Pt. Shreeram G. Devasthali, 1935-2002
Warren Senders
on the morning of June 26, 2002 at his home in Pune.
He had been suffering from Parkinson's Disease
and was bedridden for the previous two months.
The son of renowned Sanskritist Govind V.
Devasthali, he was born on the first of January,
1935. He was 67 years old.
S.G. Devasthali's gayaki was principally that of
the Gwalior Gharana. His first training began in
1955 under Gangadhar Shreedhar Joshi of Nasik,
a disciple of Pt. Eknathbuwa Dasakkar (shishya of
Pt. Rajabhaiyya Poonchwale), who also had served
as the principal of Bareilly Music College in Uttar
Pradesh. Following his initial exposure to Khyal
gayaki, Devasthaliji became a disciple of the Gwalior
maestro, Pandit Gajananrao Joshi, a relationship
which continued for the next 20-plus years.
Devasthali lived with Gajananbua in Lucknow
during 1956-57, during which time Joshi was
appointed Music Director for All India Radio.
Gajananrao Joshi learned music not only from
his father Anant Manohar Joshi, but from many
great artists including Pt. Ramakrishnabuwa
Vaze (Gwalior), Ustad Bhurji Khan of Jaipur-
Atrauli Gharana, and Ustad. Vilayat Hussain
Khan of Agra Gharana.
During 1957 and 1958 Devasthaliji lived with
Gajananrao Joshi's guru and father, the great
Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi (Antubuwa), a disciple
of Pt. Balakrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar. During
this time he learnt a number of old traditional
Gwalior bandishes as well as some of Antubuwa's
original chiz-s.
In subsequent years S.G. Devasthali continued
his pursuit of music, working intensively from
1961 onwards with the late sarangi maestro
Ustad Mohammad Hussain Khan of Pune, the
son of Ustad Kadarbaksh Khan. Mohammad
Hussain Khan also learnt music from
Bashirkhansaheb Gudiyaaniwale and Ustad
Aman Ali Khan of Bhendibazaar Gharana.
It was during his association with Mohammad
Hussain Khan that S.G. Devasthali acquired the
complex sargam techniques which were heard
in his singing and which formed a huge part of
his teaching.
In the mid-nineteen-sixties Pt. Devasthali came
in contact with Ut. Chand Saheb Shaikh of Pune,
and began studying with him to learn ghazal,
naat and quawaal. During this time Devasthali
began singing in the Chishti mehfils in Pune,
where he was known as "Ram-saheb," and
connoisseurs praised his interpretations of Urdu
songs.
Besides these individuals Devasthalibua collected
raags and compositions from a great many other
artists. His keen intelligence and profound
musicality allowed him to absorb repertoire
rapidly, and he worked closely with Pt. Mallikarjan
Mansur, Pt. Anandrao Limaye., Khansaheb
Azizuddin Khan and Shri Makarand Bakre on
repertoire of Jaipur-Atrauli tradition.
A brilliant teacher, he retired from public
performance in 1975 due to indifferent health.
He made his living as a teacher of Hindi at Pune's
Loyola School. From the early 1980's be started
teaching music privately while serving as
Honorary Director of the Muktangan Balaranjan
Kendra, a children's educational institute in Pune.
Since 1986 his work as a music teacher took on
greater importance, and through the late 1990's
he was a generous source of extraordinary music
for students from all over the world.
Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends
and shishya-parivar. Hindustani music has lost a
great voice, but one who through the twists of
circumstance remained unknown and unsung.
We are all diminished this day.