The well-known sitar player Sanjay Guha is now serving as a faculty member at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London. He learnt music from a number of highly reputed musicians including Pt. Radhika Mohan Moitra, Pt. Deepak Chaudhury and Vidwan M. Balamurali Krishna.
Tags
Satya brata Guha , Bharati Hall, Indira Hall, 1950, Tansen Sangit Sammelan, Bilaskhani Todi, Ravi Shankar, Balaram Pathak, Ali Akbar Khan, Allauddin Khan
I have heard this incident from my Uncle that happened in the 1950s, probably in the late 50s. A program, possibly Tansen Festival, had taken place at either Bharati or at Indira hall. PanditJi was on the stage playing BilaskhaniTodi. The hall wastotally crowded. After BilaskhaniTodiwas over BalaramPathakhold Panditji’s feet. Both were crying and then BalaramPathak uttered what a mesmerizing performance Panditji had given that hadtotally spellbound all the audiences. This was a very unique scene to be witnessed.
Pt. Ravi Shankar & Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
There was another funny incident, also narrated to me by my uncle. A film in which Ali Akbar Khan composed music, was about to release shortly. Hearing that, Panditji and Ali Akbar Khan Sahab had gone to attend the film releasing programme.For some reasons Allauddin Khan was in Kolkata and hehad also came to know about that programme.Panditji and Ali Akbar Khan Sahab were totally in dark that Allauddin Khan was also coming to that programming. When they heard about his coming there, both of them got up from their front seats and went out of the hallstraight away. While Baba Allauddin Khan had been there for the entire period and enjoyed the film and at the end he remarked that Ali Akbar Khan Sahabhad enormous knowledge in music.
The well-known sitar player Sanjay Guha is now serving as a faculty member at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London. He learnt music from a number of highly reputed musicians including Pt. Radhika Mohan Moitra, Pt. Deepak Chaudhury and Vidwan M. Balamurali Krishna.
Tags
Dixon Lane, Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Recording, Tabla, 1950, Masit Khan, Ajim Khan, Ahmad Jaan Thirkwa
Language
Bengali
Sanjay Guha speaks :
Metadata generated by Suranjita Paul
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
S.A.P. Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University, B.T. Road Campus.
About the speaker
Renowned Sitar Player and Torchbearer of Bishnupur Gharana.
Tags
Manilal Nag, 1954, All India Music Conference, All India Radio, Tabla, Vocalist, Varanasi,Benaras, Musician, Kishan Maharaj, Shanta Prasad, Birju Maharaj, Amir Khan, Maihar, Ravi Shankar, Uttarpara, Uday Shankar, Nikhil Banerjee, Sitar, Vilayat Khan, Dagar Brothers, Jor, Alap, Binkar, Dhrupad, Concerts, Organizers, Tansen, Surdas, Veenkar, Sadarang, All Bengal Music Conference, Satin Sen, Park Circus, Manmatho Ghosh, Pathuriaghata, Music Conference, Audience, Classical Music Concert, Patroniser, Jhala
Language
Engish
Ms Mita Nag Speaks
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
Associated to All India Radio, Kolkata. He presented several eye-opening discussions on Indian classical music. A poet, writer, and music connoisseur.
Tags
Mahajati Sadan ,1955-60, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Mian Ki Todi, Gurjari Todi, Taan, Bandish, Tarapada Chakraborty, Halak Taan, Dhaibat, Meer, Gandhar, meend
In classical music circle a commonly used word is mood or mijaj. In Bengali, we use this word negatively, as someone having a bad mood but in music world it is connotative of his aesthetic sense and beauty of rendering his music. They have a humour of their own which cannot be perceived by common people but when they convert it into their music it became tangible and we can see their world a little.
Mahajati Sadan
I will tell you one such story. I cannot confirm the year, but we can say, 1955-60. Ustad Bade Ghulam ali Khan was performing in Mahajati Sadan. It was almost dawn and he was singing Gurjari Todi and he was a master in that raga. I can still hear his voice “bhor bhai tori bat kataka piya”. It was such a difficult Bandish. There is perhaps no one tossing the Bandish itself, except one. Pt. Tarapada Chakrabarty once sang us the difficult Bandish of “Mahmod Shah durbare Niyamat Khan diyat taan”. This song had a Halaak taan which creates waves of ocean in our heart. Now this song I was referring, Bade Ghulam Ali saab was creating the taana as a mountain stream in rain, coming down upon us in full force. He was creating magic through Gurjari Todi, he went to dhaibat from madhyam, suddenly a cow mooed out of nowhere and the whole magical mood was shattered. But here we are talking about a master and he suddenly changed his tone and through a meer he went from Dhaibat to Gandhar and somehow, he manages to mix his tone with that mooing sound. And the magic was recreated. Everyone cheered because the beauty remained unchanged.
Now I want to discuss something, in our classical musical texts it was said that every note was formed from some animal sound. But I believe it is a tendency in our culture to mark everything through a metaphor. I have recorded personally the different animal sounds to prove that. But it is not true. I have the recordings of cuckoo’s song; it goes from one note to another. Now in this case, gandhar was supposed to be the sound of a goat. Goat and cow are both herbivores, that much we can conclude but only a single sound cannot be identified as a note. You have to have a reference point to denote or identify a note. But anyway, Ghulam Ali Saab had that aesthetical knowledge and training to combine his voice that with the mooing and it was a delight to hear that ethereal music on that pre-dawn moment.
Residence of Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 3/1/1D, Padmapukur Road, Kolkata 700092
On Irfan Muhammad Khan
Irfan Md. Khan is an established Sarod Player. The scion of Lucknow Shahjanpur Gharana Sarod player. He represents the Lucknow-Shahjahanpur Gharana which has produced eminent Sarod players like Ustad Enayet Khan (1790-1883), Ustad Asadullah Khan Kaukab (1852-1919), Ustad Karamatuilah Khan (1848-1933), Prof. Sakhawat Hussain Khan (1875-1955), also his illustrious father Ustad Umar Khan (1916-1982) and his uncle Ustad Ilyas Khan (1924-1989) the famous Sitar player of Lucknow.
Key-words
Ali Akbar Khan, Umar Khan, Jodhpur, Dagar, daraspiya, inspiration, shagird, R.D. Burman, Joydev, Roshan of Bombay, Begum Jabbar, Palm Avenue, morning concert, 1960, Bilaskhani todi, Dover lane, 1970, Puriya
Language
Hindi
Irfan Muhammad Khan speaks:
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
Prof Sanjoy Bandopadhyay and Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee
Date
27th September, 2016
Place
Ashoka Road,Alipore, Kolkata -700027
About the speaker
Rajeev Goenka is a noted connoisseur of Indian Classical Music and is a passionate music collector. He is the founder and protector of The Rajeev Goenka Music Academy at Dundlod, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. He is closely attached to Kolkata’s music scenario.
Tags
G.D.Birla, G.D. Babu, Jamuna Prasad, Jaman, Birla House, Gangadas Jhawar, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Raag, Teensaptak Taan, Lower Octave, Third Octave, 1954-55, Gurusaday Dutta Road, Violin, Melody.
Language
English
Sri Rajeev Goenka Speaks :
Verbatim:
Another two incidents I’ll tell you, we were very close the Birla family. So Mr G D Birla, liked my father very much. So G D Babu would ask my father, my father’s name was Jamuna Prasad, but his nickname was Jaman. So he would tell, that Jaman, who is a good singer today. So my father was like his son, he said Kakoji, it depends , if somebody likes somebody. He said I want to call somebody in Birla House, so Babuji told that, and at that time Gangadas Jhawar, was the music adviser to the Birla family,
Sri G.D.Birla
So my father told G.D Babu that you ask Gangadasji, and why not call Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab. So the Ghulam Ali programme was arranged at Birla House, G.D.Babu phoned my father saying,’ Tumne to bola tha, ghulam alia a rahe hay, ajana shunne ko’, to mujhe bhi mouka mil gaya uske sath jane ka, so G.D. Babu asked “who is this?” I touched his feet, and my father just introduced me, then asked – ’Tum Gatey ho kya, raag ka kuch pehchan hai?” then I was just stood looking at down, and then he said seat, he was seating on the sofa, so I sat near his feet. Then Ghulam Ali Sahab sang, and Gangadasji started doing Ishara, to Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab, that he was famous for teen saptak ki taan, because he wanted to impress G.D.Babu, that this artist.
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
So one or two isharas then Ghulam Ali khan Sahab did one of those tanas.After the programme was over, G.D Babu told Gangadasji and my father , he told Gangadasji that “why are you doing those isharas” and thenG.D.Babu wanted to know and learn, so he asked my father that – ”Jaman what was that up down?” so babuji explained. Then he said – “don’t you think that in the lower octave it was besura, and in the third octave it was shrieking, “ G.D Babu didn’t know classical music, so he was asking my father, what do you think of this three octave business.
-What was the time; can you tell us the time? Approximately?
-It 1955 or 54.
– And the Birla House is at?
-Gurusaday Dutta Road.
-Thank You this is wonderful, you are talking about Jog Sahab as well.
-Again at Birla House, there was another programme of V.G.Jog. So after the programme was over G.D.Babu told my father that – “ I don’t know much about music, but it is pleasant to the ears, I have not heard much of a Violin, but Jog Sahab’s finger seems to be very harsh. There should be melody.
