Madhyam-Shadaj Confusion—An incident at All India Radio Studio

Told by Vidushi  Jharna Bandyapadhyay
Obtained by Surojato  Roy
Date 15th January 2016
Place Bhawanipore, South Kolkata
About  the speaker Vidushi Jharna Bandyapadhyay is a daughter of famous  vocalist and pedagogue  Pandit Jamini Nath Ganguly.
Tags  1940-41, All India Radio, Sailendra Nath Chattopadhyay, broadcast, Madhyam, Sadja, Girija  Shankar  Chakraborty,  Malkaunsh, Jamini Nath Ganguly
Language Bengali

 Vidushi  Jharna  Bandyapadhyay  speaks :

 

Verbatim:

?????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????-??? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???????? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???????? ?? ????? ???????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ???? ????? ??? ?? ???????? ????? ?????, ??? ?????, ????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ‘??? ??? ???’ ??? ?????? ????? ????? ???, ??????-?? ??? ??????? ??, ?????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ?? ??? ????????? ???? ?????????

               Pt. Jamini Nath Ganguly

?? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ??? ????? ??????????, ???????????? ????????????? ?? ??? ??????? ??????, ????? ???? ????, ?????????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ????? ??? ????? ???…???? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?????- ??? ???? ?? ???? ‘??’ ???? ‘??’ ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????, ?? ??? ?????? ???? ?????????? ?? ????? ???????? ????? ????? ???????, ???? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ????????? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?????, ???? ??????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ?????????? ??????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ?????, ??? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ????? – ‘???? ??? ???? ????????? ??????’? ???? ??? ????? – ??? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????? ????? ?? ???????????? ????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ???????? ????? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????

 Verbatim by: Dr. Suranjita Paul 

Translation:

This was in 1940-41. By that time Baba (Pandit Jamini nath Ganguly) had made quite a name for himself as a vocalist and pedagogue in musical circles. He performed at many places and on the radio too. Let me tell you an amusing incident relating to radio.  At that time sometimes it so happened that someone had known or heard a man ( or a woman, rarely ) sing well and made him sit in front of the microphone and sing. No recording, a direct broadcast.

Shailendra nath Chattopadhyay, a Gurubhai of my father, was to sing on the radio. Father and Girijababu (Pt.Girija Shankar Chakraborty ) were present too. Two minutes before the programme went on air, Shailenbabu was seated before the mike. He was singing Malkauns. Father remembered that for some unknown reason, he had confused the “Ma” with the ‘Sa’.

         Pt. Girija Shankar Chakraborty

He took the madhyam as the Shadaj and began singing Malkauns. Girijababu was standing beside him, father some distance away. Girijababu was pretty much annoyed at this – “How can he go to the higher notes, to the ‘Tara’?” He noticed that Shailenbabu was singing everything between the Mandra Saptak and Madhya Saptak. He had difficulty in reaching the Tar Saptak, naturally. So Girijababu told Baba gently – “Go and fix the problem.” Baba reminisced, “I ran to him, moved him away holding him by his shoulder and put my mouth before the microphone and continued the song by taking the Shadaj at the right scale.”

Incidents like these seem unimaginable and fantastic to us now.

Translated by: Arundhati Banerjee

 Picture Courtesy: Google

https://www.anandabazar.com/topic/girija-shankar-chakraborty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m-RxXQizAw

Edited & Designed: Dr. Suranjita Paul

Metadata is generated by Suranjita Paul

Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, RabindraBharati University.