| Told by | Bishoke Kumar Sil |
| Obtained by | Suranjita Paul |
| Date | 29th September 2016 |
| Place | 84A, Ahiritola. Kolkata- 700005 |
| About the speaker | Bishoke Kumar Sil is an eminent Sitar and Rudraveena player of Seni gharana |
| Tags | Chatubabu, Veena, Sandip Dev, Tabla, 2012, Pakhawaj, Ranjita Mukherjee, Sarod, Anahata Nada |
| Language | Bengali |
Bishoke Kumar Sil speaks:
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
| Told by | Bishoke Kumar Sil |
| Obtained by | Suranjita Paul |
| Date | 29th September 2016 |
| Place | 84A, Ahiritola. Kolkata- 700005 |
| About the speaker | Bishoke Kumar Sil is an eminent Sitar and Rudraveena player of Seni gharana |
| Tags | Bahauddin Dagar, Long Meend, Veena, Sitar, Ravi Shankar, Madox Square, Mahajati Sadan, Rabindra Sadan, Alap, Tabla |
| Language | Bengali |
Bishoke Kumar Sil speaks:
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
| Told by | Mukul Roy Chowdhury |
| Obtained by | Dr. Suranjita Paul |
| Date | 28th September 2016 |
| Place | All India Radio, Eden Gardens. Kolkata- 700001 |
| About the speaker | Mukul Roy chowdhury is a renowned Tabla and Pakhawaj player 0f All India Radio. |
| Tags | Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Sangitacharya, Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad, Fingering, Tala, Layakari, Bol, Teental, Tihai, Sound, Ironside Road, 1975, 1996 |
| Language | Bengali |
Mukul Roy Chowdhury speaks:
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
Amrita Bazar Patrika reports
A Report on the ban on the usage of Harmonium by all A.I.R studios. Stalwarts like Sir Raza Ali, Dr. Rabindranath Tagore, Dr Zakir Husain, K.V.Krisnaswami Aiyar and L. Muthla expressed their logical views against the usage of harmonium as the accompanying instruments.
“Amrita Bazar Patrika [Daily]. Vol: 72; Issue:61 (02 March 1940).” Accessed October 20, 2016. http://eap.bl.uk/database/large_image.a4d?digrec=4262810;catid=226630;r=16827.
Identified by Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee, Project Fellow.
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
| Told by | Pt. Manilal Nag |
| Obtained by | Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay & Dilip Mukherjee |
| Date | 12 February, 2015 |
| Place | Residence of Pt. Manilal Nag, 13G Gobinda Mondal Lane, Kolkata 700002 |
| About the speaker | Manilal Nag is a renowned sitar player and an exponent of the Bishnupur Gharana of Bengal. His sitar recitals have been featured in many National Programmes of Music & Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan since 1954. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards including Sangeet Natak Akademy Award in 2001 and
Government of West Bengal’s Highest Civilian Award, Banga Bibhushan in 2015. |
| Tags | Gokul Nag, vocal music, dhrupad, sargam, riyaz, practice, repetition, bol, sargam, right hand, left hand, reflex action, Mita Nag, 6-7 year old, beating, 1945, 1946 |
| Language | Bengali |
Pt. Manilal Nag speaks
Verbatim:
– ????? ?????? ???? ????…
– ????? ??? ????? ????
– ?????, ????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???????? ????? –‘??? ??? ?????’? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?????, ?????, -‘? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ??’? ??? ????? ???????? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???? …???? ???? ???? (???? ????????)?
– ?? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ????????
– ?????????
-?? ?????, ?? ??????
– ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????, ?? ????? ??, ?????? ???, ????? ???, ?????? ???? ??????? ???
– ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ? ??? ???? ??????
– ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???-?? ???? ????? ???-??? ???? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ????
-??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ????? ??? ?????????? ???? ?? ?? ??????? ???????? ?? ?? ???????? ????????? ?? ?? ????
– ?? ?? ?????? ???????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??, ???? ?? ????
– ???? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???????
– ????? ???? ???? ??????? ?????, ????? ????? ????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?????
– ?????????? ??????? ???? ??? ????????? ????? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ???????? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ???????? ??? ?????? ????????? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ? ??? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ????, ??? ????…? ?? ??? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ????
Verbatim by: Dr. Suranjita Paul
Translation:
Father used to teach us how to sing before he would teach us how to play the sitar. We learnt Dhrupad. Once we picked up the raaga, he showed us the sargam on the sitar and asked us to play. That is, he asked us to do riyaaz. We had to play the same thing for a long time, accompanied by bol or sargam. So, for instance, in case of sargam it could be: “g? re s?, g? re s?, g? re s?, m? g? re m? g? re m? g? re, p? m? g? p? m? g? p? m? g?, s? re s? g? re s?, re g? re m? g? re, g? p? m? g? p? m? – inverting it – s? g? re s?, re g? m? re s? g? re g?, s? g? re g?, re m? g? m?, re m? g? m?…”
– How long would you play these?
– For a long time.
– Two hours? One hour?
– No, not one or two hours on every occasion. Forty times, thirty times. Then we changed it again. It’s not like we played the same thing for an hour.
– Was the riyaaz different for your left hand and right hand?
– No. If the right hand moves, the left hand will move automatically.
– Okay.
– The rule is that if the right hand moves well, the left hand will follow suit. I didn’t do anything special for the left hand. If the right hand moves, so will the left.
– You know, I think it is reflex. For every person, the matter of riyaaz is different depending on the reflex.
– I wanted to find out about his.
– I think reflex is the main factor.
– How old were you when you father was training you?
– I was around six or seven years old.
– Even at that age you had a rigorous riyaaz?
– Yes. Otherwise we’d get a beating. I’ve been beaten up many times.
– Beating doesn’t aid in the process of development.
– He was kicked from the first floor and fell to the ground floor because he played football. Such stories are there. He still has a mark on his arm.
– I used to play football. There was a rajbari in Uttarpara where there was a football ground. I was addicted to sports. I played football. At that time Salil Manna’s shots were famous. I stopped that shot. My wrist was dislocated. I had to figure out what I had to do next. I couldn’t go home and say I broke my wrist playing football. If I said that then father would get angry and give me a good thrashing. So, I came up with a plan. I was already quite mischievous by then. So, I made a loud noise and screamed that I had fallen down. Otherwise, I would have received a sound thrashing!
Translated by: Sarbajaya Bhattacharya
Picture Courtesy: Google
http://www.mitanag.com/adver/106803foundation.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfbWk_Tipis
Edited & Designed: Dr. Suranjita Paul
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
| Told by | Bishoke Kumar Sil |
| Obtained by | Suranjita Paul |
| Date | 29th September 2016 |
| Place | 84A, Ahiritola. Kolkata- 700005 |
| About the speaker | Bishoke Kumar Sil is an eminent Sitar and Rudraveena player of Seni gharana |
| Tags | Mira Sil, Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury, Sitar, Rudraveena, Seni gharana, Dhrupad Anga, Melody, Dagarbani, Gauharbani, Meend, Khandar bani, Raga, Panchhanan Roy Chowdhury, 1968, 1974, 2005- 2010. |
| Language | Bengali |
Bishoke Kumar Sil speaks:
Verbatim:
???? ??? ????? ???? ???? ????? ???? …????? ???? ???, ??? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ???????????????? ??????? ???? ??????, ????????? ??????? ???????? ????? ????????? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ??: ???? ??? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ???????? ????? ?? ?? ?????, ?? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ????????? ????? ?????????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? – ???? ???? ????????? ????? ????????????
-???, ??? ????? ??????…??? ??????? ??????????? ??? ???, ?????? ???? ???, ??????? ??? ????????? ??????? ???? ??????????????? ??? …? ???? ????? ????? ????????? ??????? ????? ???? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ??, ????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ????????? ??????? ????? ??? ????? ? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ? ??? ??????? ?? ????????? ??????? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???????? ???????, ??????? ??-?? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ????? ????? ???? ???????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ????
– ???? ???? ?? ????????, ??? ?? ???? ???????? ???? ????????? ????? ?????????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ???? teaching process ?? ??? ???? ?????
– ??? ???????? ??????? ??????? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ???, ??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ??? ??????? ?????? ?????, ???? ???? ???????? ??? ?????? ????? ???????, ?? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???????, ????????, ??????????? ????? ?? ?? ???, ????????? ????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ????????? ?? ???? ?? ???????????? ???????? ??????? ??? ???????? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ???????? ???? ??? ????????? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ?????…??????…???????…??????? ???
– ??????????? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?????
– ??????????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ????, ???? ??? ??????? ?????, ??? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?? ??? ???????? ??? ????? ???
– ????? ???? ????? ???????????? ???? ??? ??????????
– ??? ?????? ???? – ??? ??????
– ?????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????
Verbatim by: Dr. Suranjita Paul
Translation:
My first guru was my elder sister Mira Sil. Our home had a heritage of music. My elder sisters were all very talented. My eldest sister was a good singer while middle sister was a disciple of Chhabi Bandyaopadhyay. She sang many devotional songs and Kirtans. My elder brother Dr.Arun Sil was the mastermind behind these learning processes. He once decided to send my sister to learn from Birendra Kishore Roy Chaudhury. I remember the incident clearly. My sister asked my brother whether he knew the legendary musician and my brother took out the telephone directory and called the maestro and fixed the time for her to learn from him.
It was in 1968 that my sister was married and went to live in London. Then I started to learn from Birendra Kishore and continued till his death. He passed away in 1974 or 75, I think. Then I got transferred to North Bengal and discontinued learning. I used to learn sitar from him also, as learning Sitar would help mastering the skill of playing Veena with ease. Birendra Kishore used to follow Dhrupad style of Seni Gharana. He taught me Sitar and Veena both.
I was quite young then, must be 20 years of age, so I didn’t understand a lot of his teaching, I think. He used to sing the things. Gauharbani, Dagarbani and Khandarbani were the fundamentals of my learning. Gauharbani had long Meends and then comes Dagarbani, he used to teach me between Dagarbani and Khandarbani which was typical of Seni Gharana. At first, he taught me small ragas and I passed Prabhakar from there. He used to sing the ragas and had to copy it down then I had to render it through the instrument. I cannot express the teaching learning process more explicitly than that.
I had to go away due to my job, as I told you earlier. When I returned I started learning from Panchanan Roychaudhry. He was a disciple of Birendrababu for sixteen years. The year was 2005, I think. I learnt from him for a period of five years until his death. Before that I used to practise the learnt ragas and my own compositions.
Translated by: Arundhati Banerjee
Picture Courtesy: Google
http://oriental-traditional-music.blogspot.com/2016/11/more-sursringar-birendra-kishore-roy.html
http://www.rudraveena.org/NaeemBamboo.html
Edited & Designed: Dr. Suranjita Paul
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
| Told by | Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay |
| Obtained by | Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee |
| Date | 28th September, 2016 |
| Place | Residence of Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay at Tarashankar Sarani, Tala, Kolkata |
| About the speaker | Associated to All India radio, Kolkata. He presented several eye-opening discussions on Indian classical music. A poet, writer, and music connoisseur. |
| Tags | Subhas Roychowdhury, Naseem Hussain Khan, Nadeer Hussain Khan, Puria Dhanashree, Agra Gharana, Benaras Gharana, Mustaq Ali Khan, Nanku Maharaj, Tabla, Chhut-taan, Maru-Behag, Kheyal, Taankartav, Riyaz, Ramujee Mishra, Chhut-taan, Nissar Hussain Khan, Rampur Sahaswan Gharana, Bhairavi , Tarana, Megh , Amir Khan, Amir Khusro, Rabindra Nath Tagore, 1965, 1966, 1967, Kesarbai Kerkar, Thumri , Tappa, Performance, Khambaj Tappa, Malini Rajurkar, Hafiz Ahmed Khan, Ramprasad Mishra, Ramuji Mishra, Mohan Kanan, Paikpara |
| Language | Bengali |
Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay Speaks :
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
| Told by | Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay |
| Obtained by | Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee |
| Date | 28th September, 2016 |
| Place | Tarashankar Sarani, Tala, Kolkata |
| About the speaker | 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 |
| Language | Bengali |
Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay Speaks :
Verbatim:
???? ????????? ???????? ????????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ??????? ???, ?????, ?? ????? ????? ????? ?????, ??? ????? ??, ???? ???? ???? ?? ?? ??????? ???? ???????? ?????? ????????? ???????- ‘??? ?? ?????’ ?? ????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ????????, ?????? ????? ??????, ????? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ??????? ????????? ?????, ?? ??????? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ??????? ????, ??? ???? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ????? ?????, ???? ????? ??? ??? ???, ??? ??????? ???? ???? ???????? ??????, ?????? ???? ?????
?????????????? ???? ??????? ????
?? ??? ??? ???, ????? ?????? ????
??????? ???? ?? ????????
?????, ??????,
?? ?? ????????? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ????????, ??????? ????, ????? ????, ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????, ??? ???? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ????, ??? ?? ??, ??????? ???? ??????, ??? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ??? “??? ??, ???? ??? ??? ????” ? ???, ?? ?? ?? ????? ???, ?? ????? ?? ?? ???, ?????? ?? ????????? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ???, ?????? ??? ??? ???, ???? ?????? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?????? ???????????, ???? ?????? ?????? ?????????, ???? ?? “?????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ??? ???’ ?? ????? ?????????, ??? ?? ????? ???, ?? ??????? ????? ????? ???????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ??? ??, ????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ???????????, ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ??????, ????? ?????, ?????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? ????? ?????, ??? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???????? ?? ?????? ???, ????????? ??? ????????? ??? ???, ?????? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ??? ????? ??, ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???????? ??? ??????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ????????
???? ??? ? ???????? ???, ?????? ????????? ??????? ?????????? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??????? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ???????? ???? ?????? ???, ???? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ????, ?????? ??? ???? ?????????? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??, ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????????? ???? ???? ??? ???????? ???, ??????? ????? ???????? ???, ??????? ???? ???, ???? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ? ??, ?? ???? ???? ???
??????? ???? ???? ??? ?
????????? ?????? ??? ???? ???, ?? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????, ???? ???? ??? ????? ????, ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???????????? ??? ???? ??, ?????? ???????? ????? ??? ???????? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ????, ???? ????????????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???????? ????? ??????????? ?? ?? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ??????? ????????? ????? ????? ??? ???? ??, ????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ????, ?? ??? ? ???????? ?? ??? ??????????, ?????? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ??????? ???, ??? ???? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ???????, ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???????
Verbatim: Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee
Translation:
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.
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.
Translation By: Arundhati Banerjee
Edited & Designed: Ms. Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
| Told by | Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay |
| Obtained by | Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay, Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee |
| Date | 28th September, 2016 |
| Place | Tarashankar Sarani,Tala,Kolkata |
| About the speaker | Associated to All India Radio, Kolkata. He presented several eye-opening discussions on Indian classical music. A poet, writer, and music connoisseur. |
| Tags | Akashvani, Radio, Taan, Raag, Jog, Bandish, Baroaa, 1968, 1967, Latafat Hussain Khan, Agra Gharana, Faiyaz Khan, Bialayat Hussain Khan, Sarafat Hussain Khan, 1960, 1962, Behug, Mulatani, Kheyal, Kirana Gharana, Roshanara Begum, Gwalior Gharana, Bade Ghulam Ali, Narendranath Mitha, Shovona Debi, Nitai Bose, Mustaque Ali khan, Nirmal Guha Thakurata, Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, Puriya, Tarapada Chakraborty, Halak Taan, Gamak, Meer, Meend, Boltaan, Dinkar Kaikini |
| Language | Bengali |
Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay Speaks :
Text Version:
I first started to listen to classical music from All India Radio from 7:40 to 7:50 p.m. One day suddenly an ethereal voice hit me and his tana was like a tidal wave. he was singing raga Jog “sajana mora ghar aye”.
He was the best yogi in that raga, he was none other than Latafat Hussain Khan. Another raga was his fort as far as I can remember, raga Baroya, “prem baje mori payeliya” was the lyrics of the kheyal. It was in the year 1968 or 69. He was in the peak of his career then. The records though were earlier ones. His voice taught me the strength in rendering a raga. Some people criticise him for his rough and husky voice, but I think beauty lies not only in softness and sweetness but also in strong masculinity. I think the beauty of Himalaya is not ultimate but the Grand Canyon is also beautiful in its own way. The voice of Latafat Hussain Khan reminds me of the tough granites of Grand Canyon. It was a very typical trait of Agra gharana, it was in the singing of Faiyaz khan too. I know the staunch fans of Faiaz Khan would beg to differ but I think the roughness and strength were the beauty of these singers. Bilayat Hussain Khan was another name in this line which I want to mention. Sharafat Hussain Khan changed himself a little from the common Agra gharana traits, still the beauty of the learning remained the same. Sharafat Hussain Khan had a record which I first heard in 1960 or 62. It had raga Behag in one side and raga Multani in the other. Behug had the lyrics “hajarat ali tum ho mahabali”, a typical kheyal of Agra gharana and Multani had the lyrics like “hari eri ariri, elo durjan me kaha Kasur”. These two songs, sung at the age of twelve, had a sweet young voice yet it had the fire and speed that was amazing. Then Kirana gharana recorded the same ragas by a twelve-year-old, she was none other than majestic Roshnara Begum. Those days are over now, the battle between ghranas and gurus are past. It is unfortunate that we lost the traits of different gharanas. The strength of Agra gharana, the beauty of Himalaya in Gwaliyar Gharana, the beauty of rose garden in the voice of Ghulam Ali Khan are all mixed up now. Even the time of the ragas are not considered now-a-days.
I was first introduced with Latafat Hussain khan in the house of famous writer Narendranath Mitra. His wife Shovana aunty was a very good singer. Nitai Basu was there, he was a disciple of Mustaque Hussain Khan and he liked me a lot. Nirmal Guhathakurta was also there. Latafat Hussain khan was chatting with them in a friendly manner. It was in Mohan Kanan, the year was 1967-68. I was introduced casually with him, I was awestruck. I first perceived him as a very big man wearing a white coat and white churidar, his dark face was reddened by betel leaf. He laughed and chatted merrily with a weird grin. His chat was mixed with Urdu Shayri which I couldn’t followed well but everyone was effusive. This went on for a while, I asked him some questions, the mood was set and then he took the stage. He started with raga Puriya. I remembered the small record of Ustad Tarapada Chakraborty with raga Puriya. But it had the very different flavour, it was full of sweet and mellow tragic note, we know this sadness which Puriya brings with it. But the rendering of Latafat Hussain was unique, we are in an unknown territory, the tragedy, the misfortune brought out by him was like a princess prisoned in a casement and her heart-wrenching catastrophe singing her heart out. But it was not a she and the singer was not a paragon of beauty. But he created his magic in such a way, we were all mesmerised. When he finished his performance, I suddenly discovered he was not at all a big man, he had quite a simple stature but the greatness of his genius made him a giant for me. He then sang some more songs including raga Jog. His introductory tana was so strong that it seemed to pull the very soul of ones existence. It was called Halak taan, it was a signature of Agra gharana, so also gamak. Gamak was originally a meer but they mixed boltaan with it to extend its merit. It was quite a lost heritage now. Sharafat Hussain Khan and Dinkar kaikini were the last of them.
TRANSLATION BY ARUNDHATI BANERJEE
Picture Courtesy:Google
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=ustad+latafat+hussain+khan&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjn4NWi8fHbAhXMrI8KHaTzB74Q_AUIDCgD&biw=1366&bih=586#imgrc=AX4h1QgwpvKPaM:
Edited & Designed: Ms. Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
| Told by | Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay |
| Obtained by | Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee |
| Date | 28th September, 2016 |
| Place | Tarashankar Sarani, Tala, Kolkata |
| About the speaker | Associated to All India radio, Kolkata. He presented several eye-opening discussions on Indian classical music. A poet, writer, and music connoisseur. |
| Tags | Indian Classical Music, Gramaphone Record, Gyanendra Prasad Goswami, Kheyal, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Raag, Jayjayanti, Kedar, 78-rpm Record, Faiyaz Khan, Vinayak Rao Patwardhan, Hirabai Barodekar, Kesarbai Kerkar, 1959,1960, Tarapada Chakraborty, Puriya, Gurjari Todi, Bhismadev, Vishmadev, Chattopadhyay, Chatterjee, Radio Ceylone, Gauhar Jaan, Amiya Nath Sanyal, Narayan Rao Vyas, D.V. Paluskar, Naseem Hussain Khan, Naseer Hussain Khan, Subhas Roychowdhury, Ata Hussain Khan, Darbari Kanada, Tanaiyat, Agra Gharana, 1965, Sohini, Madhyalaya Teentaal, Bandish, Sam, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Boltaan, Rageshree, Taan, Staccato , Malhua Kedar, All India Radio, Pinaki Mukhopadhayay, Maru Behug, Ata Hussain Khan |
| Language | Bengali |
Sri Debabrata Mukhapadhyay Speaks :
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.