of Indian classical music, both Carnatic and Hindustani.
A classical musician has to be a virtuoso, that is, he or she has to master all the skill elements, including rhythm and laya (sense of equal interval of time), ornamentations such as meend (smooth movement from one note to another), gamaka, clarity of taana etc. However, virtuosity or mastery over the skill elements cannot be the end result. Musicality has to be always the last word. There is no question about it.
Different gharanas or schools have different approaches to music, some involve more rhythmic interplay or other skill elements: Gwalior style with quite a lot of rhythmic mastery; Jaipur-Atrauli with long breadths in aa-kar vistar (raga exposition using the vowel AA) and elaborate behelwa (raga exposition with slow taans ornamented with deep meends and gamaka) and their famous kuta-taans (taans with quite complicated swara movements); Patiala has been made famous by the electrifying speed and range of taankari of Bade Ghulam Ali, Agra for their famous bol-taans and halak-taans as exemplified by Fayyaz Khan. Kirana on the other hand has a more plain format, emphasizing more on raga vistar than anything else.
However, all the great representatives of each school were at the end only musicians, and not mere performers of swara-gymnastics. Establishing the raga mood is the final goal, and anything else is a way of reaching that goal. However, classical music also has tremendous richness of form and hence mastering different skills is good, but nobody should forget what they are for, they are only avenues to reach a destination and hence cannot be more important than the destination.
Skill elements also are to be used in a spontaneous way. The musician should have such mastery over the skills that he or she should not use any skill in an imposed or a pre-designed manner, it should come quite naturally. Let me give you an example of rhythm. When a child dances naturally to a simple 2-2, 3-3 or 4-4 rhythmic cycle, he does not know or care about the cycle, he just feels the rhythm within himself and moves his body. The classical musician should be able to do the same spontaneous movement with his voice or instrument over a complicated rhythmic cycle of, for example 14 beats Jhoomra or a 16 beat tilwada. Tehais (repetition of the same movement thrice to come to the first beat) should naturally present itself rather than a rehearsed one. Believe me, all these are possible with talent and practice so that everything becomes natural and not a pre-designed or pre-reherased exercise.
In the above, I have written about Khayal form of vocal music. For instrumental music, the form is a little different and I have to write seprately in a different post. However, I shall end with a comment by an instrumentalist (Ali Akbar Khan). When asked in Kolkata about how to perform a raga in a concert, he said: First tune the tanpura(s) well. On the stage, let the tanpuras play for a while. Absorb the basic scale within yourself. Start movements in your chosen raga. Give yourself just a bit of time so that you are completely immersed in the melodic movements of the raga. From this point onwards, things will flow naturally. You just be with the flow. But one word of caution: do not try to do something consciously on your own.
I think the above should clarify a few things about the ultimate goal of our music.
Regards.
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So apt Asit. In fact , though my music listening is quite evenly spread over jazz, rock, indian classical , fusion etc., ultimately, the impact which the music creates, is the key. It is clearly evident that the extensive and disciplined riyaaz of classical musicians generally coverts to better musicality and consequently creates a more lasting impression. Hence my take on the earlier posts on the type of listeners for classical music is also the same -you need not be a learned musician to appreciate classical music. You only need a reasonable amount of exposure (preferably in your childhood) and if you are a MUSIC ENTHUSIAST you will surely enjoy classical music.
My friend in this town owns a huge collection of great hindustani classical vinyls ( which I get to savor once a week at his place),enjoys endless hours of listening and is not really trained in the elements of hindustani classical.
Cheers
pratimbayal
Active Member
What an excellent thread .
This appears to be an online appreciation course on Hindustani Classical Music with very good faculties and Asit as principal.
I was in a short vacation trip so joining late. Would like to share some of my views on topics discussed in this thread earlier.
Link of education with good music. To me there is a link in a different way . I think "education" is actually "wisdom" and is a state of mind. There is absolutely no relation between "education" and "qualification". Qualification did not exist 200 or 300 years back where as education is there from the begining of civilization. On the basis of Sri Arabinda's hypothesis of life-mind-supermind ( I strongly believe in this) I believe a person is more educated who is more close to supermind. Absolute supermind may be a highly spiritual soul ( Budha , Vivekanada .....) even our living heros like Lata , Sachin is highly educated ( not qualified ) to me. The dedication , love , sincerity ( sadhana) towards their respective fields is outcome of a highly elavated state of mind. I love to paint in watercolour ( try to practice as regularly as possible ) and in this field I have seen so many people who are excellent painter but no "qulaification" or "education " that way. To name I can first think of Sri Ramkinkar Baiz who was a famous sculptor though he was an Adivasi and almost illeterate in our common understanding. However in general educated minds acquires qualification in fields where that exists either out of passion on the subject or may be out of compulsion to some degree. Arts, Science , Philosophy are all finer aspects of human civilization and people with better state of mind will have better skill or appreciation in these areas. In most cases the finer minds take all these( Arts , Science...) as a global set and can move among these subsets , thus Einstein and Rabindranath discused over music.However in cases this co-existentce might not exist and as Asit has said a highly qualified ( in feild of science ? ) person may not have any interest in music.
On the other way I know an investment Banker -Peter Muller - with inteligency of the highest order and a master in financial derivatives Industry ( a north pole south pole relation with music) has website on music , he has released his album, he use to sing in tube (metro rail) station just out of love for music.
So all I want to say is that people who are great musician or people with simple appreciation for good music are all educated to different degree.
Asit
I have two question
* What is the difference between sudhha rag and komal rag ? I don know if that is a right question.
* To the tilttle extent I have listened , it seems all western classical music sounds better in evening or in night where as Hindustani Classical ( or Indian Classical ) has mucis for the 24 hours of the day . Is there any particular reason? or this is not right.
Regards
This appears to be an online appreciation course on Hindustani Classical Music with very good faculties and Asit as principal.
I was in a short vacation trip so joining late. Would like to share some of my views on topics discussed in this thread earlier.
Link of education with good music. To me there is a link in a different way . I think "education" is actually "wisdom" and is a state of mind. There is absolutely no relation between "education" and "qualification". Qualification did not exist 200 or 300 years back where as education is there from the begining of civilization. On the basis of Sri Arabinda's hypothesis of life-mind-supermind ( I strongly believe in this) I believe a person is more educated who is more close to supermind. Absolute supermind may be a highly spiritual soul ( Budha , Vivekanada .....) even our living heros like Lata , Sachin is highly educated ( not qualified ) to me. The dedication , love , sincerity ( sadhana) towards their respective fields is outcome of a highly elavated state of mind. I love to paint in watercolour ( try to practice as regularly as possible ) and in this field I have seen so many people who are excellent painter but no "qulaification" or "education " that way. To name I can first think of Sri Ramkinkar Baiz who was a famous sculptor though he was an Adivasi and almost illeterate in our common understanding. However in general educated minds acquires qualification in fields where that exists either out of passion on the subject or may be out of compulsion to some degree. Arts, Science , Philosophy are all finer aspects of human civilization and people with better state of mind will have better skill or appreciation in these areas. In most cases the finer minds take all these( Arts , Science...) as a global set and can move among these subsets , thus Einstein and Rabindranath discused over music.However in cases this co-existentce might not exist and as Asit has said a highly qualified ( in feild of science ? ) person may not have any interest in music.
On the other way I know an investment Banker -Peter Muller - with inteligency of the highest order and a master in financial derivatives Industry ( a north pole south pole relation with music) has website on music , he has released his album, he use to sing in tube (metro rail) station just out of love for music.
So all I want to say is that people who are great musician or people with simple appreciation for good music are all educated to different degree.
Asit
I have two question
* What is the difference between sudhha rag and komal rag ? I don know if that is a right question.
* To the tilttle extent I have listened , it seems all western classical music sounds better in evening or in night where as Hindustani Classical ( or Indian Classical ) has mucis for the 24 hours of the day . Is there any particular reason? or this is not right.
Regards
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Sivasarjun,
I am sorry I am usually not able to spend a lot of time on the forum. Hence I am always late in responding to questions and comments.
The tarana form in Hindustani is equivalent to Carnatic Thillana. It is basically set in a particular raga, sung in a reasonably fast pace. The composition is made of meaningless syllables and combination of syllables like: ta, na, dim, drim, der, dere, dir, ta-di-a-na etc. These syllables are called 'bol's (similar to 'jati's in Carnatic) and sometimes 'bol's can differ from gharana to gharana.
There was a time long time ago I used to sing for Bharatanatyam performances. There of course I had to learn quite a few thillanas which are traditionally the last item of a full Bharatanatyam performance. There I observed that the Carnatic thillanas usually have at least a couple of lines of poetry (called 'sahityam' in the context) in the middle of the thillana. Actually this feature is also there in Hindustani, but such presentations are rare these days. Especially in Gwalior gharana, taranas used to be sung with a couple of lines of poetry in the middle of the compositions.
In Hindustani tarana, improvisations are done using those 'bol's I mentioned above. The improvisations are modelled after the 'jhala' part of the stringed instruments presentations (same as the fast version of what is known as 'non-tom' portion of raga-alaap of Dhrupad form). Nowadays, some performers take a tarana vandish (composition), but instead of doing improvisations using the 'bol's, they do fast-paced taanas in the raga.
Nissar Hussain Khan was a maternal grandfather and the primary guru of today's Rashid Khan. He spent major part of his last years in Kolkata. He represents the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. He was quite well-known for his taranas and use of the 'bol's 'dir-dir'.
Regards.
I am sorry I am usually not able to spend a lot of time on the forum. Hence I am always late in responding to questions and comments.
The tarana form in Hindustani is equivalent to Carnatic Thillana. It is basically set in a particular raga, sung in a reasonably fast pace. The composition is made of meaningless syllables and combination of syllables like: ta, na, dim, drim, der, dere, dir, ta-di-a-na etc. These syllables are called 'bol's (similar to 'jati's in Carnatic) and sometimes 'bol's can differ from gharana to gharana.
There was a time long time ago I used to sing for Bharatanatyam performances. There of course I had to learn quite a few thillanas which are traditionally the last item of a full Bharatanatyam performance. There I observed that the Carnatic thillanas usually have at least a couple of lines of poetry (called 'sahityam' in the context) in the middle of the thillana. Actually this feature is also there in Hindustani, but such presentations are rare these days. Especially in Gwalior gharana, taranas used to be sung with a couple of lines of poetry in the middle of the compositions.
In Hindustani tarana, improvisations are done using those 'bol's I mentioned above. The improvisations are modelled after the 'jhala' part of the stringed instruments presentations (same as the fast version of what is known as 'non-tom' portion of raga-alaap of Dhrupad form). Nowadays, some performers take a tarana vandish (composition), but instead of doing improvisations using the 'bol's, they do fast-paced taanas in the raga.
Nissar Hussain Khan was a maternal grandfather and the primary guru of today's Rashid Khan. He spent major part of his last years in Kolkata. He represents the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. He was quite well-known for his taranas and use of the 'bol's 'dir-dir'.
Regards.
Asitji,
Both, the list of vocalists and their Gharanas, have NOT been posted by me. I also HAD'NT and STILL DO NOT approve of the list in its entirety.
Regarding the gharana parampara, thanks for pointing out the technicalities as i wouldnt know much of it. I surely would like to change that, and am seriously considering taking-up some kind of music lessons. I have some very very learned students of the art at my disposal to guide me, but have been limiting myself to just VERBAL discussions, rather than getting into the deep end. Just being lazy and nothing else.....
Coming back to the list of legendary vocalists,
Its all so very easy to compile a list of legends and their gharanas, especially when information (or misinformation) is so very handy now-a-days over the world-wide-web. But friends, whats the fun in that ???? Especially when u urself mention that u havent heard some (or all) of the artists in the list. The fun is in listening to them, enjoying them, analyzing as to WHAT / WHY you like or dislike a particular artist.
Just try the following..
Listen to Raag - BHOOP,
by PANDITA KISHORI AMONKAR.
BANDISH - "SAHELAA RE" in Drut Teen Taal.
You will spontaneously CONNECT to the rendition. Not only has the artist created a fantastic outline of the particular raag, but also has gotten us involved into the process by filling in the intricate details with her ingenious intellectual and singing talent.
Rendering a raag performance is like PAINTING A PICTURE. First u need to draw an outline of the same, which is what the artist does during the initial ALAP phase. The tempo picks up slightly in the JOD and JHALA phase. After the alap, the outline of the picture is ready and now it is the artist's imagination that helps him fill this outline with COLOURS, while staying in the boundaries of the raag. This is the true test of the artist and a gauge to his intellect as to which COLORS is he choosing to PAINT the picture. The DRUT phase which comes towards the conclusion of the rendition gives a chance to show some flamboyance, and the TARANA to finish the picture.
GREATS are the ones who can do both these SKETCHING THE OUTLINE PART and PAINTING THE INTRICACIES with accuracy, perfection and flamboyance.
ORDINARY are the ones who mess-up one or both the aspects of the painting.
And LEGENDS are the ones who start, continue and finish the picture with total FLAMBOYANCE and contrary to the conventional ways, means, methods, finish painting the picture before we even begin to fathom whether and when the outlines were drawn.
Now, listen to the same raag, by USTAD FAIYAZ KHAN SAHEB. Analyse as whether the artist manages to involve you. IF the ambience of the Raag is created and the painting complete with adding attractive colors and with flamboyance.
Make ur own conclusions.
((( To take it a step further, try listening to some other raags by the same artist and check if the strengths and weaknesses persist))))..
Both the artists are easily available on the CDs.
(((( PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE INTENT HERE IS ONLY AND ONLY TO MAKE A POINT ON HOW A RAAG IS TO BE DECORATED, AND COMPARISON OF THE TWO ARTISTS IS JUST USED AS AN EXAMPLE))))....
Pratim,
You have brought in a very nice angle to the correlation between educated people and love for serious music. I fully agree with your observation that qualification (university-wise) and education are not synonymous.
There is nothing called a suddha raga or a komal raga. There can be shuddha notes or komal (flat) notes or even teevra (sharp) notes. All notes in the octave except Sadja and Pancham come in two semitones (flat and sharp). For Rishav, Gandhar, Dhaivat and Nishad they are called by komal and shuddha variants of the particular note. Only for the Madhyam, they are known as shuddha and teevra (teevra is also called 'kari' colloquially).
Now, some ragas like Bhairavi use only the flatter variation of each note, and some ragas like Yaman contain only the sharper notes. That's all.
I am far from an expert in Western Classical music. In fact I'd say I have very limited exposure to Western Classical. At times I had to teach or lecture on Indian classical music in front of an Western audience and as a result I had to know a few terms so that they could relate to what I was saying.
Western classical music typically has some very quiet passages, I have observed, before reaching sort of a climax. This could be a reason why you enjoy Western classical at night when peripheral noise is at a minimum so that the quiet passages were also enjoyable. I personally have not noticed anything as such and I have enjoyed it at all times, the reason could be the very quiet surroundings I live in, as you very well know.
Hindustani Classical music has a time-system. The day is divided into 8 segments called 'prahara's. Each prahara has well-designated ragas suitable for that period. At least as a rough guideline, one can classify the ragas as morning ragas, afternoon ragas, early evening and late night ragas.
There is a theory behind this time-system based on predominant nature of movement like steady (sthayee varna), acsending (arohee varna), descending (avarohee varna) and mixed (sanchari varna) movements. I believe one can have a deeper understanding of this system, and I have worked on this a little (following somebody's question after one of my lectures on music a few years ago in Kolkata). But, any discussion on this would be too detailed and best avoided given the scope of a public forum.
Regards.
PS: Pratim, sorry for the late response. Broadband connection was gone from home. Only from yesterday it is again back. At office, I have several deadlines to meet in the next 10 days.
You have brought in a very nice angle to the correlation between educated people and love for serious music. I fully agree with your observation that qualification (university-wise) and education are not synonymous.
There is nothing called a suddha raga or a komal raga. There can be shuddha notes or komal (flat) notes or even teevra (sharp) notes. All notes in the octave except Sadja and Pancham come in two semitones (flat and sharp). For Rishav, Gandhar, Dhaivat and Nishad they are called by komal and shuddha variants of the particular note. Only for the Madhyam, they are known as shuddha and teevra (teevra is also called 'kari' colloquially).
Now, some ragas like Bhairavi use only the flatter variation of each note, and some ragas like Yaman contain only the sharper notes. That's all.
I am far from an expert in Western Classical music. In fact I'd say I have very limited exposure to Western Classical. At times I had to teach or lecture on Indian classical music in front of an Western audience and as a result I had to know a few terms so that they could relate to what I was saying.
Western classical music typically has some very quiet passages, I have observed, before reaching sort of a climax. This could be a reason why you enjoy Western classical at night when peripheral noise is at a minimum so that the quiet passages were also enjoyable. I personally have not noticed anything as such and I have enjoyed it at all times, the reason could be the very quiet surroundings I live in, as you very well know.
Hindustani Classical music has a time-system. The day is divided into 8 segments called 'prahara's. Each prahara has well-designated ragas suitable for that period. At least as a rough guideline, one can classify the ragas as morning ragas, afternoon ragas, early evening and late night ragas.
There is a theory behind this time-system based on predominant nature of movement like steady (sthayee varna), acsending (arohee varna), descending (avarohee varna) and mixed (sanchari varna) movements. I believe one can have a deeper understanding of this system, and I have worked on this a little (following somebody's question after one of my lectures on music a few years ago in Kolkata). But, any discussion on this would be too detailed and best avoided given the scope of a public forum.
Regards.
PS: Pratim, sorry for the late response. Broadband connection was gone from home. Only from yesterday it is again back. At office, I have several deadlines to meet in the next 10 days.
if only this simple fact could be understood by a few people, we would be spared of a lot of torture in the name of music that is so rampant these days.....
Mastery and virtuosity over, taans, murkiyaans, instruments, orchestral arrangements, sound mixers etc is just like knowing spellings of the words, the nouns, verbs, adjectives, the grammar; but this knowledge is worthless unless it translates into "a language". The musical language".
Having heard JAYATEERTH MEVUNDI very recently, twice actually, I absolutely agree with ur reading.....
An artist with a lot of potential, promise and a good voice quality.
Need to keep a track of him.......
srramanujam
Active Member
Profile of 6 next torchbearers by Tehelka magazine
We are the brand new heavies
Hindustani music's future does not lie with the dynasties you have been hearing of. Arunabha Deb profiles the real superstars
JAYATEERTH MEVUNDIS life changed with a phone call. At 21, the Hindustani vocalist had just moved to Goa to work as a tanpura player with All India Radio (AIR) there. Jayateerth was crushed at his situation. Then one day, the station director called him to his room, handed him the receiver and told him that Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was on the line. For a few seconds, I just held the receiver and couldnt move, remembers Jayateerth. Obviously, it couldnt be a hello and he was confused between namaste and aap kaise hain?; he doesnt remember now what he finally said. Joshi had called to invite Jayateerth to sing at the Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsava in Pune. That was Jayateerths first major recital; he had been given a 40- minute slot, in which he sang Raaga Yaman. But the audience was not ready to let him go after one raaga, so he sang a composition in Raaga Bahar. The listeners wanted more, and Joshi then requested him to sing a Kannada bhajan. There was no doubt that there were glimpses of greatness in that concert and the greatest vindication came when Joshi said that the future of the Kirana gharana is safe in Jayateerths hands.
Pandit Bhimsen Joshis death this year added a few decibels to the din of despair in the world of Hindustani music. We have lost many legends recently Ustad Allah Rakha (2000), Ustad Vilayat Khan (2004), Ustad Bismillah Khan (2006) and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (2009). This group dominated Hindustani music for more than half a century. Today, Pandit Ravi Shankar is the sole surviving member of that club of maestros. The cries of the end of an era, therefore, reached a crescendo with Joshis death.
But the lament that these deaths will bring Hindustani music into twilight is misplaced. The generation after Joshi has produced its own grand maestros: amongst instrumentalists, we have Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan; amongst vocalists, there are Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar and Ustad Rashid Khan. The legacy is set to leap to the next generation of classical musicians under 40 years of age. The tradition has tended to judge a musicians greatness by the number and quality of her disciples, and the young brigades commitment to this tradition is perhaps the most striking aspect of its emergence.
JAYATEERTH belongs to Hubli-Dharwad, that mysterious region in Karnataka that has produced some of our greatest classical vocalists. He started his talim in Hindustani vocal under the late Pandit Arjunsa Nakod. Later, he became a disciple of Shripati Padegar and decided to go professional. Despite regular local recitals, he felt he was headed nowhere with the little exposure he was getting, and being the only son in his family, financial pressures were building up. Hence the move to Goa.
Jayateerth has more than lived up to Joshis faith in him. Today, he is already being tipped as the next face of the Kirana gharana. He has participated in almost all the major festivals of the country. This year at the Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata, Pandit Jasraj stood up to applaud his rendition of Raaga Puriya Kalyan. But Jayateerth feels he is still struggling. Growing up in Hubli-Dharwad did afford a favourable setting for learning, but he complains that when it came to professional growth, he has received very little support from the regions musical community. There was a fair bit of unhealthy rivalry. Even today it pains me that I get more recognition in Maharashtra than in my home state, he says. He is right about the recognition in Maharashtra: he has at least two concerts a month in Mumbai itself.
Hes now at that familiar stage where he seeks to extend his niche popularity to a mass appeal. Jayateerth is bitter about having been approached by a Marathi channel to be a judge on a music show and then being ignored. Hes convinced its necessary for a classical musician to be visible in mass media platforms. How will more people know about me if I remain invisible to those who do not attend my concerts? he asks. What is left unsaid is that if newspapers and television channels are plastered with his contemporaries faces, he needs to catch up. This isnt an obsession for glamour, but a desire for the fame that he feels is commensurate to his command over his music.
KAUSHIKI DESIKAN, of course, has no such worries. At 30, she is a diva. At Dover Lane this year, her tabla accompanist was 40 minutes late. Unhappy listeners started clapping, few of them even got adventurous and started banging on the speakers. A few minutes later, Kaushiki appeared without the accompanist (who was then just getting on to the second Hooghly Bridge to get to Southern Avenue still an easy 25 minutes away). She checked the microphone level and proceeded to chat with the audience. I was feeling uncomfortable that all of you were being made to wait. So Ive come to wait with you thunderous applause. Over the next 20 minutes, she spoke about her nervousness before her first performance at Dover Lane, how she had to take time off from music to attend to her newborn son (now one-yearold), how she hopes that some day her son will perform on the same platform. By the time she finished, and asked the organisers for a cup of tea, most men in the audience were willing to travel to Darjeeling to pick out the finest flush. Needless to say, the tabla player, when he arrived, was spared the catcalls.
Kaushiki followed up this charm offensive with a corrosive rendition of Raaga Jog. Without doubt, this ability to always cushion her charisma with music of the highest standard has helped establish her as the most popular female vocalist of the new generation. She stormed into the scenario at the age of 17 with a debut concert in Delhi, and the clich of not looking back is apt here.
Daughter and disciple of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, she admits owing several opportunities to her lineage. Im not foolish enough to think that other girls my age couldnt have achieved what I have if they got the same opportunities as I did, she says. But shes quick to add that she has justified those opportunities: An organiser may come to me once or even twice because Im my fathers daughter, but he wouldnt come back a third time if he didnt really want me to perform in his festival.
Right from the start of her career, Kaushiki has carried the weight of her legacy with ease and panache. Her gayaki is modelled on her fathers and also draws generously from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, but she deliberately avoids certain hallmarks of the Patiala gharana like heavy gamaks (traversing notes through forceful shakes of the voice) that she feels are unsuitable for a female voice. My father would always warn me against imitating him, she says. In class, hed ask me to complement his phrases rather than repeat them verbatim. Learning by repetition often becomes learning by rote; then you find yourself mechanically reproducing the same sequence of phrases every time you sing a raaga. That kills the spontaneity. As my father says, its like reheating and serving last nights food and whats more dangerous is that it stunts your growth as a musician.
Her father also coaxed her to develop faculties of selfcriticism evident in any conversation with her, which is peppered by quips like five years back, I sang a terrible Raaga Jog or I know I need to go easy on my taans (fast-paced improvisations). She claims shes never received full-throated praise from her father. Whenever I sing, his face betrays this feeling that everything is going horribly wrong. Ive heard that he has said a few good things about my singing behind my back, but Im yet to hear it from him, she smiles. He trained Kaushiki to be a traditionalist, and in the guru-shishya parampara, the guru rarely praises the disciple.
Kaushiki, though, doesnt view tradition as rigid imperatives. Tradition is a fluid notion we are trained in it, but then we also contribute to it. It should embrace growth. As soon as you start viewing tradition as something within four walls, you run the risk of getting caught in the rut of mediocrity, she says. Here shes referring to her music she remains quite the traditionalist in her professional choices. At a time when most professional Hindustani musicians are involved in collaborative ventures with other musical forms, she has resolutely stayed away. She is no prude she loves the band Shakti but feels that the much of the current collaborative endeavours have a casual air about them and dont aspire to the high standards set by Ustad Zakir Hussain and John McLaughlin. I dont get it all this Lounge stuff, she says. Also, there is a new wave of corporate shows. I went to one as a listener and walked out midway. The sight of people eating, that too with their backs to the artiste, made me too uncomfortable to stay.
PURBAYAN CHATTERJEE is a sharp contrast to that sentiment. If you ask any aficionado to name a young sitar star, you can be certain to get Purbayans name. You can also be certain that after him, most people will stumble in providing a second name. In a new generation of sitar players, arriving after Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, Purbayan enjoys a monopoly.
Of the 110-odd concerts he did last year, 70 were classical and 40 were collaborations with other genres fusion, to use a dirty word. A visit to his website gives an instant idea about how he wishes to be identified: grey text on a white background waxes poetic about the notion of duality; the central image box is divided down the middle the left throws images of Purbayan, in aviators, playing his electric sitar (which he has named Dwo, scoring an extra point for lateral thinking over Niladri Kumar, who called his electric sitar Zitar); on the right, he is in a kurta, holding the original sitar.
I walked out of a corporate show midway. The sight of people eating with their backs to the artiste was uncomfortable, says Kaushiki
Growing up in Kolkata, Purbayan created a sensation when he first started performing largely because his playing style was reminiscent of the late Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. His father and guru, Partha Chatterjee, was a disciple of Banerjee, and Purbayan consciously fashioned himself in the image of his fathers guru for many years. In fact, he played Raaga Darbari and Raaga Hemant in his first ever appearance at Dover Lane the same combination that Banerjee had played in his last appearance at the same festival. It worked as a throwback for many Banerjee fans and gave Purbayan a considerable boost at the beginning of his career.
But Purbayan knew he could not ride on the throwback for long. Before people could start calling him a clone, he introduced significant changes in his style of playing, following it up by drastically changing his musical persona. Until I joined Presidency College (for English Literature), I only spent time with people who were connected with the world of classical music, he says. In college, for the first time I was exposed to things beyond this realm. With new friends, I started listening to different genres I started with The Beatles and eventually found heavy metal and realised I actually enjoyed it.
His discoveries made him question a number of his beliefs. First among them was that Hindustani music is the worlds greatest form of music. Thats a ridiculous thing to say, but you dont assess the thought objectively when youre surrounded by people who consider it the gospel truth, he says. A musician who practises a different genre can claim that his genre is the greatest and that would be an equally meaningless thing to say.
Purbayan emphasises that it was his interaction with non-musicians that gave him a new worldview, which, in turn, forced him to rethink his positioning as a musician. First, he knew he had to get off the high horse that most classical musicians are conditioned to believe they are entitled to. I pitched my first band, Shastriya Syndicate, as a classical ensemble, he recalls. I thought I was doing something holier than those who were doing fusion. Then I realised my snobbery wasnt really doing me any good. I discovered that collaborating with other genres of music was challenging and fun. And then I decided to perform both classical and collaborative music and that I wont be coy about the two different worlds that I balance. There are several classical musicians my age who do vodka shots till 6 am, but in concerts and in interviews, you wont get the slightest hint of that side of their personas. They will talk demurely about parampara. I guess it works for them, but Id rather put myself out there the way I am. Yes, I like partying. Yes, I love it when Im thronged by young women for autographs and I dont see how or why any of this should compromise my status as a classical musician.
Purbayans defiance is backed by the simple fact that he has not lost an inch of ground in the pure classical scenario. Organisers know that he head-bangs with his electric sitar around his neck and that he regularly does corporate shows, but continue to invite him to the most prestigious festivals in the country, be it Sawai, Saptak or the Tansen Samaroh. There is no shadow of any other form of music in his classical concerts: he doesnt deviate from the grammar of raagas and has developed an aesthetic blend of vistaar, layakari and tayari (slow exposition, rhythmic improvisations and speed).
Its tempting to see Kaushiki and Purbayan as leaders of two schools of emerging musicians. Both are immensely successful and are considerably ahead of their contemporaries in terms of fame and money. Their divergent paths can only be heartening news for young musicians theres comfort in knowing that, with either choice, the chances of success as a professional musician are not diminished. Jayateerth can, therefore, take heart in Kaushikis narrative; there can be no comparison between their backgrounds, and without doubt Jayateerth will take more time to become the star that he perhaps wants to be, but missing out on the television show will probably not prove to be a hurdle.
MANJUSHA KULKARNI PATIL is a brilliant vocalist who has not quite become a star much like Jayateerth but has been consistently impressing connoisseurs and listeners alike. She talks only about her music, and her bubbly enthusiasm is reminiscent of the playful vitality that invariably informs her recitals. She was born in Sangli, Maharashtra, and after initial talim under Chintubua Mhaiskar, she became a disciple of Pandit DV Kane (popularly known as Kane Bua). Kane lived in the nearby town of Ichalkaranji. Unlike Kaushiki and Purbayan, for whom the guru-shishya parampara was largely a matter of staying at home and learning from their fathers, Manjusha had to travel to her guru in another town daily. On weekends, she would stay over at her gurus house for intensive talim and riyaz sessions. The weekends would be the most rewarding, she says. It was a continuous process of him teaching and then me practising it in front of him. If I made a mistake, hed immediately point it out and Id have to keep singing the part until I got it right.
Kane was an exponent of the Agra and the Gwalior gharanas. Manjusha tries to retain both flavours in her gayaki. Her present guru, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, is also an Agra and Gwalior exponent (as well as of Jaipur- Atrauli). She admits that the Agra gharana has been waning for a while and most vocalists partially trained in the Gwalior gharana tend to enhance the Gwalior elements over others. Thats why I retain the Agra flavour in my presentations. Sometimes, I do nom-tom alaps (a dhrupad- inspired Agra speciality), but this depends on the raaga and whether it fits in the Agra mould, she says.
Manjusha moved from Sangli to Pune when she got married in 2000. Apart from the richness of variety within her khayal presentations, Manjusha performs different genres of light classical music with ease: while thumris and bhajans are part of every vocalists repertoire, her command over tappas, natyasangeet and lavanis differentiate her from her contemporaries. In addition to her robust voice, her repertoire initially made her a favourite in western India, but now shes been getting regular invitations to Delhi and Kolkata.
VINAY MISHRA has also benefited by moving from a small town in Uttar Pradesh to Benaras and then to Delhi. Vinay grew up in Chehariya on the border between UP and Bihar, and nobody in his mohalla could have imagined hed become a professional harmonium player. The only thing that still matters is that there is an MBBS or engineering degree. I was seen as a gaane-bajaanewala until I went for my first concert tour abroad. With that, they suddenly felt that maybe mine is a real profession after all.
Today, Vinay still looks like a good boy from UP and could easily pass off as the MBBS aspirant his family once wanted him to be: well-oiled hair, neat side parting, simple kurtas. He actually spent a year preparing for MBBS entrance exams. His musical journey started when he had to sing parts of the Ram Charit Manas with his grandfather during pujas at home. Beyond that, music was absent in the familys life. Vinay discovered his vocation at school through singing in plays and Republic Day functions.
His father indulged his wish to learn music and decided to take him to Pandit Channulal Mishra in Benaras. Once a month, they would travel the 52 km between Chehariya and Benaras for music lessons. It so happened that Mishra started Vinays vocal talim using the harmonium as opposed to the tanpura, which is a more obvious choice. With due respect, it wasnt correct for him to start with the harmonium, he says. The tanpura offers a much stronger axis for developing ones sense of sur. Because of his decision, I was compelled to play the harmonium.
Vinay eventually discontinued learning from Mishra and went on to learn from a number of vocalists in Benaras, where he moved to for high school. He was already intent on becoming a professional singer but friends kept urging him to focus more on the harmonium. While pursuing a bachelors in music at Benaras Hindu University, hed often be asked to accompany visiting artistes. Because I took the harmonium so lightly, Id say yes. There was no fear because I never felt anything was at stake. But many insisted I formally learn to play the harmonium. I was told I should go to someone called Ustad Mehtab Khan, and when I did, a whole new world opened up. He infused life into an instrument that Id been playing almost mechanically, he says.
A few years later, he moved to Delhi for his masters in music from Delhi University. He arrived at a time when Mehmood Dholpuri was pretty much the only harmonium player in Delhi. Vinay was quick to sense the opportunity and decided to settle in the capital. He was in his early 20s and being taken seriously was difficult. There were some musicians who I had accompanied in Benaras. Some thought Id be happy with the same rates in Delhi. When I said I couldnt possibly play for Rs 300, they thought I was being arrogant. But I knew if I relent once, Id have to keep playing at ridiculous rates, he says.
His risk paid off. Through tabla player Vinod Lele, Vinay got to accompany Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and since then hes accompanied the likes of Pandit Madhup Mudgal, Shruti Sadolikar Katkar, Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar and recently, Ustad Rashid Khan. For someone still in his 20s, it cant get better than this.
Many classical musicians my age do vodka shots till 6 am, but in interviews they talk demurely about parampara, says Purbayan
Accompanists have to deal with differential treatment all the time. The main artiste will fly, but well have to go by train. I insist on similar treatment, he says. This might not sit well with senior organisers or senior musicians, but he feels notions of proper are changing, and its essential for young artistes to assert themselves if they feel they have the talent to back up what might be seen as insolence. Today, he says hes waiting for the right time to launch himself as a soloist. Playing a harmonium solo doesnt hold the audience for too long, he explains, and the instrument has several limitations that the artiste has to circumvent. I want to first come up with an engaging recital pattern. And Im not in a hurry.
MURAD ALI cuts a natty figure with a diamond stud in one ear and heavily embroidered kurtas. Hes also had to deal with the soloist-accompanist dichotomy. As the brightest young hope on the sarangi today, he is in constant demand from classical vocalists, music directors and bands. He manages to keep them all happy and also sneak in solos at prestigious festivals like Sawai and Vishu Digambar Jayanti. A sixth-generation sarangi player, Murad insists there was no family pressure towards the instrument. My twin brother plays the sitar. Even I couldve chosen something else. But I wanted to carry on the family legacy, he says.
He took simultaneous lessons in singing and on the instrument from his grandfather Ustad Siddique Ahmad Khan and father Ustad Ghulam Sabir Khan respectively. By his early 20s, Murad was playing in studio recordings, and was a busy studio musician by the time he gathered prominence as a classical musician. I have a huge debt to Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan, he says. I was part of Shubhajis Ab Ke Sawan and have been playing with her since then in both concerts and recordings. She supported me when I had very little to fall back on and encouraged me to believe I could be a classical musician and yet continue to do commercial recordings. He says hes learnt as much in the studio from music directors as he has from his gurus. Studio recording is not easy. Theres little margin of error. Nothing is more embarrassing than being corrected by the music director in front of other musicians. The pressure ensures you focus on accuracy.
Like Purbayan and several others of his generation, Murad has also plunged into collaborative music. In fact, he was part of Purbayans outfit Shastriya Syndicate and has now formed his own band Soul Samvaad. Fusion is challenging, of course, he says, but its also a great way for us to earn money. And fusion doesnt have to be the dhik-chik sort our band plays pieces based on raagas and what fits our aesthetic sensibility. Murad reiterates Purbayans point that as long as the two types of music can be kept separate, no one should be upset. He goes a step further to say that the whole idea of fusion is being seen as a sham because many young musicians look upon it as an easy route to getting gigs. If you have anything to do with Hindustani music, you have to go through a period of intense talim, he says. Only when your fundamentals are in place, can you think of venturing out to try new things.
THE FIVE OTHER musicians featured here would surely echo Murads sentiment. All six have gone through the two core experiences of Hindustani music: talim and riyaz. They may have chosen different ways of marketing themselves and have differing notions of what should comprise the identity of a classical musician, but they all agree that without intense training and gruelling practice, an attempt at any sort of music is futile. Their priorities are clear: everything follows the music. Self-fashioned serious listeners tend to pass caustic remarks about the youngsters flair for looks and stage persona, but they forget this is hardly new. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is believed to have one of the best collections of shawls in India.
In terms of what makes a successful musician, the formula, if there is such a thing, remains the same. And much remains the same in the world of Hindustani music at large. A growing audience for collaborative music has not seen the number of core classical listeners dwindle. In spite of young listeners taking a fancy for classical sounds in collaborative music and corporate houses obsessing over classical-type fusion shows, few young musicians complain about diminishing audiences in pure classical concerts. Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune continue to have loyal audiences and most young musicians report that they always perform to full houses at festivals in smaller towns, especially in Maharashtra.
Young musicians consider an image of tradition necessary just as glamour is considered necessary in the film industry
Concerts apart, television channels in West Bengal and Maharashtra regularly broadcast pure classical recitals by upcoming musicians. And now YouTube is also playing its part. Musicians are not always the best of friends and are not necessarily regulars at each others recitals, but they are still keen to know how their contemporaries are doing. As Kaushiki says, In Kolkata, I dont often see my contemporaries at my concerts. But in Maharashtra, its very different, both contemporaries and seniors attend: people like Sanjeev Abhyankar, Padma Talwalkar and Ashwini Bhide Deshpande. But even if we dont go for each others concerts, artistes of our generation are very aware of what everyone is doing. With YouTube, keeping track has become easier. New media has made Hindustani music more accessible; listeners who would not go out and buy a CD (for fear of being overwhelmed) have the opportunity to sample Hindustani music in smaller doses.
However, easy dissemination has not reduced the importance or the status of gurus in any way. Democracy does not sit very well with the notion of talim in Hindustani music. All musicians agree that it is impossible to learn by listening to CDs and that the lack of depth is immediately evident when someone chooses to go down that path. Talim is still something precious that the guru passes over to the disciple; there is no substitute for this oral tradition as there is no shortcut to the maniacal hours that a classical musician needs to put in behind his/her music. The six young musicians featured here do not hesitate to owe all their success to their gurus; and modesty compels all of them, Purbayan included, to be silent about the hours they have put in. In spite of the new vocabulary of this generation, the script for success has not changed.
We are the brand new heavies
Hindustani music's future does not lie with the dynasties you have been hearing of. Arunabha Deb profiles the real superstars
JAYATEERTH MEVUNDIS life changed with a phone call. At 21, the Hindustani vocalist had just moved to Goa to work as a tanpura player with All India Radio (AIR) there. Jayateerth was crushed at his situation. Then one day, the station director called him to his room, handed him the receiver and told him that Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was on the line. For a few seconds, I just held the receiver and couldnt move, remembers Jayateerth. Obviously, it couldnt be a hello and he was confused between namaste and aap kaise hain?; he doesnt remember now what he finally said. Joshi had called to invite Jayateerth to sing at the Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsava in Pune. That was Jayateerths first major recital; he had been given a 40- minute slot, in which he sang Raaga Yaman. But the audience was not ready to let him go after one raaga, so he sang a composition in Raaga Bahar. The listeners wanted more, and Joshi then requested him to sing a Kannada bhajan. There was no doubt that there were glimpses of greatness in that concert and the greatest vindication came when Joshi said that the future of the Kirana gharana is safe in Jayateerths hands.
Pandit Bhimsen Joshis death this year added a few decibels to the din of despair in the world of Hindustani music. We have lost many legends recently Ustad Allah Rakha (2000), Ustad Vilayat Khan (2004), Ustad Bismillah Khan (2006) and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (2009). This group dominated Hindustani music for more than half a century. Today, Pandit Ravi Shankar is the sole surviving member of that club of maestros. The cries of the end of an era, therefore, reached a crescendo with Joshis death.
But the lament that these deaths will bring Hindustani music into twilight is misplaced. The generation after Joshi has produced its own grand maestros: amongst instrumentalists, we have Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan; amongst vocalists, there are Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar and Ustad Rashid Khan. The legacy is set to leap to the next generation of classical musicians under 40 years of age. The tradition has tended to judge a musicians greatness by the number and quality of her disciples, and the young brigades commitment to this tradition is perhaps the most striking aspect of its emergence.
JAYATEERTH belongs to Hubli-Dharwad, that mysterious region in Karnataka that has produced some of our greatest classical vocalists. He started his talim in Hindustani vocal under the late Pandit Arjunsa Nakod. Later, he became a disciple of Shripati Padegar and decided to go professional. Despite regular local recitals, he felt he was headed nowhere with the little exposure he was getting, and being the only son in his family, financial pressures were building up. Hence the move to Goa.
Jayateerth has more than lived up to Joshis faith in him. Today, he is already being tipped as the next face of the Kirana gharana. He has participated in almost all the major festivals of the country. This year at the Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata, Pandit Jasraj stood up to applaud his rendition of Raaga Puriya Kalyan. But Jayateerth feels he is still struggling. Growing up in Hubli-Dharwad did afford a favourable setting for learning, but he complains that when it came to professional growth, he has received very little support from the regions musical community. There was a fair bit of unhealthy rivalry. Even today it pains me that I get more recognition in Maharashtra than in my home state, he says. He is right about the recognition in Maharashtra: he has at least two concerts a month in Mumbai itself.
Hes now at that familiar stage where he seeks to extend his niche popularity to a mass appeal. Jayateerth is bitter about having been approached by a Marathi channel to be a judge on a music show and then being ignored. Hes convinced its necessary for a classical musician to be visible in mass media platforms. How will more people know about me if I remain invisible to those who do not attend my concerts? he asks. What is left unsaid is that if newspapers and television channels are plastered with his contemporaries faces, he needs to catch up. This isnt an obsession for glamour, but a desire for the fame that he feels is commensurate to his command over his music.
KAUSHIKI DESIKAN, of course, has no such worries. At 30, she is a diva. At Dover Lane this year, her tabla accompanist was 40 minutes late. Unhappy listeners started clapping, few of them even got adventurous and started banging on the speakers. A few minutes later, Kaushiki appeared without the accompanist (who was then just getting on to the second Hooghly Bridge to get to Southern Avenue still an easy 25 minutes away). She checked the microphone level and proceeded to chat with the audience. I was feeling uncomfortable that all of you were being made to wait. So Ive come to wait with you thunderous applause. Over the next 20 minutes, she spoke about her nervousness before her first performance at Dover Lane, how she had to take time off from music to attend to her newborn son (now one-yearold), how she hopes that some day her son will perform on the same platform. By the time she finished, and asked the organisers for a cup of tea, most men in the audience were willing to travel to Darjeeling to pick out the finest flush. Needless to say, the tabla player, when he arrived, was spared the catcalls.
Kaushiki followed up this charm offensive with a corrosive rendition of Raaga Jog. Without doubt, this ability to always cushion her charisma with music of the highest standard has helped establish her as the most popular female vocalist of the new generation. She stormed into the scenario at the age of 17 with a debut concert in Delhi, and the clich of not looking back is apt here.
Daughter and disciple of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, she admits owing several opportunities to her lineage. Im not foolish enough to think that other girls my age couldnt have achieved what I have if they got the same opportunities as I did, she says. But shes quick to add that she has justified those opportunities: An organiser may come to me once or even twice because Im my fathers daughter, but he wouldnt come back a third time if he didnt really want me to perform in his festival.
Right from the start of her career, Kaushiki has carried the weight of her legacy with ease and panache. Her gayaki is modelled on her fathers and also draws generously from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, but she deliberately avoids certain hallmarks of the Patiala gharana like heavy gamaks (traversing notes through forceful shakes of the voice) that she feels are unsuitable for a female voice. My father would always warn me against imitating him, she says. In class, hed ask me to complement his phrases rather than repeat them verbatim. Learning by repetition often becomes learning by rote; then you find yourself mechanically reproducing the same sequence of phrases every time you sing a raaga. That kills the spontaneity. As my father says, its like reheating and serving last nights food and whats more dangerous is that it stunts your growth as a musician.
Her father also coaxed her to develop faculties of selfcriticism evident in any conversation with her, which is peppered by quips like five years back, I sang a terrible Raaga Jog or I know I need to go easy on my taans (fast-paced improvisations). She claims shes never received full-throated praise from her father. Whenever I sing, his face betrays this feeling that everything is going horribly wrong. Ive heard that he has said a few good things about my singing behind my back, but Im yet to hear it from him, she smiles. He trained Kaushiki to be a traditionalist, and in the guru-shishya parampara, the guru rarely praises the disciple.
Kaushiki, though, doesnt view tradition as rigid imperatives. Tradition is a fluid notion we are trained in it, but then we also contribute to it. It should embrace growth. As soon as you start viewing tradition as something within four walls, you run the risk of getting caught in the rut of mediocrity, she says. Here shes referring to her music she remains quite the traditionalist in her professional choices. At a time when most professional Hindustani musicians are involved in collaborative ventures with other musical forms, she has resolutely stayed away. She is no prude she loves the band Shakti but feels that the much of the current collaborative endeavours have a casual air about them and dont aspire to the high standards set by Ustad Zakir Hussain and John McLaughlin. I dont get it all this Lounge stuff, she says. Also, there is a new wave of corporate shows. I went to one as a listener and walked out midway. The sight of people eating, that too with their backs to the artiste, made me too uncomfortable to stay.
PURBAYAN CHATTERJEE is a sharp contrast to that sentiment. If you ask any aficionado to name a young sitar star, you can be certain to get Purbayans name. You can also be certain that after him, most people will stumble in providing a second name. In a new generation of sitar players, arriving after Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, Purbayan enjoys a monopoly.
Of the 110-odd concerts he did last year, 70 were classical and 40 were collaborations with other genres fusion, to use a dirty word. A visit to his website gives an instant idea about how he wishes to be identified: grey text on a white background waxes poetic about the notion of duality; the central image box is divided down the middle the left throws images of Purbayan, in aviators, playing his electric sitar (which he has named Dwo, scoring an extra point for lateral thinking over Niladri Kumar, who called his electric sitar Zitar); on the right, he is in a kurta, holding the original sitar.
I walked out of a corporate show midway. The sight of people eating with their backs to the artiste was uncomfortable, says Kaushiki
Growing up in Kolkata, Purbayan created a sensation when he first started performing largely because his playing style was reminiscent of the late Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. His father and guru, Partha Chatterjee, was a disciple of Banerjee, and Purbayan consciously fashioned himself in the image of his fathers guru for many years. In fact, he played Raaga Darbari and Raaga Hemant in his first ever appearance at Dover Lane the same combination that Banerjee had played in his last appearance at the same festival. It worked as a throwback for many Banerjee fans and gave Purbayan a considerable boost at the beginning of his career.
But Purbayan knew he could not ride on the throwback for long. Before people could start calling him a clone, he introduced significant changes in his style of playing, following it up by drastically changing his musical persona. Until I joined Presidency College (for English Literature), I only spent time with people who were connected with the world of classical music, he says. In college, for the first time I was exposed to things beyond this realm. With new friends, I started listening to different genres I started with The Beatles and eventually found heavy metal and realised I actually enjoyed it.
His discoveries made him question a number of his beliefs. First among them was that Hindustani music is the worlds greatest form of music. Thats a ridiculous thing to say, but you dont assess the thought objectively when youre surrounded by people who consider it the gospel truth, he says. A musician who practises a different genre can claim that his genre is the greatest and that would be an equally meaningless thing to say.
Purbayan emphasises that it was his interaction with non-musicians that gave him a new worldview, which, in turn, forced him to rethink his positioning as a musician. First, he knew he had to get off the high horse that most classical musicians are conditioned to believe they are entitled to. I pitched my first band, Shastriya Syndicate, as a classical ensemble, he recalls. I thought I was doing something holier than those who were doing fusion. Then I realised my snobbery wasnt really doing me any good. I discovered that collaborating with other genres of music was challenging and fun. And then I decided to perform both classical and collaborative music and that I wont be coy about the two different worlds that I balance. There are several classical musicians my age who do vodka shots till 6 am, but in concerts and in interviews, you wont get the slightest hint of that side of their personas. They will talk demurely about parampara. I guess it works for them, but Id rather put myself out there the way I am. Yes, I like partying. Yes, I love it when Im thronged by young women for autographs and I dont see how or why any of this should compromise my status as a classical musician.
Purbayans defiance is backed by the simple fact that he has not lost an inch of ground in the pure classical scenario. Organisers know that he head-bangs with his electric sitar around his neck and that he regularly does corporate shows, but continue to invite him to the most prestigious festivals in the country, be it Sawai, Saptak or the Tansen Samaroh. There is no shadow of any other form of music in his classical concerts: he doesnt deviate from the grammar of raagas and has developed an aesthetic blend of vistaar, layakari and tayari (slow exposition, rhythmic improvisations and speed).
Its tempting to see Kaushiki and Purbayan as leaders of two schools of emerging musicians. Both are immensely successful and are considerably ahead of their contemporaries in terms of fame and money. Their divergent paths can only be heartening news for young musicians theres comfort in knowing that, with either choice, the chances of success as a professional musician are not diminished. Jayateerth can, therefore, take heart in Kaushikis narrative; there can be no comparison between their backgrounds, and without doubt Jayateerth will take more time to become the star that he perhaps wants to be, but missing out on the television show will probably not prove to be a hurdle.
MANJUSHA KULKARNI PATIL is a brilliant vocalist who has not quite become a star much like Jayateerth but has been consistently impressing connoisseurs and listeners alike. She talks only about her music, and her bubbly enthusiasm is reminiscent of the playful vitality that invariably informs her recitals. She was born in Sangli, Maharashtra, and after initial talim under Chintubua Mhaiskar, she became a disciple of Pandit DV Kane (popularly known as Kane Bua). Kane lived in the nearby town of Ichalkaranji. Unlike Kaushiki and Purbayan, for whom the guru-shishya parampara was largely a matter of staying at home and learning from their fathers, Manjusha had to travel to her guru in another town daily. On weekends, she would stay over at her gurus house for intensive talim and riyaz sessions. The weekends would be the most rewarding, she says. It was a continuous process of him teaching and then me practising it in front of him. If I made a mistake, hed immediately point it out and Id have to keep singing the part until I got it right.
Kane was an exponent of the Agra and the Gwalior gharanas. Manjusha tries to retain both flavours in her gayaki. Her present guru, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, is also an Agra and Gwalior exponent (as well as of Jaipur- Atrauli). She admits that the Agra gharana has been waning for a while and most vocalists partially trained in the Gwalior gharana tend to enhance the Gwalior elements over others. Thats why I retain the Agra flavour in my presentations. Sometimes, I do nom-tom alaps (a dhrupad- inspired Agra speciality), but this depends on the raaga and whether it fits in the Agra mould, she says.
Manjusha moved from Sangli to Pune when she got married in 2000. Apart from the richness of variety within her khayal presentations, Manjusha performs different genres of light classical music with ease: while thumris and bhajans are part of every vocalists repertoire, her command over tappas, natyasangeet and lavanis differentiate her from her contemporaries. In addition to her robust voice, her repertoire initially made her a favourite in western India, but now shes been getting regular invitations to Delhi and Kolkata.
VINAY MISHRA has also benefited by moving from a small town in Uttar Pradesh to Benaras and then to Delhi. Vinay grew up in Chehariya on the border between UP and Bihar, and nobody in his mohalla could have imagined hed become a professional harmonium player. The only thing that still matters is that there is an MBBS or engineering degree. I was seen as a gaane-bajaanewala until I went for my first concert tour abroad. With that, they suddenly felt that maybe mine is a real profession after all.
Today, Vinay still looks like a good boy from UP and could easily pass off as the MBBS aspirant his family once wanted him to be: well-oiled hair, neat side parting, simple kurtas. He actually spent a year preparing for MBBS entrance exams. His musical journey started when he had to sing parts of the Ram Charit Manas with his grandfather during pujas at home. Beyond that, music was absent in the familys life. Vinay discovered his vocation at school through singing in plays and Republic Day functions.
His father indulged his wish to learn music and decided to take him to Pandit Channulal Mishra in Benaras. Once a month, they would travel the 52 km between Chehariya and Benaras for music lessons. It so happened that Mishra started Vinays vocal talim using the harmonium as opposed to the tanpura, which is a more obvious choice. With due respect, it wasnt correct for him to start with the harmonium, he says. The tanpura offers a much stronger axis for developing ones sense of sur. Because of his decision, I was compelled to play the harmonium.
Vinay eventually discontinued learning from Mishra and went on to learn from a number of vocalists in Benaras, where he moved to for high school. He was already intent on becoming a professional singer but friends kept urging him to focus more on the harmonium. While pursuing a bachelors in music at Benaras Hindu University, hed often be asked to accompany visiting artistes. Because I took the harmonium so lightly, Id say yes. There was no fear because I never felt anything was at stake. But many insisted I formally learn to play the harmonium. I was told I should go to someone called Ustad Mehtab Khan, and when I did, a whole new world opened up. He infused life into an instrument that Id been playing almost mechanically, he says.
A few years later, he moved to Delhi for his masters in music from Delhi University. He arrived at a time when Mehmood Dholpuri was pretty much the only harmonium player in Delhi. Vinay was quick to sense the opportunity and decided to settle in the capital. He was in his early 20s and being taken seriously was difficult. There were some musicians who I had accompanied in Benaras. Some thought Id be happy with the same rates in Delhi. When I said I couldnt possibly play for Rs 300, they thought I was being arrogant. But I knew if I relent once, Id have to keep playing at ridiculous rates, he says.
His risk paid off. Through tabla player Vinod Lele, Vinay got to accompany Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and since then hes accompanied the likes of Pandit Madhup Mudgal, Shruti Sadolikar Katkar, Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar and recently, Ustad Rashid Khan. For someone still in his 20s, it cant get better than this.
Many classical musicians my age do vodka shots till 6 am, but in interviews they talk demurely about parampara, says Purbayan
Accompanists have to deal with differential treatment all the time. The main artiste will fly, but well have to go by train. I insist on similar treatment, he says. This might not sit well with senior organisers or senior musicians, but he feels notions of proper are changing, and its essential for young artistes to assert themselves if they feel they have the talent to back up what might be seen as insolence. Today, he says hes waiting for the right time to launch himself as a soloist. Playing a harmonium solo doesnt hold the audience for too long, he explains, and the instrument has several limitations that the artiste has to circumvent. I want to first come up with an engaging recital pattern. And Im not in a hurry.
MURAD ALI cuts a natty figure with a diamond stud in one ear and heavily embroidered kurtas. Hes also had to deal with the soloist-accompanist dichotomy. As the brightest young hope on the sarangi today, he is in constant demand from classical vocalists, music directors and bands. He manages to keep them all happy and also sneak in solos at prestigious festivals like Sawai and Vishu Digambar Jayanti. A sixth-generation sarangi player, Murad insists there was no family pressure towards the instrument. My twin brother plays the sitar. Even I couldve chosen something else. But I wanted to carry on the family legacy, he says.
He took simultaneous lessons in singing and on the instrument from his grandfather Ustad Siddique Ahmad Khan and father Ustad Ghulam Sabir Khan respectively. By his early 20s, Murad was playing in studio recordings, and was a busy studio musician by the time he gathered prominence as a classical musician. I have a huge debt to Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan, he says. I was part of Shubhajis Ab Ke Sawan and have been playing with her since then in both concerts and recordings. She supported me when I had very little to fall back on and encouraged me to believe I could be a classical musician and yet continue to do commercial recordings. He says hes learnt as much in the studio from music directors as he has from his gurus. Studio recording is not easy. Theres little margin of error. Nothing is more embarrassing than being corrected by the music director in front of other musicians. The pressure ensures you focus on accuracy.
Like Purbayan and several others of his generation, Murad has also plunged into collaborative music. In fact, he was part of Purbayans outfit Shastriya Syndicate and has now formed his own band Soul Samvaad. Fusion is challenging, of course, he says, but its also a great way for us to earn money. And fusion doesnt have to be the dhik-chik sort our band plays pieces based on raagas and what fits our aesthetic sensibility. Murad reiterates Purbayans point that as long as the two types of music can be kept separate, no one should be upset. He goes a step further to say that the whole idea of fusion is being seen as a sham because many young musicians look upon it as an easy route to getting gigs. If you have anything to do with Hindustani music, you have to go through a period of intense talim, he says. Only when your fundamentals are in place, can you think of venturing out to try new things.
THE FIVE OTHER musicians featured here would surely echo Murads sentiment. All six have gone through the two core experiences of Hindustani music: talim and riyaz. They may have chosen different ways of marketing themselves and have differing notions of what should comprise the identity of a classical musician, but they all agree that without intense training and gruelling practice, an attempt at any sort of music is futile. Their priorities are clear: everything follows the music. Self-fashioned serious listeners tend to pass caustic remarks about the youngsters flair for looks and stage persona, but they forget this is hardly new. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is believed to have one of the best collections of shawls in India.
In terms of what makes a successful musician, the formula, if there is such a thing, remains the same. And much remains the same in the world of Hindustani music at large. A growing audience for collaborative music has not seen the number of core classical listeners dwindle. In spite of young listeners taking a fancy for classical sounds in collaborative music and corporate houses obsessing over classical-type fusion shows, few young musicians complain about diminishing audiences in pure classical concerts. Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune continue to have loyal audiences and most young musicians report that they always perform to full houses at festivals in smaller towns, especially in Maharashtra.
Young musicians consider an image of tradition necessary just as glamour is considered necessary in the film industry
Concerts apart, television channels in West Bengal and Maharashtra regularly broadcast pure classical recitals by upcoming musicians. And now YouTube is also playing its part. Musicians are not always the best of friends and are not necessarily regulars at each others recitals, but they are still keen to know how their contemporaries are doing. As Kaushiki says, In Kolkata, I dont often see my contemporaries at my concerts. But in Maharashtra, its very different, both contemporaries and seniors attend: people like Sanjeev Abhyankar, Padma Talwalkar and Ashwini Bhide Deshpande. But even if we dont go for each others concerts, artistes of our generation are very aware of what everyone is doing. With YouTube, keeping track has become easier. New media has made Hindustani music more accessible; listeners who would not go out and buy a CD (for fear of being overwhelmed) have the opportunity to sample Hindustani music in smaller doses.
However, easy dissemination has not reduced the importance or the status of gurus in any way. Democracy does not sit very well with the notion of talim in Hindustani music. All musicians agree that it is impossible to learn by listening to CDs and that the lack of depth is immediately evident when someone chooses to go down that path. Talim is still something precious that the guru passes over to the disciple; there is no substitute for this oral tradition as there is no shortcut to the maniacal hours that a classical musician needs to put in behind his/her music. The six young musicians featured here do not hesitate to owe all their success to their gurus; and modesty compels all of them, Purbayan included, to be silent about the hours they have put in. In spite of the new vocabulary of this generation, the script for success has not changed.
sivasarjun
Active Member
sivasarjun
Active Member
Trying to revive the thread.
A film by Benegal on one of the greatest musicians,Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur the titan of Jaipur Atrauli gharana.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASNoAeJKFx8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN-mcr9q1dA
A film by Benegal on one of the greatest musicians,Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur the titan of Jaipur Atrauli gharana.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASNoAeJKFx8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN-mcr9q1dA
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sivasarjun
Active Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZOMX2Sii4c
Found this treasure today.Probably the greatest singer of his generation.
Found this treasure today.Probably the greatest singer of his generation.
sivasarjun
Active Member
Remembering Dhontutai Kulkarni who passed away on May 31.
Gaanyogini Dhondutai Kulkarni - Raag Meerabai ki Malhar - YouTube
Listen to it.No need for any words.
The book "The Music Room" by Namiya Devidayal is about her and is a fascinating read.
http://www.flipkart.com/the-music-r...room&ref=c9fe2a56-51a9-472e-8308-db12f5190b55
To make the post comprehensive here is a magnificient Nand from her Guru the incomparable Kesarbai.
Kesarbai Kerkar singing Raga Nand - YouTube
Gaanyogini Dhondutai Kulkarni - Raag Meerabai ki Malhar - YouTube
Listen to it.No need for any words.
The book "The Music Room" by Namiya Devidayal is about her and is a fascinating read.
http://www.flipkart.com/the-music-r...room&ref=c9fe2a56-51a9-472e-8308-db12f5190b55
To make the post comprehensive here is a magnificient Nand from her Guru the incomparable Kesarbai.
Kesarbai Kerkar singing Raga Nand - YouTube
vikoma
Member
Discovered this gem recently: (Pt. Samresh Chowdhuri - Bairagi Bhairav)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x66oDAWzp60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x66oDAWzp60
sivasarjun
Active Member
Traditional,yes but what improvisation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lcAgPPjQq4&noredirect=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lcAgPPjQq4&noredirect=1
sivasarjun
Active Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaJeupmwBJQ
Other Dharward great.Indebted to the original uploader.
Other Dharward great.Indebted to the original uploader.
Recently heard - "Johar mai baap " by Pt Anand Bhate on you tube - very impressive. Will post link later. This guy is growing up on me...
one more must watch is "Ketaki Gulab Juhi Champak ban" rendition by Pt.Anand Bhate and Pt. Jayteerth M.
Even though no one can match great Pt Bhimsenji, but I am sure he will proud of these young masters.
Cheers.
one more must watch is "Ketaki Gulab Juhi Champak ban" rendition by Pt.Anand Bhate and Pt. Jayteerth M.
Even though no one can match great Pt Bhimsenji, but I am sure he will proud of these young masters.
Cheers.
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