Everything you always wanted to know about India and more
Bhimsen Joshi
http://cogitoergosum.co.cc/2011/01/15/bhimsen-joshi/
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi – Raag Darbari Kanada – Drut teental
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi – Raag Kedar – sohey larayee
Bhimsen Joshi – Raga Deshkar
Deva bandha Namma – Bhimsen Joshi
Live at Pune – Pt Bhimsen Joshi
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Bhajan Maze Maher Pandhari
http://youtu.be/Fbxd_zndHhU
Bhimsen Joshi: Pandari Niwas, part 1. July 26, 1986.
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi-Tirtha Vitthal Kshetra Vitthal (Raag Ahir Bhairav)
Bhagyada Laxmi Baramma – Bhimsen Joshi
Tunga Teeradi – Bhimsen Joshi
karuniso ranga Karuniso – Bhimsen Joshi
Yaake Mookanadyo Guruve nii – Bhimsen Joshi
Ultimate Jugal Bandi
Balamurali-Bhimsen Joshi
Pt Bhimsen Joshi & Dr Balamurali Krishna Yaman Kalyan
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi & Ustad Rashid Khan- Darbari (Pt. 1)
http://youtu.be/9KcyLPtHkVM
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi & Ustad Rashid Khan- Miyan ki todi
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi & Ustad Rashid Khan- Raag Shankara(Pt 1)
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi & Ustad Rashid Khan- Raag Shankara (Pt 2)
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi & Ustad Rashid Khan- Darbari (Pt. 2)
http://youtu.be/yL78yLFCG-U
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi critical
Indo-Asian News Service
Pune, January 15, 2011
First Published: 16:19 IST(15/1/2011)
Last Updated: 16:23 IST(15/1/2011)
5 Comments
Eminent Hindustani classical vocalist and Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen
Joshi’s condition is “grim” in a hospital in Pune, his physician said
on Saturday. “He is on a ventilator and requires periodic dialysis. He
is critical, but there has been no further deterioration in his health
in the past 12
hours,” Atul Joshi, his consulting physician since over a decade, told
IANS.
Pandit Joshi, who would be 88 on Feb 4, was rushed to the Sahyadri
Hospital Dec 31 following old-age related ailments and general
weakness, his physician Joshi said.
Panditji continues to remain in the intensive care unit of the
hospital and is being treated for ailments related to the upper
respiratory tract, kidney and intestines, he said.
His daughter Shubhada Mulgund told media persons that her father’s
health was a matter of concern as he was not responding to medical
treatment.
Pandit Joshi was conferred Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest
civilian award, in 2008.
Showing 5 comments
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Love4all [Moderator] 21 minutes ago
May God bless Pt. JoshiJi whose few classical-devotional songs tuned
my heart for the love for the Supreme.
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Navin Rai [Moderator] 1 hour ago
One of the greatest artist this subcontinent ever had. I feel really
concerned for Panditji. he has been like an institution of music. His
way of singing is very unique. May god bless him with strength. Lets
prey that he recovers fast.
*
Raj [Moderator] 3 hours ago
I am sad to her this. My most favorite singer is not feeling well. I
love his music, voice. dont know what else to say. i want to listen to
him, now. really sad.
1 person liked this.
*
Sri [Moderator] 3 hours ago
May he recover or suffer less. Still remember the Joshi rendition of
“Sur kee nadiyaan… OOooOO, sooru mile hamaara”..
2 people liked this.
*
SITA_SASTRY03 [Moderator] 1 hour ago in reply to Sri
VERY SORRY TO HEAR THAT PANDIT IS SUFFERING MAY GOD GIVE HIM STRENGTH
TO FACE THIS SITUATION AN RECOVERFAST.
Musical tribute to Bhimsen Joshi from today
Express News Service Tags : Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal, Musical
tribute to Bhimsen Joshi Posted: Wed Feb 16 2011, 05:47 hrs Pune:
Arghya, a three-day musical event organised by Arya Sangeet Prasarak
Mandal (ASPM) to pay tribute to Bharat Ratna late Pandit Bhimsen
Joshi, will begin on Wednesday. Renowned artistes from classical music
industry will gather in the city on the occasion to pay a musical
tribute to the maestro.
The event will take place at the New English School Ramanbaug Grounds
and is expected to see around 12,000 music enthusiasts.
“The event will start at 5 pm everyday. The entry is free for all but
enthusiasts will have to show the free passes as the entry will be
given only after showing the pass,” says the press release.
Legendary vocalist Kishori Amonkar will start the proceedings of the
event with her musical recital followed by performances by flutist Pt
Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Shujat Khan, vocalist Pt Ajay Chakravrthy,
Rashid Khan and Pt Ulhas Kashalkar.
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Pt Shivkumar Sharma (santoor), Pt Birju Maharaj (vocal), Anand Bhate
(vocal), Gundecha Brothers (dhrupad vocal) and Suresh Wadkar (vocal)
will perform on the second day.
On the third and the final day, Shreenivas Joshi and Upendra Bhat,
both disciples of Pt Joshi, will pay musical homage to their Guru. L
Subramaniam (violin), Malini Rajurkar (vocal) and Begum Parveen
Sultana (vocal) will also perform after them.
IANS
Amjad pays tribute to Bhimsen Joshi, Tagore
2011-02-14 15:40:00
Bhopal, Feb 14 (IANS) Saying he felt ‘deep sorrow’ at the passing away
of Bhimsen Joshi, sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan paid the clasical
vocalist a stirring musical tribute here. The evening also honoured
Rabindranath Tagore, whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated
this year.
‘I am in deep sorrow since Panditji (Bhimsen Joshi) has passed away
and I dedicate this evening to him,’ he said before beginning his
presentation Sunday evening on the 29th foundation day of Bharat
Bhavan – a centre for art and culture activities here.
The recital opened with a deeply moving rendition of ‘Vaishnav Jana
To…’ in ‘Rag Khamaj’. This was followed by the bhajan ‘Raghupati
Raghav Raja Ram’ in Rag Jayvanti.
After the bhajans, the Padma Vibhushan awardee, attired in a sky blue
kurta, moved on to pure classical music and gave a sonorous
presentation of Raga Shree: Alap-Jor-Jhala.
At the beginning of each raga, he outlined its melody, giving each
phrase an individual character.
Before his last presentation he said: ‘It is the 150th birth
anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, who had written several beautiful
poems, so I am setting one of his poems to music.’
The music mesmerized the audience.
‘It was just a small tribute to Gurudev (Tagore). Composing music for
his poems is very satisfying experience for me,’ Amjad told IANS after
the performance.
Amjad, who is a native of Madhya Pradesh – he was born in Gwalior –
regretted that the state government is not taking the help of artistes
like him to promote classical music among youngsters.
He also said he wished to perform again in Bhopal.
‘I had performed here long back, but seeing the people enjoy my music,
I would love to come again soon and perform, not alone but with my two
sons Aman and Ayaan,’ he said.
Amjad was well-accompanied by Vijay Ghate on the tabla and Smita
Nagdev on the tanpura.
All About: National,Art – Culture,Madhya Pardesh
Scholarship in memory of Bhimsen Joshi soon
Published: Friday, Feb 11, 2011, 11:43 IST
By Dinesh Thite | Place: Pune | Agency: DNA
Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday announced
that the state government would start a classical music scholarship in
memory of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. He was speaking after inaugurating
‘Bharatratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Kaladalan’, an arts complex built by
the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in honour of the late singer.
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, state cooperatives minister
Harshwardhan Patil, mayor Mohansingh Rajpal, deputy mayor Prasanna
Jagtap, leader of opposition in the PMC Aba Bagul and Joshi’s son
Shriniwas, were present on the occasion.
Chavan had earlier declared a classical music lifetime achievement
award in memory of Bhimsen Joshi, consisting of Rs1 lakh and a
memento.
Chavan extolled the late Indian classical maestro, who came from
Karnataka but chose Pune as his destination. The chief minister, who
was visibly impressed by the PMC’s memorial to Bhimsen Joshi, said it
was consistent with reputation of the great singer.
Bagul, who is a local corporator and who took the initiative to build
the memorial, said that the state government should provide some legal
solution so that an experts’ committee could be appointed to oversee
maintenance of the arts complex, instead of going by the mandatory
process of calling for tenders.
Scribes protest
Journalists protested against deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar by
wearing black ribbons. It was against his derogatory comments against
the media in Nanded district recently. When Pawar rose to speak,
representatives of various news channels shut down their cameras.
Journalists have been demanding an apology by the minister for his
comments.
Karnataka declares mourning for Bhimsen Joshi
Monday, January 24, 2011, 14:10 [IST]
Bangalore, Jan 24: To mourn the death of noted Hindustani musician and
Bharat Ratna awardee Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Karnataka Government on
Monday, Jan 24, declared a day’s mourning.
Joshi was born at Gadag in Dharwad district of Karnataka. The state
Governor HR Bhardwaj in his condolence message said, “I express my
deep sense of loss and grief on the demise of tallest Hindustani
Musician. King of Kirana Gharana, Joshi had mesmerised music
connoisseurs and the commoners equally with his performance all over
the world.”
Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa has found time to go to Pune, inspite of
all the political mess, to pay respects to Joshi’s soul. He expressed
grief over the demise of the music moghul. The CM described Joshi as a
“most talented musician.”
OneIndia News
(With inputs from PTI)
Anand Bhimsen Joshi, a modern-day Eklavya?
Published: Friday, Jan 28, 2011, 12:08 IST
By Rahul Chandawarkar | Place: Pune | Agency: DNA
Forty-eight-year-old Hindustani classical vocalist, Anand Bhimsen
Joshi, feels like a modern-day Eklavya, the tragic, low-caste tribal
prince from the Mahabharata.
The youngest son of the late Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi from
his first wife, Sunanda Katti, Anand bears the pain of never being
formally trained by his famous father.
“I sincerely missed having my father around to teach me the rudiments
of the craft,” Anand said in an exclusive
interview to DNA.
After his first strained marriage to his cousin, Sunanda in 1944,
Bhimsen Joshi eloped and married his first disciple, the late Vatsala
Mudholkar, in 1951. He then lived with her and they had three
children.
His first wife Sunanda and her four children from Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
— Raghavendra (65), Usha (63), Manisha (59) and Anand (48) — lived
away from him, in difficult circumstances.
A day after his father’s demise on January 24, Anand told DNA at his
Pune residence, “I am a self-taught singer. My mother encouraged me to
learn at least two of my father’s abhangs and bhajans. Luckily for me,
I mastered at least 60 abhangs and have held 150 professional
programmes so far.”
Commenting on his performance as a classical Hindustani vocalist,
Anand Deshmukh, compere of 20 consecutive Sawai Gandharva festivals,
told DNA, “I recently compered one of Anand Joshi’s concerts. He is a
very accomplished singer.”
Anand counts singers Yeshwant Parkhi and Suresh Devale as his early
guides and gurus who, he says, gave him direction in music.
“While my teachers gave me the direction, it was my mother Sunanda and
her positive attitude that inspired me to work harder at my craft,” he
said.
Anand regrets not having had an opportunity to perform at the
prestigious Sawai Gandharva music festival, which was started in 1953
by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in the memory of his guru.
Looking at the garlanded photograph of Pandit Joshi, Anand said, “My
father was classical music and classical music was my father. He may
have left us physically, but his music will always stay with us.”
Bhimsen Joshi
Pundit Bhimsen Joshi
(Photos courtesy Daniel Fuchs)
Posted on RMIC by Rajan Parrikar as part of Great Masters Series
Bhimsen Joshi, who is riding the crest of popularity and has ridden it
for the last several years, is a musical marvel. His singing
invariably provides listeners with a divine musical ex- perinea. Many
of his rivals admit, though unwillingly, that today there is no other
vocalist comparable to him in the entire nation.
Bhimsen, who is now in his 60s, has attained proficiency and fame that
astound the musical world. His voice, like that legendary
philosopher’s stone, turns every note into a golden one. Billions of
notes that have received the golden touch of his voice have been
freely showered by him on the teeming millions of his fans. His
unswerving faith in an intense devo- tion to his guru have been his
keys to success.
Bhimsen was born into a Brahmin family of Gadag in Kar- nataka. His
childhood was spent there. Even as a child he was crazy about music,
to the chagrin of his father who desired that Bhimsen should get a
sound education and qualify as a doctor or an engineer. But Bhimsen,
neglecting his studies, pursued music instead. At last he could not
control any more his yearning to learn music, and one day he ran away
from home. He had heard that Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur in the North
were the best places to learn classical music. Therefore his first
destination was Gwalior.
A few years of his youth were thus spent in the company of well known
musicians at Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur, serv- ing them and learning
as much as he could from them. His father, coming to know of Bhimsen’s
fervent desire for know- ledge in music, abandoned his policy of
opposition, fetched his son back and made arrangements for him to
learn under the guidance of Sawai Gandharva of Kundol. This
opportunity opened the vaults of rich and rare musical treasures to
Bhimsen. Bhimsen’s natural tuneful voice received further polish from
his guru. Like a diamond which sparkles all the brighter after it is
expertly cut, Bhimsen’s voice began to shine with a new luster and
brilliance which has dazzled and cast a spell on the entire country.
Maharashtra was then part of a province known as Bombay Presidency
that included Dharwad, Belgaum and Bijapur, which are now parts of
Karnataka. I therefore had to look after the recordings of artists in
this Kannada-speaking region. As part of my duty I was required to go
on tours of places like Bijapur. Belgaum, Bailhongal, Dharwad, Hubli
and Gadag in search of fresh talent and recording material. During one
such tour I came to know of young Bhimsen. Shortly afterwards, I got
an opportunity to see him and hear him sing. A Kannada dramatic
company came to Bombay to present Kannada plays. A show was arranged
at the Podar College hall at Matunga, for the benefit of the
Kannadigas residing in North Bombay. I did not know Kannada at all but
I was prompted to go with the purpose of hearing young Bhimsen on
stage. Bhimsen was the hero in the play Bhagyashri. When I heard him
sing I was convinced that the young man was a miracle, a genius, god’s
own creation, and would have a brilliant future. Even though Bhimsen’s
classical singing had not yet reached a high standard, his style of
presentation greatly impressed me.
I immediately negotiated with him for an H.M.V. recording. He sang two
Hindi and two Kannada bhajans for his first re- cording. This was in
the year 1944. Soon afterwards I got him again and this time he
recorded a beautiful poem Uttar Druv Dum composed by the well known
Kannada-Maharashtrian poet the late D. R. Bendre, and also another
poem written by the Kannada poet laureate Puttappa in bhavgeet style.
With the great success of these recordings, which sold in very large
numbers in Kannada areas, Bhimsen began to cut more and more records.
By this time he had made the grade as a classical singer, so I got him
to do a few classical pieces, which also were a great success. Thus,
gradually Bhimsen became well-known and popular as a singer.
With his increasing popularity Bhimsen started getting invita- tions
to sing at various cities and towns in Maharashtra and Karnataka. To
facilitate the keeping of these engagements, he now bought a big car
and took to driving. The car was so big that it could easily
accommodate him and his 4 accompanists besides two tanpuras and other
instruments. In this car Bhim- sen traveled extensively. One day he
would go from Bombay to Belgaum – then on to Bangalore the next day,
and back to Pune- only to go off again to Nagpur, Raipur or Bhilai.
Back again in Pune, he would rush off to Hyderabad, Solapur and so on
these whirlwind tours became a habit with him and in a short while he
became an expert driver.
His unbelievably flexible voice enabled him to traverse at terrific
speed, the great range of 3 octaves. While at the wheel, he used the
same technique as in singing. He ignored the possi- bility of danger
from bad or slippery roads, ditches, pot holes and other obstacles
such as oncoming cars and stray cattle. Only fabulous luck saved him
from a couple of very grave accidents. This toned down his
recklessness. Another factor also lessened Bhimsen’s craze for fast
motor driving. The spread of his fame and popularity beyond the
boundaries of Maharashtra brought him invitations from far off places
like Jullundur, Jammu, Sri- nagar, Delhi, Calcutta and Gauhati.
Bhimsen, who had so far matched the speed and agility of his voice
with the speed of his car, realized that a car after all has
limitations and moves in the vilambit laya. As he began to accept
numerous invitations to far off places (he would have to be in
Calcutta one night, Delhi the next evening, Bombay the following day
and Jullun- dur immediately afterwards), he had to switch to air
travel. The pilots of Indian Airlines and airport officials came
across Bhimsen so frequently that he was soon known as the ‘flying
musician of India’.
Sometimes as I sat at my table in the office, the phone would ring
‘Hello Govindrao! This is Bhimsen. I am coming to Bombay by the
morning plane. I have to go to Calcutta by the afternoon flight,
please book my seat.’ At other times, Bhimsen would rush into my
office unannounced and explain, ‘Had a program last night in Delhi. I
have just arrived by the morning flight.’ ‘ Now I am off -to Pune but
will be back to- morrow because I have an engagement in Calcutta the
day after.’
One can easily imagine the tremendous difficulties involved in getting
hold of an ever-busy singer like Bhimsen for recording. Fortunately as
his popularity increased rapidly, the recording technique also
improved for the better. 78 R.P.M. records were now replaced by the 45
R.P.M., extended play records and 33 R.P.M. long-playing records.
Extended play records played twice as long as the 78 R.P.M. So the
prices also were double. The long-playing microgroove records were
also proportionately higher priced. These records gradually became the
exclusive privilege of the affluent in society. Therefore I felt it
would be a commercially profitable venture to cut EP records instead
of LP records for some time. Accordingly I got Bhimsen to sing on EP
discs. These included Zanak zanakuva in Raga Darbari. Piya to manata
nahee, a thumri, Jo bhaje hari ko sada, a bhajan, and the most
enchanting thumri – Piya ke milan ki aas. These records, when
released, surprisingly and contrary to my expectations, did not show
good results. I could not imagine what had gone wrong. After making a
study of the psychology of the customers, I realized that those who
were able to buy EP records were usually fairly well-to-do and they
could easily spend the extra 20 to 25 rupees for an LP record. They
would rather buy an LP with a full 20 minute cheez; or a raga, than an
abridged version of the same on an EP record. So I decided to put
Bhimsen on LP records. I got him to do the same Ragas, Todi, Darbari
and Malkauns, which he had previously sung for EP recordings, and
these were a fantastic hit in the market. My guess that people loved
to listen to ragas sung by Bhimsen in their full form and splendor
proved to be very correct.
Every performer has his favorite items, in which he excels. On the
strength of these- his mehfil becomes a memorable experience. Bhimsen
is no exception. After hearing a number of his concerts some people
remarked that his programs are repetitive. It is a peculiar
characteristic of our music that the ingenuity of a musician is known
by his ability to unfold and create new and novel facets of known
raas. The same com- position, same notes in the same ragas, presented
on successive occasions can sound ever-new, fresh and enchanting and
receive enthusiastic approval from listeners and critics in the
audience. It is very necessary therefore that the listeners should
cultivate a knowledgeable interest and a musical ear to appreciate our
classical music.
I had got Bhimsen to record most of the ragas over which he had full
command. After a year and half he appeared to be reluctant to cut new
discs. One day as we were chatting, I told him to do some more
recordings and he said, ‘To tell you the truth, I really do not know
just what to record now. I have already come out with most of my
winning numbers. If I make fresh recordings, they must have the same
superior stamp of quality and performance.’
I admired him for the candid statement. I said, ‘All your fans are
waiting eagerly for you to come out with new things. Surely you can
think of something if you apply your mind seriously to it.’ He merely
smiled and promised to do so. Soon after this my niece got married in
Pune. Bhimsen was invited with his family to the ceremony and the
lunch there- after, but to my disappointment he did not show up. In
the evening he came with his wife to the reception. He knew imme-
diately that I was a little annoyed at his failure to come for lunch.
‘We had a lot of guests today,’ explained his wife. ‘That’s why we
could not come.’
I said, ‘Since you failed to come you will have to submit to some
punishment.’ He agreed. ‘What is the punishment?’ I announced, ‘There
are two, to be undergone one after the other. First – you must finish
all three dishes set before you, and second – you must sing for us in
the hall tonight.’ Bhimsen sportingly accepted both the punishments.
In his performance that night he presented two entirely new ragas
which I instantly liked. Even though he was not yet very familiar with
the raga composition, I could well imagine how marvellous the
exposition would sound once it was perfected. There and then I decided
to have the new ragas for his next recording. One was an admixture of
Kalavati and Rageshri (he had aptly named it Kalashri), and the other
was a beauti- ful fusion of ragas Lalit and Bhatiyar. The recording of
these however could not be done before I left in July 1970 on an
extensive trip around the world.
I returned after a period of 7 months and although I had offi- cially
retired from service I was prevailed upon to work for the company
again in the same capacity. As a matter of fact I did not need to work
any longer. Both my daughters were happily married; my
responsibilities were over. There really was no need to saddle myself
with a job, but I had been so used to working and to having the
company of artists for so many years, that without these my life would
have been purposeless and monotonous. Hence I agreed to the proposal
in March 1971. Bhimsen had remained unrecorded for nearly 3 years so I
decided to get him as the first artist after my reappointment.
I realized once again the truth that a genuine artist values
friendship more than money. In just a month after I resumed, I brought
Bhimsen to the studio. He had agreed to make only one record that
night. The news that Bhimsen was in our studio leaked out, I don’t
know how. I suppose one cannot hide frag- rance. That night a number
of artists arrived in our studio to listen to Bhimsen’s recording.
Prominent among these were veterans Kumar Gandharva and Sudhir Phadke.
Sometimes the presence of such knowledgeable colleagues is helpful.
The singer, inspired by the presence of such stalwarts, strives tc
give his best. But at times such a presence has an adverse effect,
too. In a mehfil a singer wanting to fulfil the expectations of the
listeners has ample time and opportunity to show his prowess, but
during a recording session a singer has to present a complete picture
of a raga, in a most delectable form, in a short duration of time.
Therefore, while trying to do this the singer may come to regard the
presence of such knowledgeable friends as akin to that of a bunch of
jurors. When he gets into this agitated and perturbed state of mind a
coherent performance becomes very difficult.
The recording session began at 9.30, but till midnight Bhimsen was
tossing adrift in the cross-currents of notes of the raga Gaud Sarang.
I therefore called for a coffee break. The distinguished guests,
sensing Bhimsen’s predicament discreetly left, and after some time we
resumed the session. Now released from ten- sion, Bhimsen, having
already warmed up sufficiently, started with a bang and gave a very
scintillating exposition of Raga Gaud Sarang. The replay of this
recorded side had an electrify- ing effect on Bhimsen, and he who had
struggled for over three hours with the notes of a single raga,
recorded in succession five more ragas with his uncanny and astounding
imaginative skill and rare artistry.
The session that had begun early in the night came to a close at 7.30
the next morning with six brilliant ragas to Bhimsen’s credit. An
artist, when he gets into his element, is oblivious of everything
except his art. Bhimsen had come with the tacit understanding that he
would cut only one LP but had ended up recording material enough for
three LPs. Besides the traditionally known Gaud Sarang, Brindavani
Sarang, Puriya and Durga, he immortalized Ragas Kalashri and Lalit
Bhatiyar, both of his own creation, which I had, as mentioned before,
earmarked for re- cording during his performance in Pune.
While trying to persuade Bhimsen to come for the recording I had
strongly urged that he should also render devotional Marathi items,
like his previous hit seller Indrayani kathi, for recordings on
extended play. Bhimsen had already, through his regular concerts, made
popular some more bhaktigeets, which received a terrific response.
After that night’s marathon session I did not dare to even mention the
proposal for these devotional recordings. But, as if reading my mind,
and pleased with his splendid innings of that night, Bhimsen said to
me, ‘Well, shall we make Marathi devotional EPs also?’ Would I have
said ‘No’? We fixed the recording for that afternoon. Feeling doubly
blessed and very elated, I immediately requested our recording
engineer and other staff to come back to the studio by 12.30. Before
parting Bhimsen promised to come to my residence to pick me up.
Punctually at 12.30 Bhim- sen was standing at my door. His boundless
enthusiasm filled me with admiration. Even before our recording
engineer and other staff arrived we were ready with the tanpuras
tuned. The night long riyaz had given such a brilliance to Bhimsen’s
voice that by the evening, instead of two, he recorded four Marathi
bhaktigeets. At my own very first recording I had recorded four- teen
songs instead of two. The late Panalal Ghosh made one LP and four EPs
in a single night, but Bhimsen broke all pre- vious records by cutting
six sides of 20 minutes each and four sides of 7 minutes each within a
short period of 20 hours. Such a splendid performance was possible
only for a stalwart like Bhimsen. All the senior officers in our
company were astounded by this unbelievable feat.
For the previous 3 years the company, the trade and his fans had
eagerly awaited the issue of new LPs featuring Bhimsen. I had
succeeded in obtaining for them 3 LPs topped with a bonus issue of 2
EPs in just 18 hours. I was congratulated on this unique achievement,
but I give all the credit for it to this giant gem of an artist.
Supreme confidence in his own abilities and unfailing loyalty are two
prominent qualities of Bhimsen. Every year he observes the punyatithi
(death anniversary) of his guru Sawai Gandharva with a music festival
at Pune. Those privileged to attend it are indeed very fortunate, for
the spectacle is one fit for the gods. For three consecutive nights
about 10,000 people attend the program from 8 at night to 7 the next
morning. Eminent artists in the world of Indian classical music vie
with each other for a chance to appear on the stage on this occasion.
There are two reasons for this. Firstly the program is at the behest
of a great fellow artist like Bhimsen, and secondly it is rare and
almost impossible for a musician to get a chance to perform before
such a vast, discerning and appreciative audience. During these
celebrations, Bhimsen works like an ordinary volunteer. On occasion he
is even noticed sweeping the stage, bringing the instruments on stage
and helping the artist to tune the tanpuras perfectly. He looks after
the comforts of the artists and audience alike. He does this
untiringly for three successive nights. One cannot help but admire him
for his love and reverence for his guru.
I had made a number of 3 minute records of the late Sawai Gandharva in
his life tirne. From these I selected 12 songs to form one LP and got
it released during the memorable 1969 session of his anniversary
arranged by Bhimsen. The late Sawai Gandharva was a disciple of Abdul
Karim Khan. A galaxy of veterans are among his disciples. They include
top names like Gangubai Hangal, Hirabai Badodekar, Phiroz Dastur and
Bhimsen, who is the youngest of them all. The characteristics of the
Kirana gharana are precision-oriented tunefulness (lagav of swaras)
presentation of a bandish with an impressively grace- ful style, and a
disciplined, systematic and methodical raga de- velopment, punctuated
with an elegantly elaborate alap and skil- ful decoration with the
choicest forms of embellishments – taans. With the help of all these,
Bhimsen makes such a terrific favourable impact on his audience right
from the start of the concert that listeners remain glued to their
seats till the last notes of his Bhairavi. Within a few minutes of his
arrival in a concert hall Bhimsen measures correctly the pulse of the
audi- ence. His discerning eye unfailingly recognizes the knowledge-
able in the congregation and, by the time the tanpuras are tuned, and
accompaniment arranged, he has decided on the musical menu he will
dish out to achieve a resounding success.
Bhimsen fully understands mass psychology. He gauges the intellectual
level of the listeners within minutes of the start of the mehfil and
arrives at the point of sam in a totally unexpected and startling but
graceful style to receive their spontaneous en- thusiastic ‘Wah, wah’.
From then on the mehfil is under his control and, for the listeners,
it is a delectable treat which carries them to celestial heights. He
has made a very careful study of where and how to utilize the
beautiful phrases he has pre- selected. Because of this his
elaborations never appear artificial. On the contrary his performance
proceeds in a most natural and lucid style. He is blessed with an
extremely sweet, flexible voice and with grueling riyaz he has trained
it in such a way that he can always achieve the musical effects he
desires. His voice, at one moment flowing smoothly like a tranquil
stream, suddenly takes a mighty leap of two or more octaves in the
next avartana and then, with gradually diminishing vigour, reverts
gently back to sam, thus providing moments of supreme artistic
pleasure. Bhimsen’s recitals are replete with many such beauti- ful
moments. His full-throated voice can at his command take on a soft
velvety texture, to the extreme delight of the listeners. Like an
airplane on a joy-ride, he flits from one octave to an- other, from
there to the next, back again to the second and again to the third,
all in one breath. The listeners hold their breath in an agony of
suspense, marveling at his capacity, and when he glides gracefully
back to the point of sam, the entire audi- ence breathes a sigh of
happy relief. Along with his artistry, this feat of physical endurance
and breath control is most im- pressive. Bhimsen believes that in
classical music the poetic content of the lyric is as important as thc
notes of the raga. He becomes entirely absorbed with the sentiments of
the bandish and this emotional merger is appreciated by listeners of
all ages and levels. This is why Bhimsen’s classical singing has mass
appeal.
Bhimsen is a versatile singer; he is an expert in khayal singing but
he is also adept in the presentation of thumris, songs from plays, or
devotional compositions. His lilting thumris (Jadu bhareli, Piya ke
milan ki aas or Babul mora) and his innumerable popular Abhangs
composed by the saints of Maharashtra are instances in point.
Bhimsen is a prodigy – unique – a divine miracle. We should admire his
tremendous accomplishments in the realm of music, revel in the
heavenly experience of his gayaki and pray to God Almighty to bless
this musical genius with a long life. In the whole of India there is
no one else who has atained so much and given so much to music lovers.
Listeners in he U.S.A. and the U.K. love and admire him. It is a pity
that our Govern- ment has only bestowed a mere Padmashri on him,
instead of the higher honours deserved by an artist of Bhimsen’s
calibre who has received the greatest acclaim abroad.
Volume 28 – Issue 04 :: Feb. 12-25, 2011
INDIA’S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
OBITUARY
Musical genius
PARTHA CHATTERJEE
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011) symbolised an era in Hindustani
classical music.
COURTESY: FAMILY ALBUM OF GODAVARI BAI
Bhimsen Joshi at a performance. He was a true star whose popularity
cut across a wide variety of listeners.
THE demise of Bhimsen Joshi on January 24 in Pune marked the end of an
era in Hindustani classical or, more accurately, Margiya music. He was
89. As a singer, he was a true star whose popularity cut across a wide
variety of listeners, from the rasikas, or connoisseurs, to the
uninitiated who were enthralled by his marvellous voice. I remember
being thrilled by his robust and miraculously honey-dripped rendering
of the raaga Kalashree on All India Radio (AIR) over 40 years ago. It
took me some time to realise it was a long-playing record courtesy HMV
(His Master’s Voice), now Saregama, broadcast by the radio station. It
must not be forgotten that he had been an AIR Lucknow staff artiste in
1941-42, doing three 10-minute broadcasts every week as a bhajan
singer. He then shared a room with the not-yet-famous shehnai maestro
Ustad Bismillah Khan.
Bhimsen Joshi – he was not called a Pandit as yet – came to AIR
Bombay, now Mumbai, in late 1942 so that he could be close to Pune,
where stayed Sawai Gandharva, the musician who was to recognise the
true potential in him and awaken the lyrical aspect of his musical
persona.
It was not until 1946 that the limelight shone on him. He was 24 years
old, had a powerful, very melodious voice and great tayyari, or
preparedness. Whatever he sang was elegantly presented, even
‘beribboned’. He had the stamina and the strength. He became the
darling of the Harballabh Music Conference in 1948 in Jalandhar,
(East) Punjab, which saw a dazzling presentation by singers of the
Patiala gharana, especially Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan who could sweep
an audience off its feet with his virtuosity. Soon afterward,
Bhimsenji conquered Calcutta (Kolkata) and had devoted listeners,
especially at the prestigious Dover Lane Music Conference in the
1960s. They would forgive him for anything, including his non-musical
transgressions, especially in his later years.
In 2008, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award
in the country. It was a distinction that he was to share with
Bismillah Khan, his former roommate, who was honoured six years
earlier.
Arduous journey
It had been a difficult, even turbulent, journey through life for
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. He had run away from his home in Gadag town, in
Dharwad district of Karnataka, as a young boy to pursue a vocation in
music. A singer of bhajans, he had caught the spark from his mother
Godavari, a pious woman. Legend has it that he sang his way in trains,
ticketless, until he landed in the court of the Maharaja of Gwalior,
who, pleased with his singing, gave him Rs.10 and a coconut. The boy’s
wanderlust took him to many places, including Jalandhar, where he
learnt under a blind dhrupad singer for some time. One can surmise
that his kharaj, or genuine bass notes, may have come from the brief
but valuable lessons he may have got from this unsung artiste.
COURTESY: GANGUBAI HANGAL MUSIC FOUNDATION
BHIMSEN JOSHI WITH vocalist Gangubai Hangal, both disciples of Sawai
Gandharva.
Much has been written about Bhimsen Joshi’s debt to Sawai Gandharva
(Rambhau Kundgolkar), a celebrated performer of Marathi Natya Sangeet
and an intensely lyrical performer of khayal. Sawai Gandharva was a
pupil of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the illustrious founder of the Kirana
gharana, named after a village 64 kilometres from Delhi. It is indeed
a charming paradox that musicians from today’s Haryana in North India
could make a mark in far-off Maharashtra a hundred years ago, and that
Bhimsen Joshi, a Kannada-speaking boy, should travel far north in the
1930s in search of a music guru.
It was at the Harballabh Music Conference that he first heard the
great khayal singer Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan. Deeply moved by his
singing, Bhimsen Joshi decided that he had to learn from him. Always
forthright, he approached the Ustad and made his request. He followed
him to Rampur, where Mushtaq Hussain Khan was a court singer. In an
interview he gave the national television channel Doordarshan, Bhimsen
Joshi said that he had learned for a year from Mushtaq Hussain Khan
Saheb. He added: “ Woh bade gawaiyye theye (He was a great singer).”
If one were to pause and reflect on Bhimsen Joshi’s style and its
evolution, it would become apparent that the way in which he projected
his voice was mastered from Mushtaq Hussain Khan, “ Jis tarah woh apni
awaaz ko phenk te theye uss sey pata chalta heye ke unhon ney Mushtaq
Hussain Khan Saheb se he yeh tariqa seekha thaa” (It is quite apparent
that he learnt to throw his voice in a particular way from Mushtaq
Hussain Khan), notes Kailash Pande, a dedicated pupil of the very
gifted Ustad Ishtiaq Hussain Khan, eldest son of Ustad Mushtaq Hussain
Khan.
In his approach to a bandish, or composition, Bhimsenji was closer to
the methods of the Gwalior-Rampur gharana singers than those of the
Kirana. “ Kirana wallon ki tarah woh sirf surron par wa aakaar ke zor
par badhath nahin kartey theye balki bandish ki zaroorat keye anusaar
chalte theye”(Unlike the exponents of the Kirana gharana who used the
progression of notes in a composition in a given raaga, Bhimsenji
respected the mood of the composition), Pande adds. Of course, the
sudden bursts of tender poetry amidst rugged and stable vocal
technique were as much learned from Sawai Gandharva – with whom he
stayed as a favourite pupil for three years, after passing the
‘dedication test’ by doing household chores happily – as it was the
expression of a part of his mercurial personality.
Personal life
He married twice; the first marriage was to his cousin Sunanda Hungund
in 1947, a union that produced two sons and two daughters, and the
second, in 1951, was to his disciple Vatsala Dhondopant Mudholkar, who
bore him two sons and a daughter. He managed to escape bigamy charges
since marriage laws became stringent only in 1955, and lived with both
his wives and their children by him under one roof.
It is difficult to tell where his fondness for alcohol came from, but
it may have resulted from his having to cope with constant domestic
tensions. He was the most sought-after vocalist in Hindustani music
from 1950 until a few years before his death. He was probably the most
highly paid singer of his generation. Constant travel within the
country and to other continents, especially after the Festivals of
India overseas, took their toll on him, but ironically brought him
respite from his domestic troubles. He also sought release from his
worldly problems by driving fast cars. One of his first acquisitions,
on becoming a celebrity, was an American Dodge Kingsway car. He drove
it at high speeds on the winding roads of the Western Ghats!
Repertoire of raagas
He was at heart a traditionalist, though enthusiastic fans claimed he
was an experimentalist. It is true that his repertoire of raagas
expanded considerably after he turned 60 but before that, it was
small. He may have imposed this limitation on himself deliberately.
One has heard him sing Sakhi ae li aali piya bin, a hoary composition
in raaga Yaman, taught to students of vocal music today. He had told
music critic Chetan Karnani that he sang nearly 35 raagas in the
mid-1970s. The raagas that he sang with customary gusto then were
Durbari Kannada, Miya ki Todi, Mian ki Malhar, Yaman Kalyan, Shudha
Kalyan, Brindabani Sarang, Marwa, Shudh Kedar, Puriya Dhanashree,
Multani, Maru-Bihag, Puriya-Kalyan, Bhairavi, and Gaud Sarang.
THE HINDU ARCHIVES
WITH SHEHNAI MAESTRO Ustad Bismillah Khan, once his roommate.
Bhimsenji, like almost all khayal singers of his time barring the
maverick genius Ustad Ameer Khan, did not do an elaborate alaap in a
given raaga. Rather, he acquainted the listener with the raaga’s
contours by doing a deft sketch of its melodic progression. This done,
he launched into the main body of the raaga, first through a
composition in medium tempo in a given taala, or beat cycle,
accompanied on the tabla. After this, he moved a drut or a quick-tempo
bandish . He was in his element in these exercises. A variety of taans
emanating from the navel, chest or throat burst forth like fireworks
to overwhelm the listener; however, all this was done in the service
of the raaga being sung. His chest tones were formidable and the
timbre of his voice most pleasing. In his time, Bhimsen Joshi’s was
the most attractive male voice in Hindustani music.
Bhimsen Joshi’s breath control was truly amazing. In his late middle
age or even slightly later, he could take long and complicated fast
taans quite effortlessly. He was matched in the area of breath control
by a small-built, tobacco-addicted old virtuoso from Karnataka by the
name of Mallikarjun Mansur. How the latter managed this is a medical
mystery because he did not possess the bull-like physical attributes
of Bhimsen Joshi, though he could match him for grit.
Bhimsenji’s immensely strong body and spirit did take a lot of
punishment between the age of 40 and 60. There were dark periods when
his innate musicality would intermittently desert him and he would go
out of tune while giving a live concert. He conquered this folly
through sheer force of character. He always retained his unusually
long breath and never had to struggle for breath even during the worst
period of his life, musically.
It is here that he differed from a gifted musician from Bengal,
Chinmoy Lahiri, who began drinking recklessly following a failed
domestic life. Lahiri, before he embarked on certain reckless musical
experiments in the interpretation of raagas within khayal singing, was
an artist of rare finesse. But lack of character cast him into
oblivion. Lahiri was more in love with himself than his music. In
contrast, Bhimsenji put his music above the troubles in his personal
life. He fought his way out of a dark corner into the sunlight and
stayed there.
He was always his own man. During the Emergency (1975-1977), when many
artists and intellectuals were bending over backwards to please the
government, he did not think it necessary to toe the line. It was at
that time that he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and came
to Delhi to receive it. I remember Bhimsenji asking me for a cigarette
and responding thus to my felicitation for the concert that was about
to begin: “ Khaak gayenge gaana iss Emergency mein (What kind of music
do you expect during this Emergency)?” He was accompanied that evening
on the harmonium by Pu La Deshpande, another fine and versatile
artiste from Maharashtra. Bhimsenji, in spite of his contentious mood,
got by that evening through sheer professionalism.
His sense of egalitarianism was for real. He sang the Abhangs – a form
of religio-moral folk poetry that cut across barriers of caste – of
Tukaram and Vitthal, two great social rebels who were considered
saints by the so-called lower castes. Bhimsenji sang their poetry with
a conviction that often surpassed his khayal singing. He brought a
similar intensity of feeling when he sang the poetry of Tulsidas and
Kabir, saint-poets of northern India. This understanding of a poet’s
intention came as much from a well-honed intuition – he had very
little formal education, which, in this case, proved to be a blessing
– as from a traditional upbringing where bhajan singing was a part and
parcel of family life. He acquired a kind of inner equipoise that
happily contradicted his outgoing, worldly personality.
THE HINDU ARCHIVES
WITH CARNATIC VOCALIST Balamurali Krishna.
Shyamal Sarkar, a great devotee of Hindustani music and a pupil of the
great sarod maestro Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan of Gwalior and Rampur, was
employed in a senior position at the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations in 1987 when the Festival of India in Sweden happened.
Bhimsen Joshi was the star attraction and was to sing for about 25
minutes immediately after the inauguration. Some suggested to Sarkar
that he convince the temperamental master to present songs in a
lighter genre, say, thumri, for the Swedish audience. When Sarkar
finally made bold to put the suggestion before Bhimsenji, he replied
gently, “ Aap chinta mat kijiye Sarkar Saheb, mein
sambhaloonga.” (Don’t worry Sarkar, I’ll take care of everything.)
Sarkar remembers: “He sang ‘Poorvi’ putting his heart and soul into
the raaga. The audience was mesmerised. They applauded for a full 10
minutes after he had finished.” No singer in Hindustani music had his
charisma despite an endless variety of grimaces while singing.
In his later years, he widened his repertoire to include bandishes in
a range of raagas. He made recordings, among others, in Bageshwari-
Bahar, Bhimpalas, Bibhas, Deskar, Gaud Malhar, Megh, Maluha Kedar,
Nayaki Kanada, Shudh Sarang, Suha Sugrai, Jaijawanti-Nat, Jaunpuri,
Lalita-Gauri, Madhuwanti, Patdeep, Hindol-Bahar and Shankara. This was
a welcome change that added a new dimension to his singing that had,
in the opinion of some, depended for far too long on virtuosity. He
had begun, inasmuch as was then possible, to look inwards.
Every year he organised in Pune, where he lived for the past 50 years
or more, a music festival in honour of Sawai Gandharva. He saw to it
that promising youngsters were also invited along with the veterans so
that their talent could be appreciated by rasikas, thus giving them
the confidence to sing in public with ease. Bhimsen Joshi took a
personal interest in the nitty-gritty of organising the event. It was
his way of thanking the public for standing by him over the years.
Fate had decreed that he be the audience’s “most loved child”. No
other artist in Hindustani music in the post-Independence era was so
indulged by listeners. Even in the trying years, when he frequently
turned up drunk, or on occasion sang out of tune, they still loved
him. He would often be drinking in the green room when his turn came,
and he would refuse to go on stage. People would wait patiently for
hours for him to appear on stage to sing to them. In their eyes he was
the quintessential artist, and therefore needed to be protected. Once
in Kolkata, he refused to stop drinking and to sing despite the
organisers’ pleas. He finally appeared at dawn (in those days music
festivals lasted all night) and burst into Babul Mora, Wajid Ali
Shah’s immortal thumri set in the raaga Bhairavi. After he finished,
there was scarcely a dry eye in the audience.
When he put health and music above self-indulgence, he became a
brilliant musician once again. Erratic concert performances were
behind him. He became a patriarch of Hindustani vocal music, and many
youngsters sought his blessings and wanted to emulate his music. A
video recording of him at 80, singing with two of his pupils, showed
how much vitality was still left in him. Since it was difficult for
him to sit cross-legged, he was sitting on the edge of the platform
with his legs touching the floor – that was his only concession to the
march of time. He sang ‘ Shyam bajayi aaj muraliya’, a bandish in
Yaman Kalyan, set in Teen Taal, Madhya Laya.
His was a vivid, colourful life; full of ups and downs, but in
retrospect there were definitely more ups than downs. His flamboyance
was as much a part of his music as it was of his personality. There
was a core of pristine simplicity behind the mask of the ‘public
artist’ that he wore for years. He had served his gods and his ever
loyal listeners through music, and to music he belonged. Pandit
Bhimsen Joshi put all of himself into a bhajan that he often sang to
round off concerts, ‘ Jo Bhaje Hari Ko Sada So Hi Param Pad
Paegaa’ (He who worships Hari, or Vishnu, shall find the ultimate
reward, salvation).
‘He created his own style’
SUHRID SANKAR CHATTOPADHYAY
Interview with Pandit Vijay Kichlu, classical vocalist.
SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH
Vijay Kichlu: “Bhimsenji had his own style.”
PANDIT VIJAY KICHLU is an eminent classical vocalist and musicologist.
He and his brother, the late Pandit Ravi Kichlu, were famous as a
vocalist duo. Born in 1930, Vijay Kichlu studied dhrupad (an old form
of Hindustani classical vocals) from the Dagar brothers, who were
among the foremost exponents of this tradition. In this exclusive
interview, Vijay Kichlu, who knew Bhimsen Joshi for more than 50
years, spoke of the latter’s genius, his versatility, and the kind of
human being he knew him to be. Excerpts:
What in your opinion was the most singular and unique aspect of
Bhimsen Joshi’s singing?
The most unique aspect of any musician, for that matter not only of
Bhimsen Joshi, is the personality that he brings into his music.
Essentially, music is an art which one absorbs from the teachings of a
guru; and you always inherit the academics, the shastra [science] that
the guru imparts. But ultimately you give it your own personality. All
that you have learnt, when you re-convey it, you do it in a manner
that is suitable to you. So, you may not repeat exactly what you have
learnt, but give the knowledge you have acquired your own character,
your own touch, your own likes and dislikes – all these are reflected
in your own style. This is particularly so in the case of a genius,
who presents his or her own creativity while artistically expressing
himself or herself. Bhimsenji was a genius, and whatever he learnt
from his gurus, he gave it a shape of his own.
It is said that he took the Kirana gharana, to which he belonged, to
another level with his artistic vision and genius. Please elucidate.
It is what I was telling you before. The guru teaches you according to
his own personality; but then there are a lot of things in that style
and knowledge that may not suit you, or is not suitable to your own
rendering of your personality. There may be certain aspects of singing
that are your own strengths. So what you do is to concentrate on your
strong points and do away with those you are not able to absorb
suitably.
The Kirana gharana today can be looked at from the styles of different
musicians. Let us take the case of the great Ustad Abdul Karim Khan
saheb. He was the source of Bhimsenji’s style. Now, in the same
gharana was one of his cousins, Abdul Wahid Khan saheb, who stayed in
Kirana in Uttar Pradesh. He and Abdul Karim Khan saheb, the two
original stalwarts of the Kirana, became quite different from each
other because Abdul Karim Khan saheb went to various other places
before settling down in the West. He was also considerably influenced
by Carnatic music. He developed a style that had a lot of diverse
elements in it, and it became different from that of Abdul Wahid Khan
saheb.
From his own family – by family, I mean, students, disciples and
followers – came Sawai Gandharva, who was Bhimsenji’s guru. He had his
own style. Both Gangubai Hangal and Bhimsenji learnt from Sawai
Gandharva, yet both had styles different from each other. That is how
branches in gharanas are created. But only a genius can come up with a
new version of what he or she has learnt. The style that Bhimsenji
created did not exist earlier although the foundation or the source is
the same as those of other singers of the gharana.
Bhimsenji was also a great bhajan singer. Could you tell us about his
artistic versatility?
Bhimsenji was basically a khayal singer, but he was greatly influenced
by the thumri singing of Abdul Karim Khan saheb. He was also greatly
influenced by the Natya Sangeet of Maharashtra, which is presented on
stage in theatre. So, influenced by all these, he created his own
style of bhajan singing. Bhajans are also of different types.
Bhimsenji adopted a format where for hours he could present different
kinds of bhajans that were completely different from the khayal style
of which he was a master. Thus, Bhimsenji was known in the devotional
circle as a great bhajan singer, and he created his own style there
too. And, as I said, he was very good at thumri singing based on the
style of Abdul Karim Khan saheb.
He always seemed like an enigmatic figure on stage. Could you tell us
what he was like as a person?
What was really striking about his personality was that he was a very
simple person. Very humble and very lovable. He would always wear
kurta pyjama. He was invariably very pleasant to everyone. The
simplicity of his character was really remarkable and he was very
approachable. He never kept a distance from people who liked him, and
people liked him instantly. At home too, he lived a simple life.
Nothing showy or flashy. He did not believe in luxuries. His diet,
attire, and conversations were all simple.
The whole world knows that Bhimsenji was very fond of alcohol, and a
lot of the humour and wit connected with him was about the way he used
to dodge everybody and have his drink before or after a performance.
But I don’t want you to dwell too much on it because it is a different
side of [his] personality.
He was a very witty person, but he did not speak much. He had a very
quiet humour.
Is it true that in his single-minded pursuit of music he took up
menial jobs in his early life to sustain himself?
That is a fact. He came from a simple family, and his urge for music
was so strong that he could not accept the restraints his parents put
on him – that he become something else, not a musician. So he ran away
from his family. I believe it took his parents three or five years to
trace him finally. In the meantime, he did whatever was necessary to
survive.
In fact, there is a famous story that he used to work for Pahari
Sanyal [legendary Bengali film actor]. Pahari Sanyal was closely
associated with me. I started a major music circle in Calcutta
[Kolkata], known as the Calcutta Music Circle, and Pahari Sanyal was
one of its vice-presidents. He was a great lover of classical music
and used to sing himself. In his lighter moments, he would say,
“Bhimsenji worked with me at my place.” Later on, when he met
Bhimsenji, they had a happy reunion. In his earlier days, Bhimsenji
moved from place to place, from musician to musician, just for
survival. He had a very tough life, but he had incredible tenacity.
There was a fire within him – that he must learn music – and he
sacrificed his home, his family, everything for it.
Could you tell us about his long association with Kolkata?
The reason for his close association with Kolkata is very simple. In
those days, the place had 10 times more activities in the field of
music than any other city in India. I am talking about the 1950s to
the 1980s.
Bombay [Mumbai] at that time was very much alive as far as vocal music
was concerned but not very many major music conferences were taking
place there. In fact, up to the early 1980s, Maharashtra used to have
only three or four big conferences. Maximum eight. Delhi used to have
just one or two.
Kolkata used to have 200 such platforms. There used to be at least 30
to 40 conferences in greater Kolkata itself; then again, every suburb
would have a conference. It was natural that any popular musician –
and Bhimsenji in his time was the most popular vocalist of the country
– would be invited frequently to the city. Bhimsenji had more occasion
to perform from big platforms in Kolkata than in any other Indian
city. The highest number of musical festivals he attended in a year
was in Kolkata. He was the most acclaimed vocalist in the country
after Amir Khan saheb and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan saheb.
What is Bhimsenji’s legacy to Indian classical music?
The legacy of a musician is always from the people who follow him.
There may be some direct disciples, but Bhimsenji was not known to be
a great teacher. He was always so busy and involved in musical
activities and performances that he did not have much time to teach
directly. But followers developed, and they started following his
style, and then owing to technological advances, recordings, radio,
television, and so on, his music reached a lot of people. Bhimsenji’s
style is followed by many younger musicians: either they learnt from
him directly or from some of his disciples, or they were influenced by
his style of singing and picked it up by themselves.
You see, when a musician becomes a very powerful artiste, any other
young musician or musician in the making who may not be following his
style of singing, that is, Kirana gharana to be exact, may still get
influenced by him and adopt a lot of his characteristics. Bhimsenji’s
influence spread far and wide and a lot of people started adopting not
only his musical presentation but also his mannerisms on the stage.
You can see that in many young musicians.
I feel it is the end of an era as far as the general standard of music
making and scholarship is concerned. It remains to be seen whether
anybody can really attain the heights that Bhimsenji attained. A lot
of commercialism is finding its way into this field, and every
musician has to travel a lot not only to make his living but because
he is constantly asked to perform, after getting famous. Most of the
time he is travelling. When musicians are travelling, they lose
contact with their pupils, their own children and their families. So
the companionship between the guru and the shishya is disturbed, and
as a result, the qualitative attainment of the younger generation
learning from one, directly or indirectly, is affected.
It is for this reason that we say that musicians of the calibre of
Abdul Karim Khan saheb, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan saheb and Amir Khan saheb
do not exist today. We can observe that every generation that follows
is a little less competent and less qualitatively inspiring than the
previous generation. I put Bhimsen Joshiji in a class different from
today’s master musicians and different from the next generation also.
He belonged to a different era, and that era has come to an end with
his passing.
Bhimsen Joshi: The Voice That Crossed the Vindhyas
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi is the male voice that transcended India’s north-
south musical divide and captured popular imagination
by Shishir Prasad | Feb 15, 2011
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi is the male voice that transcended India’s north-
south musical divide and captured popular imagination
Bhimsen Joshi: The Voice That Crossed the Vindhyas
Image: Raghu Rai/indiatodayimages.com
So who can be described as the voice of India? Arguably it would have
to be Lata Mangeshkar and M.S. Subbulakshmi. At least 70 percent
Indians would have loved their voice and their singing. In the age of
coalition governments that’s as good a majority as we will ever get on
anything. Now try the same question but with a gender twist. Who can
be described as the male voice of India? The certainty disappears.
S.P. Balasubrahmanyam — great singer — doesn’t cross the Vindhyas
frequently enough. Yesudas had a great run in the Seventies but only
for a brief while. The great G.N. Balasubramaniam went virtually
unknown to large parts of the North. Madurai Mani Iyer, God bless his
quarter-tones, would draw a blank in most parts of India. M.
Balamuralikrishna is a legend, but would again stop short of Narmada.
Kishore Kumar, in his hey days, was reasonably popular down south and
perhaps still is to an extent. Ditto for Mohammed Rafi. But it is
doubtful if they ever held the popular imagination there.
That’s why Bhimsen Joshi is so important. His voice travelled right
across India. He was, perhaps after Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, the
one singer who caught popular imagination even though he was a
classicist. His popularity down south is much more than what Ustad
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan ever had. For many, Bhimsen Joshi’s mass
popularity was because of television, because of his participation in
public service films like Mile Sur Mera Tumhara and Baje Sargam aired
on Doordarshan in the late Eighties. That might sound like blasphemy
but reveals a deeper truth. He could take a classical ditty and
deliver it in a manner that just about anyone could appreciate. It
wasn’t unusual for people to use their fake baritone to try and sing
Jo Bhaje Hari Ko Sada after they left a Joshi concert. “Even in those
Doordarshan films where many stalwarts performed, his portions stood
out,” says Shubha Mudgal, a Hindustani classical vocalist.
Truth be told, classical music, especially Hindustani with its accent
on improvisation, can be terribly boring and tedious if it falls in
the wrong hands or throat. Repetitive phrasing, wooden singing and
unimaginative development (badhat) are some reasons why the laity
doesn’t warm up to this form of music. Joshi could never be accused of
this. He knew what could catch his audience’s ear.
“It is hard to describe that attribute. It could have been a well-
timed murki [a mini-cascade of notes] or a well-positioned khatka
[playful use of adjacent notes],” says Mudgal.
Indeed, Joshi understood that the dry and rigorous terrain of
classical music needed the drip irrigation of alankaars (ornamental
movements) to keep the listener alive.
One of life’s more thrilling moments is to experience the profusion of
glide notes simulating zero gravity in the listener’s consciousness
while listening to Joshi’s Shuddh Kalyan. G.N. Joshi, who was the
artiste and repertoire person for HMV from 1938 to 1970, recalls in
his superb book Down Melody Lane that way back in 1944 — when Joshi
was just 22! — he was already a master at presenting a song. And he
began his recording career recording Hindi and Kannada Bhajans. He
soon graduated to recording a poem, Uttar Druva Dum, written by D.R.
Bendre.
At that time, he had not yet established his credentials as a
traditional classical singer, but his voice and his stylish singing
later found its way into his classical delivery as well. That does not
lessen his rigour, only increases its lustre.
Much has been made of his brilliant voice; and yet when you ponder
over it you are struck by how oversized it is, especially in the
middle octave. The voices of singers like Kumar Gandharva or
Mallikarjun Mansur had a quicksilver quality and Jasraj a spiritual
gravitas, but Joshi’s voice had raw power and that’s where the
intriguing part of his music came from.
As he began the development of a raga he would try and keep the raw
power of voice on a tight leash, merely exhibiting a quiet menace. And
then as he moved into faster paced part of the raga he would let it
rip, his voice bucking across octaves at tremendous pace. The
transition of his voice from a filly to a stallion, in the course of
an hour, blindsided listeners into submission. Now of course, he is on
to eternal music and his listeners have to make do with the silence.
Damn!
This article appeared in Forbes India Magazine of 25 February, 2011
Keywords: Classical Singer, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Lata Mangeshkar,
Subbulakshmi
A friend recalls Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
Last updated on: January 24, 2011 10:35 IST
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
In 2009, Mohan Nadkarni, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi’s biographer, wrote
exclusively for rediff.com recalling his long association with the
legend. We re-publish the feature.
It is rare that a biography of an artiste is published during his
lifetime; every word in the narration of this biography is truthful.’
This is what the maestro, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, said, releasing the
first edition of my book, titled, Bhimsen Joshi: The Man and His
Music, way back in 1983.
And it was the maestro who had visited me at home and asked me to
write his life-story! This tiny biography, incidentally, caught the
attention of HarperCollins publishers, in collaboration with Indian
publisher Rupa & Co. They commissioned me to revise and update the
edition and publish it under their joint auspices in 1994.
News of the conferment of the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest
civilian award on the maestro, was indeed like a miracle that has
simply happened. Doubly so, in a land where one has to be either
thoroughly dead, or get woefully old and ailing to deserve State
recognition!
Especially for this writer, only seven months junior to him in age,
this great event is truly overwhelming. Indeed, I am at a loss to know
what to say, how to say, and how much to say, as I write these lines.
I turn nostalgic and my thoughts take me down memory lane. Way back to
February 1943 — February 16, to be precise.
That was the day of his first broadcast from All India Radio, Bombay
(as the city was then called). I still remember his programme schedule
of three sittings of 20 minutes each: Miyan Ki Todi in the morning
(Daiya Bat Dubar); then raga Marwa (Ab Mil Aaye) at dusk; and finally,
raga Puriya (Piya Gunawanta), later in the evening.
Like me, whoever might have heard these radio sessions would have been
left in no doubt that a brilliant star had risen on the musical
horizon.
This musical acquaintance gradually matured into personal friendship,
almost to a point when we could be on abusing terms! By then I had
taken to writing on Hindustani music as a freelance writer and concert
reviewer in 1954 in The Times of India and its sister publications. I
cannot remember the number of occasions we may have met on and off the
concert auditorium.
Indeed, in retrospect, we find that few contemporary Hindustani
vocalists have enjoyed such tremendous popularity and for so long as
Bhimsenji. One can even say that few could equal his box-office
appeal, his phenomenal professional career at home as well as abroad
has more than fulfilled the hopes and expectations raised by him in
the early ’40s.
Image: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi presents a music programme on the occasion
of Nehru’s birth centenary in 1998
Photographs: India Abroad archives
At the same time, in the course of his incredible climb to greater and
still greater heights, Bhimsenji’s approach to Khayal music underwent
many significant changes, which evoked diverse reactions from his
audiences. I am inclined to view the changes in his vocalism against
the background of the qualitative changes witnessed on the wider
musical scene after the attainment of political freedom.
This is equally true of the widening singing repertoire strictly
outside the Hindustani traditional fare — like his Sant Vani in
Marathi, Kannada, Hindi; the Marathi stage hits; his playback singing,
and his scoring music for Marathi stage presentations.
Bhimsenji’s great musical moments are truly great. Indeed, at such
moments he reveals a rare genius — when the spirit seizes him in his
creative ecstasy. Behind the powerful voice, amazing breath control,
fine musical sensibility and an unwavering grasp of the fundamentals
lies something that can only be termed sui generis.
E M Forster comes to mind in this context. To him, music was of two
types: One, that reminded him of something, and the other, ‘music
itself.’ Bhimsenji symbolises the latter type — he is music itself. In
this sense, I place him in the brilliant galaxy of some of the all-
time greats whom I have heard for the last five decades and more, and
who evoked an identical reaction in me.
Most of them, alas, have passed into oblivion and I regard Bhimsenji
as one of the last –if not the last, perhaps — surviving titans of the
present generation of Hindustani vocalists.
In the mid-’80s, Bhimsenji seemed to succumb to glamour and money.
True, he made history in the world of Hindustani vocal music when he
won the Platinum Disc from HMV for his outstanding contributions. This
was truly a triumph for the artiste and the recording company.
Image: Bhimsen with former President APJ Abdul Kalam
In contrast, it was more anguish than anger with which I viewed the
maestro’s teaming up with a variety of ‘partnerships’ — like those
with Lata Mangeshkar, Balamurali Krishna, the eminent Carnatic
vocalist, not to speak of his ‘teamship’ with painter M F Husain.
These were all State-sponsored extravaganzas, ostensibly presented to
promote the much-vaunted theme of national integration. It was doubly
ironical that Bhimsenji’betrayed’ himself by frankly revealing what he
really felt.
But his appearance in Doordarshan feature Mile Sur Mera Tumhara,
devised to promote national integration, rightly earned him incredible
acclaim. His impassioned utterance, the complete identification of the
man with his music is what has made Pandit Bhimsen Joshi the
unrivalled Hindustani vocalist of our time.
True enough, here is a man who has loved and lived his life with all
his romance and intensity and one who has sought to reflect it so
eloquently to his music — be it classical, light classical, devotional
or the popular variety, like the Doordarshan number — who has ever
fused so subtly in his ‘personality-bound’ vocalism in all its anguish
and ecstasy.
Image: File photo of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi with Balamurali Krishna at a
concert
...and I am Sid Harth