When I used to take lessons from PanditDipakChowdhury, our classes were held at the house of Panditji’s disciple Shree Shyama Das Chakraborty, who used to live at Tollygaunge. He was the superintendent of the Government Poultry at Tollygaunge. So we used to work at his place. This incident was probably from the year 1982, when Ravi Shankarji brought to Shree ShyamaDas’ house, George Harrison from the band Beatles; who was not particularly renowned for Classical Music though. He had come and I had met him also.
Pt. Ravi Shankar with his students
Another incident had happened after lunch, when Ravi Shankarji was waiting for his car to come and he was relaxing on the sofa. A student of Ravi Shankaji had come, who hadn’t been with him for long, and was a medical representative by profession. His name was PradipChakraborty and he used to live at Baguihati. So Pradipda had a question for Panditji.He asked how he does the Tehai in a consecutive manner. He asked whether there is a mystery lurking behind it.
Panditji had replied, saying that doing it isn’t a very difficult task altogether. He even cited an example for it, a very simple example of the Tritaal, which goes as DhaDhinDhinDha, DhaDhinDhinDha, Na Tin Tin Na, TeteDhinDhinDha. Pandit Di explained that the Tehai for this Taal would go as Dha Ti Dha, Dha Ti Dha, Dha Ti Dha. This was a simple Tehai he showed. Then he demonstrated what he had added to it, which goes as- Ta Dha Ti Dha, Ta Dha Ti Dha, TaDha Ti Dha. This ‘Ta’ that he added to every beat of the existing Tehai elongated the Taal. And he said that he repeats this lot of times. Basically it is very simple, but the interesting note here is that he would keep doing that for more than fifteen minutes on a stretch, without missing out on any beat. He would do the calculations on the spot, and perform according to it, thereby stretching the Tehai on and on. And he also said that this is nothing but practice. This I found very interesting.
This is an incident which I would have said about anyway, but since Pt. Ramesh Mishraji left us yesterday, I think it fit to be told at first, as he was involved with this. This was in the 1980s – I do not remember exactly, but close to1986 or 1987. At that time music was released on cassettes. The recording for PanditSwapanChaudhury’s first Tabla on cassette was being done at Audio Centre Studio at Behala. Recording started at around 7 in the evening. Rameshda, Pandit Ramesh Mishra was keeping the Nagma on Sarengi. Pt. SwapanChaudhury was to play the VilambitTeentaal.
Pt. ramesh Mishra
This happened at the very beginning of the recording. When everything was ready, recording had started, Pt. Ramesh Mishra, playing with his head down, started with a short Auchar and went in to the Gat. He had played it exceedingly well, even within that short timeframe. When he arrived at the ‘Sam’, it was expected that Pt. SwapanChaudhury, sitting opposite from him, would take his entry from there. But he did not play anything, just sat there, looking at Rameshda. Rameshda played a few more matras, then, having heard nothing from SwapanChaudhury, he looked up.
Pt. SwapanChaudhuri was so engrossed in his music that he said, even though the recording was going on, “Ramesh, you play today, I am going to listen to you. You are playing so well that anything I play after this will ruin the ambience. You go on playing, I will listen you today. The recording can wait for some other day.”
This incident naturally left Rameshdaembarrassed and he stopped playing. The recording was done afresh. But this incident has remained imprinted in my memory.
Amlan Das Gupta is a Professor of English, Jadavpur University, He has built an archive of North Indian classical music at the School of Cultural Texts and Records at Jadavpur University. He has also offered a course on the history of North Indian Classical Music. Education – University of Oxford.
Tags
Archive, Singers, Collectors, 1980,s, Anjan Sen, Biman Sinha, Rantidev Moitro, Sarbari Roy Chowdhury, You Tube, 2004, Jadavpur University, 2003, Sukanta Chowdhury, School of Cultural Texts and Records, Instruments, Raaga, Gharana, Classical Music, Mallikarjun Mansoor, Anindyo Banerjee, John Barlow, British Library, UGC, Records, Wire Recordings, Spool Recorder, Cylinder Records, Private Collector
Language
English
Prof. Amlan Dasgupta Speaks :
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Text version:
The idea of having music archive is something we have thought about, we thought about for a long time ever since we are listening to music, a lot of us, it was a kind of community activity.
Spool Recorder
Many of my friends were learning music, others were interested in music, so there was lot of lot of talk about music, and you there was these things, oh only if there was some place where we could listen to these things, and the more that we heard about great singers of the past that you thought that whether it will be possible ever to go and listen to these songs. At that point of time it did not seem possible. It’s much later infact that we came to know about these great 78RPM record collectors but we had no access to them, as music, young, extremely young music, very frankly we would not get much you know much of their time or they would not really allow us listen to the music, unless we have some kind of connection.
Cylinder Recorder
So it’s somewhat later only I think after, in the early 80’s that there were these music collectors like Anjan Sen, Biman Sinha, later Rantideb Maitra who gave us access to their collection and we heard a lot, somewhat around this time I got acquainted with Sarbari Da, we also listen to music there, its then we started understanding there is a great den of music in private hands. So the idea of having an archive where people could just come and listen to music as people reads book in the library, something that we, Now to tell the truth I wouldn’t do it anymore because today you can listen to most of these on YouTube. Only thing I can say that distinguishes The archive from a collection like You Tube which is ultimately probably even larger totally even than the archive and much more but much less organized is that a, The archive is organized on a different principle, even the largest collection is not organized in the same principle. The principle of the archive is that the archive pays attention both to connect and the metadata. That is what makes it valuable, makes easier recourse for research. So there are other things too without the archive.
Amlan Das Gupta is a Professor of English, Jadavpur University, He has built an archive of North Indian classical music at the School of Cultural Texts and Records at Jadavpur University. He has also offered a course on the history of North Indian Classical Music. Education – University of Oxford.
Malikarjun Mansoor sang, I think, for the last time in Kolkata in January of 19–, I think 1992, the year he died. He died later that year, and this programme was at Ramkrishna Mission. There was Tabla performance after his, morning concert, and there was a tabla performance after his singing. There was lot of people who wanted to listen to the Tabla, lot of people coming into the greenroom, and filling up the corridors, very difficult. So, he was sitting in the greenroom and singing. There was Kanan Sahab, who was there. He was always there when Mansoorji sang, and he was very–, he was not well, because later we knew, that we learnt, that already you know that the disease has started, — he had cancer,– the disease could have been there. He was not well, he was tired, little tired. (The) day before he had sang at, I think at, Netaji, the open air , open air theatre next to, no next to the Eden Gardens, yes, (in) the stadium. So there he had sung, then there was some problem also, because the audience didn’t like his singing, so he had some problem, I wasn’t there, there was something that I didn’t listen to. So he came here and he was singing and he was told that he had forty minutes, perhaps little more than that, fifty minutes to sing a song, that was really sad. So he started with something,
Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur
I think he started with ‘Shukla Bilawal’ and went on to sing ‘Jaunpuri’. Now it was not his best. — Whatever he sang was immensely tuneful and even the music that he sang four five months after this , which I have heard later, was his last radio concert made in ‘Dharwar’ months before he died, perhaps weeks before he died, even that was so tuneful, — was so tuneful. But it was clearly not very developed, he was trying to keep things over, he had time for fifteen minutes, at the end I think he sang ‘Bhairavi’ or something. But the thing is that he, we were all sitting there, bunch of, we were young and we had (been) hanging about him for last few days, trying to see him, do you need anything or can we help you with something, I think he saw that and so he finished singing this song, this usual ‘Vilambit’ that he sang ‘U to jaiyo piyake desh’ and he started singing a song which is as follows, its a Gwalior Bandish, its a Gwalior Bandish. It was recorded by some in 78 rpm artist. I have heard it, some particularly distinguished, but this song, ‘Sajana Ghar Lagi Sandiya’. Now we were extatic, we have never heard him singing this song. Later, he went away, we had a recording. So later I shared this recording with other Mansoor follower, Now nobody has ever heard him singing that song and clearly he sung that song for us, for atleast these young unfortunates who were sitting there, I mean he didn’t have time for some mismanagement or people came late or whatever –whatever could be the reason, there was this hourlong, less than an hour concert and he sang this song and this is I think both the unpredictability and greatness of ustadji. I mean, his son Rajshekharji, Rajsekharji told me that he had never heard his father singing this song. So that’s it, I mean they had these immense reserves and we also think about the kind of training that these people had that on spot they pull out a song from anywhere, they’ll sing it, if they feel like it or because they were thinking that there are some people in the audience that they would like it. I don’t think Mansoorji quite enjoy singing in Calcutta because his singing style, kind of singing was not very familiar in Kolkata. We need to understand Nibrutibuaji had not come to Kolkata yet. Many years ago Kesarbai had sung but that was a different thing, Kesarbai’s singing was quite different thing. Mansoorji’s singing had a very heavy influence of Gwalior. Gwalior. Blend of Gwalior and Jaipur, I don’t think it was very popular. In small audience, a very dedicated following but not a very large following. Some people used to visit all his concerts, I have seen them, there were lot of (them). So I don’t think that there was much of a taste.
Pt Ulhas Kashalkar
The taste came later, with Ulhasji and people like (him), they built up this taste. Mansoorji, I think, that’s the reason why he was happy that people who wanted to listen, he wanted to give them something, that is his piece of acts of love and that is music is all about.
There was a hilarious incident that took place in SRA when I was there. We used to organize event called ‘Jhalapala’. In the performing artists all the artists who were known for their singing or Tabla playing or some other you know forte, they were supposed to switch roles and do something else like a singer was supposed to dance, a table player supposed to sing or vice versa. So the hall was full when we organized this in 1998 I think or 1999. Because Mr. Kichlu was there, was still director of SRA at that time.
Mr. Kichlu we discovered that he was trained by none other than UdayShankarji in his Almora ashram. As a boy he had learnt how to dance. Earlier also I had heard from Deepalidi, Deepali Nag that once they had done Shah Jahan and Anarkali soDeepalidihad become Anarkali and Mr. Kichlu was Shah Jahan. Sorry Jahangir and Anarkali. So on this day we requested Mr. Kichlu to present an item. He said that – ‘I’ll show you how Ram walks, his dignified way of carrying himself and how Sita walks’. And it was fantastic, it was really fantastic. He was in plain white pajama kurta, but then one could see that Sita is walking, lifting her lehenga, covering her head with curni. It was very nicely done.
Pandit Lakshmi Narayan Mishra
Then Ustad Rashid Khan was asked to sing sorry asked to dance in given item odissi. He very nicely gave a tribhangi mudra and I was singing the item for him Pallavi and he tried to copy Pratima Bediji. Then there was Pandit Lakshmi Narayan Mishra. He is a veteran Tabla player. He said that he wants to sing Thumri. So he came and sang beautiful Thumri for all of us. AnandaGopalBandopadhyay, he also sang Thumri in that. He is a wonderful singer. Incidentally he is the disciple of Mahadev Prasad Mishraji who used to teach Tabla and Thumri. And Anandada learnt Tabla from him and Thumrihis one of the best known disciples was Vidusi Purnima Chowdhury.
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan
There were many other artists also who were associated with SRA’s activities. One of them was Tanmoy Bose, the aced tabla player. He was asked to present an item and he came up with BirjuMaharajji’s way of talking or doing the Kathakata while dancing. After dance naturally one gets breathless. So Tanmoy presented that so beautifully, you know, catching his breath and then again saying some words…it was beautifully presented. There were so many artists there and we all enjoyed you know, you want artist name like Arun Bhaduri was there, Deepalidi was there, Purnima Sen, then Ullhasji was there I remember and the younger artists were there, all the scholars were there who would learning from various Gurus. There was Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan Sahab. He is well-known poet, everybody knows. His way of reciting the gazals, I am saying reciting not singing…that was also fantastic. So he recited his self-composed gazals and that was also…it still clings on my mind.
Jyoti Goho is a well-known Harmonium player of Indian Classical Music. He is a Musician Faculty in ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata.
Tags
1985, Sangeet Research Academy, Nisar Hussain Khan, Bhuwalka award, A.T. Kanan, Harmonium, Jyoti Goho, Tanpura, Rashid khan, Tabla, Aslam khan, Gulam Akbar Khan, Zulfiqar Khan
It was the year 1985. Nisar Hussain Khan, the grandfather of Rashid Khan was the Guru of S. R. A. (Sangeet Research Academy). NisarHussain Khan was to be awarded the Bhuwalka Award, and it was decided that he would also sing at the Award Ceremony. My Guru encouraged me to play the Harmonium with him, and I agreed.
Nisar Hussain Khan used to sit on a high stool while performing, because he couldn’t sit with his legs folded owing to his old age. He was running on his 83rd or 84th year at that time. The program started and he asked me on stage to play the note for tuning other instrument accordingly. Thus I began to follow him with the Harmonium, suddenly he asked me to play it softly, said, “Why are you playing it so loud? Play it softly.” So I tuned the Hamonium to play it softly. He again interrupted and said. “No no. You are playing it too loud. Slow it down…” Amidst this, the Tanpura was also tuned and Nisar Khan started singing. In between songs, he would ask me to play softer. It was not that I was playing it very loud, but still he kept on insisting that I play it softly. He was renowned musician after all and also the Grandfather of Rashid… and I too was a bit intimidated.
At one point, I was playing the harmonium so low, that I myself was unable to hear it. But even then, he found it to be too loud. At the end of the program, my Guruji, who happened to be a South Indian, came to me and scolded me in broken Bangla, complaining that my harmonium was not audible at all. He said, “Are you mad or what! What were you playing up there? We couldn’t even hear you play the harmonium!” I told him that it was Nisar Khan, who himself had asked me to play it softly. Guruji said, “Yes, I had noticed that he was instructing you about something, but couldn’t make it what he was asking for…”
Ustad Gulam Akbar Khan
Later the Tabla player, Aslam Khan revealed to us that Nisar Hussain Khan had his hearing aid on high volume. His son in law was Gulam Akhbar Khan and his son was Julfikar, who had told the Tabla player about this. Since the volume of the hearing aid was pitched very high on the side where I was sitting, NisarHussain Khan always felt that I was being too loud. Later, I had also told Rashid about this incident, and he too assured me that this had happened a lot of times in the past as well. Rashid also told me that at home, when Nisar Khan would have his morning tea, he gets very irritated at the crows screeching outside, though the noise wasn’t that unbearable. He would also get angry at the crows and ask others to scare them off.
