Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki's demise
aho...@my-dejanews.com
November 7 1998 in Pune, India, Indian Classical Music and Marathi Music have
lost a rare creative genius.
I am also saddened that an event of such import was all but ignored even in
Pune (where I live), as his death went almost unnoticed in the hoopla
surrounding 80th birthday celebrations of Maharashtra's favourite humorist,
P.L.Deshpande. I must note that Shaunak Abhisheki, Panditji's son, who was
slated to sing at a function Sat. evening, not only attended the function
(after performing his father's last rites) but sang "Sarwaatmakaa
Sarweshwaraa", a song immortalized by his father.
I won't be exaggerating if I say that Kumar Gandharva and Panditji were two
rare creative geniuses Indian Classical Music has seen in a long time.
Panditji was as famous, if not more so, as a Marathi naatyasangeet, sugam
sangeet and bhajan composer par excellence. He truly revived the dying
tradition of Marathi musical dramas (sangeet naatak) by making the music
simple, hummable without foregoing its classical underpinnings - Yayaati aani
Devyaanee, matsyagandhaa, katyaar kaaljaat ghuslee, he bandh reshamaache are
some of the many musicals he composed music for. The sheer number of
unforgettable songs blessed with his magical touch - Devaagharachw dnyaat
kunaalaa, arthshoonya bhaase maj haa, yaa bhavanaatil geet puraane, kaataa
rute kunaalaa etc. is a true indication of the genius of the man. His
semi-classical offerings - MaajhE jeewan gaane, Diwya swaatantrya ravi,
kaiwalyaachyaa chaandanyaalaa bhukelaa chakor are just as impressive and his
bhajans - Abeer gulaal is a de-facto standard - hari bhajanaaween kaal
ghaalavoo nako re, sarwaatmakaa sarweshwaraa etc. give an idea of the range
of his talent and genius.
Panditji used to conclude the first night's program at the Sawaai Gandharwa
Mahotsav in Pune each year and I still remember the Vibhaas he sang there
some five years ago, his gaawatee (Aas laagee) and Shree (Pawansut naam,
Saanjh dhalee) and raagmaalaa in Hindol (Hindol gaawat sab) he sang in
Fremont some 8 years ago. (He rarely sang the last few years due to health
problems and I have been disappointed many times by cancellations of programs
I had gone to mainly to listen to him.) The Sawaai Gandharwa Mahotsav won't
be the same without him.
His deep, resonant voice and emotive style of singing more than compensated
the lack of a "classical" voice. His raagvistaar (development of the raag)
was impeccable and his versatility was unmatched. Those who have heard his
Thumrees and Tappaas and Taraanaas, his presentation of rare raags and his
own creations like Manoranjanee and Madhuranjanee will surely agree that the
void created by his passing away is unlikely to get filled. In an era of
singers who are mainly performers, the loss of a creator like him or Kumar
Gandharva is too great.
In an era of slick packaging where even big names resort to gimmicks (rather
than gamaks), Panditji belonged to the old guard. His disciples - from
Prabhakar Karekar and Raja Kale to Devki Pandit, Shaunak Abhisheki and Vijay
Koparkar - are testament to his ability as a great teacher. The fact that
none of them sound exactly like him or ape his style, says more about his
style of teaching than any words.
I do hope that Panditji is accorded his rightful place in the pantheon of
Indian Classical Music. May his soul rest in peace !
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
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aho...@my-dejanews.com
Sat. Nov. 7 1998 in Pune, India, Indian Classical Music and Marathi Music
have lost a rare creative genius who made great contributions in all the
areas he touched.
Sadly, even in Pune (where I live), this event of such great import went
almost unnoticed in the hoopla surrounding the 80th birthday celebrations of
Maharashtra's favourite son (and another Puneite), music lover and humourist
P.L.Deshpande. It is indeed remarkable that Shaunak (Panditji's son), who was
slated to perform at one of the programs felicitating P.L.Deshpande, not only
showed up at the program (after completing his father's last rites) but sang
"Sarwaatmaka Sarweshawaraa", a song immortalized by his father.
Panditji, along with Kumar Gandharva, was a rare creative genius in an era of
artists who are mainly performers. Panditji's contribution to Music goes well
beyond the creation of raagas like Madhuranjanee and Manoranjanee and
Swaanandee. He experimented with saamgaayan and jaatigaayan - presenting
Vedic hymns in the form of classical music. He revived the dying tradition of
Marathi musical dramas (sangeet naatak) almost single-handedly by presenting
the stage music in a simple, melodious, hummable form without departing from
its classical underpinnings, composed many Marathi semi-classical songs and
bhajans and was planning to pen his views on various aspects of music and on
important figures from International Music through the ages when death took
him away.
In Maharashtra, he was more famous as a composer and singer of naatyasangeet
and semi-classical 'sugam' sangeet than as a classical vocalist. Yayaati and
Devyaanee, Katyaar kaaljaat ghuslee, He bandh reshamaache, Matsyagandhaa,
Lekure Udand jhaalee are some of the famous dramas that were blessed with his
magical touch. There is no Marathi music lover who doesn't know 'dewaa
gharache dnyaat kunaalaa', 'gheyee chhand makarand', 'kaataa rute kunaalaa',
'arthashoonya bhaase maja haa' etc. His 'sugam' offerings - 'maajhe jeevan
gaane', 'divya swaatantrya ravi', 'kaivalyaachyaa chaandanyaalaa bhukelaa
chakor', his bhajans like 'abeer gulaal', 'hari bhajanaaween kaal' etc. are
equally famous.
His deep, resonant voice and emotive style of singing more than compensated
for the lack of a 'classical' voice. His raagwistaar was impeccable and
demonstrated the amount of original thinking that went into his presentation.
In this era of slick packaging and gimmick-filled (rather than gamak-filled)
presentations, Panditji kept to the high road and remained a purist. His
versatility was obvious to anyone who has heard him sing the Tappa, the
Thumri, the Taraanaa, and even a raagmaalaa in his unique style. I still
remember the Shree he sang some 8 years ago in Fremont ('Pawan sut naam',
'Saanjh dhalee'), as also the Gaawati ('Aas laagee') and the Hindol-based
raagmaala 'Hindol gaawat sab'.
Bad health forced him to cancel many programs in the past few years and I
missed him at his customary spot - concluding the first night's program at
the Sawaai Gandharva Mahotsav - a few times and also at several other
programs where I went just to listen to him.
He was an excellent teacher and produced several well-known disciples - Asha
Khadilkar, Raja Kale, Prabhakar Karekar, Shaunak Abhisheki, Dewki Pandit,
Vijay Koparkar. The biggest tribute to him is that none of his disciples
sings or tries to sound like or imitate him.
The void created by the passing away of two great creative geniuses in this
decade - Kumar Gandharva and Jitendra Abhisheki - will not be filled for a
long time to come, if ever.
I hope Panditji claims his rightful place in the pantheon of Indian Classical
Music. May his soul rest in Peace !
Rajan P. Parrikar
aho...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
>artists who are mainly performers. Panditji's contribution to Music goes well
>beyond the creation of raagas like Madhuranjanee and Manoranjanee and
>Swaanandee.
^^^^^^^^^^
Are you sure about Swanandi? I thought this beautiful rAga was
a creation of Jagannathbuwa Purohit. Jitendra-bab was JP's disciple
and so was C.R. Vyas who has recorded it. Vyas has also composed
a melodious composition in the rAga therein addressing both
prANapiyA (Vilayat Hussein Khan) and Jagannathbuwa (guNidAs) - "chatura
ho tum prANapiyA..." His recorded cheez is also self-composed - "tohe
re gA'ooN maiN Aj...," in honour of guNidAs.
r
Rajan P. Parrikar
>The rAga is a tribute to Jagannathbuwa's keen musical intellect
>and imagination; they also gave us another gem, Jogkauns.
>
>I just checked the online Khazana catalogue (www.khazana.com) and
>C.R. Vyas's CD of Raga Swanandi is in stock for those who might
>wish get acquainted with the rAga.
I just noticed that the CD title "A Tribute of My Master" provides
a strong clue to Jagannathbuwa, as also the offerings on it - Swanandi
and Jogkauns.
r
Rajan P. Parrikar
aho...@my-dejanews.com:
>
>In article <72fhc2$j...@drn.newsguy.com>,
> Rajan P. Parrikar <parr...@colorado.edu> wrote:
> <stuff deleted>
>> Are you sure about Swanandi? I thought this beautiful rAga was
>> a creation of Jagannathbuwa Purohit. Jitendra-bab was JP's disciple
>> and so was C.R. Vyas who has recorded it. Vyas has also composed
>> a melodious composition in the rAga therein addressing both
>> prANapiyA (Vilayat Hussein Khan) and Jagannathbuwa (guNidAs) - "chatura
>> ho tum prANapiyA..." His recorded cheez is also self-composed - "tohe
>> re gA'ooN maiN Aj...," in honour of guNidAs.
>>
>> r
>>
>
>Swanandi live on AIR over 10 years ago. I will look up the cassette, listen
>to the introduction and let you know. (Or just call up Dr Arawind Thatte who
>accompanied Panditji on the harmonium at that time and ask him about it !) I
>do think the compositions were different from those you have listed.
>
> Ashwin
Okay, we'll await confirmation.
Swanandi (swAnandi) is a chAyAlaga rAga and combines elements of
three: Bhatiyar, Bihag and Bhinna Shadaj(or some prefer to call it
Hindoli/Kaushikdhwani). The swaras are all shuddha and sanchAras
of these rAgas are seamlessly blended.
The main body is of Bhatiyar; however, the rishab is shuddha,
and so instead of the bhatiyAric P G r S there is the P G R S
movement. Other bhatiyAr prayogas are:
S D, N D P, P D (P)M, M P (P)G and so on.
The Bhinna Shadaj component is supplied via G M N D, M, and
(N')D' N' S M etc.
Bihag contributes it mite - G M P N, N S", G" M" G", (R")S".
The rAga is a tribute to Jagannathbuwa's keen musical intellect
and imagination; they also gave us another gem, Jogkauns.
I just checked the online Khazana catalogue (www.khazana.com) and
C.R. Vyas's CD of Raga Swanandi is in stock for those who might
wish get acquainted with the rAga.
Warm regards,
r
aho...@my-dejanews.com
Rajan P. Parrikar <parr...@colorado.edu> wrote:
<stuff deleted>
> Are you sure about Swanandi? I thought this beautiful rAga was
> a creation of Jagannathbuwa Purohit. Jitendra-bab was JP's disciple
> and so was C.R. Vyas who has recorded it. Vyas has also composed
> a melodious composition in the rAga therein addressing both
> prANapiyA (Vilayat Hussein Khan) and Jagannathbuwa (guNidAs) - "chatura
> ho tum prANapiyA..." His recorded cheez is also self-composed - "tohe
> re gA'ooN maiN Aj...," in honour of guNidAs.
>
> r
>
No, I may have guessed incorrectly. I have a recording of JA's rendering
Swanandi live on AIR over 10 years ago. I will look up the cassette, listen
to the introduction and let you know. (Or just call up Dr Arawind Thatte who
accompanied Panditji on the harmonium at that time and ask him about it !) I
do think the compositions were different from those you have listed.
Ashwin
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
Rajan P. Parrikar
him was posted some years back.
Warm regards,
r
**************************************************************************
From boulder!parrikar Tue May 19 20:57:10 MDT 1992
Article: 46958 of soc.culture.indian
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Path: boulder!parrikar
From: parr...@mimicad.Colorado.EDU (Rajan Parrikar)
Subject: Great Masters Part XI: Jagannathbuva Purohit - The Music Savant!
Message-ID: <1992May20.0...@colorado.edu>
Originator: parrikar@sangria
Sender: ne...@colorado.edu (The Daily Planet)
Nntp-Posting-Host: sangria.colorado.edu
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Wed, 20 May 1992 02:53:14 GMT
Lines: 397
Namashkar. Here comes Part XI of the Great Masters series. Once
again the feature is taken from G.N. Joshi's book "Down Melody Lane".
Meet Jagannathbuva Purohit - a great savant, outstanding musician and
an inspiring teacher, the likes of whom only infrequently dot the
musical landscape of India. Admired, respected and revered in the
music circles, this virtuoso has had a salutary effect on the practice
and development of Hindustani Classical Music in this century.
Khuda Haafiz,
Rajan Parrikar
==============
**********************************************************************
pp 154-162 of Down Melody Lane
My Guru Gunidas
---------------------
by
G. N. Joshi
Jagannathbuva Purohit - 'Gunidas' - was my Guruji. It is
very difficult to express on paper my felings about him. He
was kind and honest to the core, and possessed a wealth of new
and rare musical compositions. He was very richly gifted, yet
he called himself 'Gunidas'- servant of the gifted ones. It
was unfortunate that I met him so late in my life. For 10 years
I enjoyed his company and we became so close that I regarded
him as one of my family. I respected him, stood in awe of him
and yet we were bound together by unbreakable bonds of love.
I do not quite remember where and when I first met this great
man. I think it was around 1956 when I had gone to Manik
Varma's house in Pune. He used to come there from Kolhapur
a few days every month to give her tuition. Later, when Manik
settled in Bombay he started coming to the city. The fragrance
of his music and his teaching-skill attracted many eminent
singers of Bombay to him -- including Ram Marathe, Jitendra
Abhisheki. Suresh Haldankar, Balakram, C. R. Vyas and Pandit
Yashwant Joshi. He found it very tiring to commute between
Kolhapur and Bombay every month. He was faced with the
problem of finding enough time to teach his disciples in Kolha-
pur and his ever increasing number of disciples in Bombay. To
settle in Bombay was almost impossible owing to the extreme
shortage of accommodation. It was very difficult to find a place
to live without paying a large premium.
I met him again at this point in his life. I was so strongly
attracted by his personality and his teaching technique that I
decided to have him to stay with us. For more than 3 years I
had searched in vain for a proper guru from whom I could gain
a wider knowledge of music. Most of them wasted their time in
big talk without giving away any real knowledge.
Guruji was a pleasant surprise. Instead of always demanding
paan or cigarettes from me, he was more interested in finding out
what dishes I liked and cooking those for me and for his dis-
ciples. He was equally liberal in imparting knowledge. He was
prepared to offer his entire treasure of knowledge to his disciples
- they only had to have the capacity to receive and imbibe
what he gave. I offered him a room in my house but he de-
clined and said, 'I am always entertaining all sorts of people,
and that too at any odd hour. I shall stay in Bombay only if
I get an independent place in which to live.'
Since I was determined to keep him in Bombay I began to
hunt for a place for him. As luck would have it, at about the
same time, a two-room tenement in a chawl next to my house
Rageshri became vacant. The owner was a very good friend of
mine. He and his sister were lovers of music and they agreed to
oblige me, and thus Guruji got a place without paying a premium
and was soon established in the two rooms.
Guruji was a loner, without any relatives. He never married,
and therefore had no family obligations. Being a very good
cook, he had no need to depend on anybody for meals. Among
his disciples were two brothers, Balakram and Trimbak Jadhav.
They came every morning to help Guruji. They would do every-
thing from sweeping the rooms, washing the clothes and storing
water to all sorts of odd jobs. Every morning this pair came
to our house to grind masala. 'Guruji is having a number of
guests today; we are preparing vegetable pulav', or 'We want to
grind some chatni.' My wife observed to her surprise that the
masala for grinding contained 10 to 12 hot green chillies every
day. She felt that it was very harmful to eat such hot meals
every day and told me to speak to Guruji, but I refrained from
doing this out of reverence for him. The next day she herself
cautioned Guruji about the harmful effects of eating such hot
stuff every day. He held my wife in great respect and hence did
not contradict her.
Guruji had a lively sense of humour. He did not like the fact
that we, as Joshis, supposed to be vegetarian Brahmins, were in
practice non-vegetarians. He had a novel way of showing his
disapproval of our dietary habits. He would come to my house
in the evening, go straight to the kitchen and announce, 'I am
tired of eating vegetarian food, I will stay for dinner only if
you have chicken.' My wife is very religious and hence we
observe a strict vegetarian diet on Mondays, Thursdays and
Saturdays. She would answer him in the same jocular spirit -
'Guruji, today is Thursday, but how lucky you are, we are having
a vegetarian chicken today. I am sure you will relish it.'
Whenever Guruji went to Kolhapur he brought back with him
the famous brinjals which are grown along the banks of the
river Krishna. Therefore the two or three days after his return
were brinjal days for us.
Only those who have tasted this seedless variety of brinjals
will know the delectable flavour they have. Stuffed and eaten
with a jawar roti they taste so good that they would put to
shame even a lunch at the Taj Mahal Hotel.
A year later my elder daughter was married in Pune. Guruji
participated in all the arrangements as if he was one of the
family. A number of eminent singers and musicians were pre- I
sent at the wedding lunch. Panditrao Nagarkar, Hirabai Badode- !
kar, Saraswati Rane and several other very popular performers
of the day, voluntarily offered to sing in the wedding pandal the
same night. This was the night of 2nd January 1959. It was
bitterly cold. Shrimati Hirabai Badodekar was the first to sing.
The sweet voice of this nightingale of Maharashtra brought such
warmth that the listener became oblivious of the cold. Artist
after artist followed, to the delight of thc wedding guests. The
last to perform was Guruji. It was 5.30 in the morning. It was
still dark and extremely chilly outside where the early morning
dew and mist had covered the earth. Inside the pandal, listeners
were glued to their sats, intoxicated by the night-long enchant-
ing music. Guruji began with a composition in raga Ahir Bhai-
rav, Tero jiya sukh pave. The entire gathering came under the
hypnotic spell of this morning melody. An hour sped by and
the first rays of the sun brought the beautiful dawn that came
as if riding on the sweet notes. And thus came to a close the
memorable 'Rangili Mehfil' in Pune.
Guruji always liked to be surrounded by his disciples, fellow
artists or admirers. He was never tired. He would toil every
day from 5.30 in the morning till 11 at night and then while
lying down to rest he would listen mostly to broadcasts from
Pakistan on his transistor. Strangely enough Guruji, who was
popularly known as the Sun of classical music, listened with
great delight and interest to ghazals and the lilting songs broad-
cast from the Lahore and Karachi radio stations. Next morning
he would report to me that he had heard a very enchanting
thumri by Ustad Nazakat Ali or a very romantic ghazal by
Mehdi Hassan.
Wherever there was talent he appreciated it, and showed it
in encouraging words to the artist. He was most particular to
ensure that his disciples sang independently in mehfils. This was
very advantageous. Firstly, the up-and-coming disciples lost
their stage fright, and secondly they learnt how to put over their
performances independently, displaying their imaginative skill and
creative ability.
Whenever any disciple of his was scheduled to sing on the
radio, Guruji would not relax till the programme had been
broadcast successfully. The contract forms for radio engagements
are usually sent to artists two or three months in advance. The
artist is required to fill in the names of ragas and other items
which he or she proposes to sing, and return the forms imme
diately. When such forms reached his disciples they used to
be filled in under Guruji's guidance. He took particular care to
see that his disciples presented new ragas and compositions for
every broadcast. After this, regularly, until the day of the pro-
gramme, Guruji saw to it that they rehearsed the ragas and
compositions in his presence and were well prepared for the
broadcast. On the day and time of the broadcast, no matter
where he was, Guruji managed to tune in and listen attentively.
He would carefully note all the good points as well as the flaws
in the performance and would correct the flaws later with mild
admonitions. He never discouraged anyone because he firmly
believed that through such mistakes one gained maturity.
Whenever a programme was arranged for Guru Purnima or
for the anniversary of his guru Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan, he
drew up a schedule showing the order of the items with their
details for every one of his disciples. He made sure that each
one sang some new composition to perfection. More than the
disciples, Guruji was so concerned about this that he put them
through gruelling rehearsals. His enthusiasm knew no bounds
- it was as if he himself was to be put to a test for public
approbation.
Before starting to teach a new raga, he explained the aroha
avaroha, vadi-samvadi of the raga and then he impressed the
pakad (catch phrase) and chalan (movement) of the raga on the
mind of the disciple in such a way that the disciple, once he
understood all these details perfectly, could easily master the
cheez or bandish, and present the complete raga picture in-
dependently.
For this reason he never grafted the exact intonation of his
gayaki onto the students. He believed that each voice had its
own peculiar natural characteristics and that each disciple should
learn to develop and present a raga in a style suited to his own
natural tendency. It is observed that the particular style of
gayaki in the Agra gharana usually resulted in many of its
followers developing a dry, dull, colourless voice. But this did
not happen with Guruji's disciples. He guided them to develop
and nurture their individual style of presenting a raga.
He taught them to pour their personalitias into the rendi-
tion. The outstanding feature of the Agra gharana is a very fascin-
ating layakari. Guruji particularly desired that his disciples de-
velop this technique of layakari in their own individual patterns.
Thus every disciple of Guruji always stood out in any assembly
of musicians and displayed individual craftsmanship. The dis-
ciple thus learnt to depend on his own wings to enjoy flights in
the atmospheric region of notes and rhythms. Ustad Bade Gulam
Ali Khan did not in his life time allow his son to sing indepen-
dently. As a result Munawar Ali, though gifted with the makings
of a first rate performer, failed to impress in his solo perform-
ances after the death of the great maestro.
Guruji was ever eager to kindle the spark of creation in every
disciple. This enabled the student to carve his own artistry and
to hold a mehfil confidently on the strength of his individual
talent and merit. This is why diciples such as Manik Varma,
Jitendra Abhisheki, Ram Marathe, Vasantrao Kulkarni and C.
R. Vyas became known for their individual style of gayaki, and
gained popularity.
Guruji was also an expert tabla player. Mr. Gaitonde, popu
larly known as Bhai Gaitonde, owes his proficiency on the tabla
to the coaching of our Guruji.
Guruji disliked the presence of an outsider during the tuition
hour. He was very particular that his as well as the pupil's con
centration should not be disturbed by such an intrusion. At
times he was very blunt with intruders and therefore incurred
the displeasure of many. He would not hesitate to admonish his
pupil, irrespective of his position, age or status. This hurt the
pride of many, but I realised that he did so out of a genuine
desire and love for the proper grooming of his disciples and I
for one did not mind such reprimands.
Guruji had an endearing affection for all his pupils. If one
promised to come and did not turn up he would immediately
feel concerned about the person's health and, as soon as he
could, he would go to the pupil's residence to see for himself
that all was well with him or her. His reverence and love for
his own guru, the late Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan, is almost
legendary. While in Bombay they would invariably meet every
day. But later, when Khan Saheb moved to Delhi, they could
only meet through letters. If either of them was late in replying
the other became so nervous and restless that on many occasions
such delay took away their desire to eat or even sleep. The
pangs of separation from his teacher prompted Guruji to con-
sole himself by creating expressive compositions. During such
periods of anguish, he wrote many bandishes. The following
composition in Raga Ahir Bhairava confined to a rhythm in
Ektaal is an instance on the point.
Beg beg aavo mandir
Bahot dinana beete
Soojhat na kam kaj
Nisdin ghadi ek pal
Gunidas ko daras
Deeje ab, Pranpiya
'Pranpiya' was the nom de plume of Vilayat Hussain Khan.
He wrote his compositions under this name, while Guruji wrote
his under the name 'Gunidas'. Vilayat Hussain Khan was a
profound scholar. He had memorized hundreds of ragas and
bandishes, and Guruji ceaselessly tried to master as many as
he could. Khan Saheb died very suddenly at Delhi. Guruji
heard the news at Kolhapur over the radio and for many days
mourned his passing away. Like a child who has lost his parents,
Guruji wept openly and ceaselessly for the Khan Saheb. During
his lifetime he observed the late Ustad's death anniversary un-
failingly, paying rich musical tribute to him, and saw to it that
his disciples did the same. This kind of love and intense devo-
tion between the guru and his disciple are rare.
Guruji was very religious. During the Ganapati festival his
enthusiam and excitement were very noticeable.
Guruji appeared to be a gruff and hard person but behind
this rough exterior was hidden a very sentimental tender heart.
Only those who spent a lot of time with him experienced his
loving and soft nature, and once drawn to him they remained
so permanently. Guruji was therefore always surrounded by
admirers and friends. All these did not necessarily belong to
the sphere of music. People from all walks of life came to him.
Famous writers like P. L. Deshpande, the late H. R. Mahajani,
politicians like Balasaheb Desai, tycoons like Mr. Lohiya of
Kolhapur, poets like Vinda Karandikar, film stars like Sulo-
chana and Sharad Talwalkar, doctors like Dr. Bavadekar, the
famous orthopaedic surgeon or Dr. Phalnikar - all these came
to enjoy a dip in the ocean of music.
Anyone who met the eminent journalist, the late H. R.
Mahajani, would wonder how such a crude and rough looking
person could strike up a friendship with an artist like Jagannath-
buva. But Mahajani, too, like our Guruji, only had a rough
exterior that hid a music loving, sentimental nature. As a faith-
ful friend he was worried about Guruji's future. He had tre-
mendous influence and pull with the Government of Maharashtra.
He was known in the ministerial group as 'Shastribuva'. Guruji's
name was recommended by Mahajani to Balasaheb Desai who
was then the Home Minister. Thanks to Balasaheb and Maha-
jani, the Maharashtra Government soon announced a life pension
of Rs. 400/. per month to Guruji.
Guruji had a progressive outlook. While young, he had the
opportunity to accompany the Yuvaraj of Mysore on a tour
of Europe and England. The late Govindrao Tembe was also
with them. Jagannathbuva was a strict vegetarian and teeto-
taller. Therefore, during the tour abroad, he never touched
liquor or meat - and not even eggs.
He sometimes told us of the toils of his own student days. He
had to wash the dirty clothes of his guru's wife, had also to
arrange for his guruji's liquor supply, and prepare and serve
non-vegetarian food. He did all these things because he was
possessed with the sole aim of learning music. In contrast with
this, his treatment of his own disciples was very liberal and pro-
gressive.
Very often he said to me, 'I feel that my days are numbered.
So learn as much as you can from me.' I very much wanted to
take advantage of this generous offer, but because of my ever
increasing responsibilities in H.M.V. it was not possible for me
to go to him when he had the leisure to coach me. I met him
too late in my life - when I was already over 50. At this stage
I had no ambition to hold mehfils or earn applause. Whatever
I learned from him was for my own satisfaction. Therefore I
could do riyaz only in my spare time. I was free in the even-
ings or at night but Guruji had important and lucrative tuitions
at those hours. Therefore we could not find an hour which
was mutually suitable. I always said to him, 'Guruji I am due
to retire soon. Then we will have a competition as to whether
you give me more, or I take more.'
In my heart I really desired to sit at his feet and have a
serious Sangeet Sadhana. Destiny however willed it otherwise.
Even before I got out of H.M.V. Guruji retired for ever from
this world.
In late 1967, a function was held in Nagpur in his honour.
While he was returning by train after the function his suitcase
was stolen. He did not mind losing his money and other valu-
ables, but his book of treasures containing rare and precious
compositions collected during his lifetime was also gone. With
the loss of this book he was literally crushed and from that day
onwards became so moody and desolate that his health began
to deteriorate.
On 4th October 1968 my daughter Jaya was leaving for
America. Guruji was with a friend in the Shivaji Park area of
Bombay for a rest. Jaya went to seek his blessings the night
before she left. He looked upon Jaya as his own daughter. He
expressed his desire to go and see her off. However, he was
advised by the doctor not to do so. Later, on the 18th of the
same month, Guruji came to my house. The next day was my
grandson's birthday. Guruji was to go on that day to visit his
adopted daughter Leela at the suburb of Dombivli, so he came
over to bless my grandson on the 18th night. His usually lively
countenance looked very tired. He called Abhi, held him close
to his heart and gave him a present. When my daughter asked
whether he felt strong enough to go to Dombivli he said, 'If any-
thing happens, you will come to know.' I do not know if he
had a premonition of his end. He took our leave, and that was
the last time we saw him alive.
Very early the next morning Guruji left for Dombivli without
meeting any of us. The following night, i.e., the 20th October,
we were rudely awakened by the ringing of the phone. Bhai
Gaitonde was speaking from Thane. He informed us that
Guruji was in a serious condition. Shocked and stunned, I got
in touch with others of our circle. We discussed whether to
take doctors or an ambulance to Dombivli. We were perplexed
as to why they had phoned from Thane instead of direct from
Dombivli. We telephoned Dombivli and came to know that the
great man had had a massive heart attack and breathed his last
earlier that evening. We were numb with shock. I could not bear
to look across my compound to his room. We - all his near
and dear ones - went immediately to Dombivli where his mor-
tal remains were cremated. The ties of friendship and love of
over 12 years were suddenly snapped for ever. He had gene-
rously opened the treasure vaults of his musical wealth to me,
but I was unlucky enough not to have been able to pick as
much as I should have. The loss to me is irreparable and I still
cherish fond and reverent memories of him.
********************************************************************
sramab...@pcc.lucent.com
aho...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
> With Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki's untimely demise (he was 66) on Saturday,
> lost a rare creative genius.
(some details on Pandit Abhisheki's life and achievements omitted)
> His deep, resonant voice and emotive style of singing more than compensated
> the lack of a "classical" voice.
His voice was resonant - by deep, I understand having a significant amount of
bass, and ability to reach down into the lower octave. If your definition of
deep agrees with this, I cannot agree with this observation.
> Thumrees and Tappaas and Taraanaas, his presentation of rare raags and his
> own creations like Manoranjanee and Madhuranjanee will surely agree that the
He did present uncommon ragas for sure. I remember recordings of his in
Zeelaf, Din-Ki-Puriya, and the Carnatic Amritavarshini. I don't know about
Madhuranjani, but as far as I know, Manoranjani is NOT his creation, it's a
standard Carnatic raga.
>
> I do hope that Panditji is accorded his rightful place in the pantheon of
> Indian Classical Music. May his soul rest in peace !
>
Thank you for posting such a heartfelt and informative article. Though I have
not been a great fan of Pt. Abhisheki's voice and singing style per se, his
knowledge was vast, and his flair for composition exceptional. I have enjoyed
the songs of some of the plays you listed above very much, particularly
Katyaar KaaLazaat Ghusali.
--
Sanjeev Ramabhadran
Ramesh Waghmare
master. We had the privilege of hosting his maifals twice in
Ottawa and hearing him in an intimate concert. He was unique
and so are his desciples.
Ramesh Waghmare