‘Karuna Kyo Nahin Aave’ and ‘the Absolute’

It was quite accidental that I heard Chandrasekhar Vaze (Kirana Gharana) singing Ustad Abdul Karim Khan Saheb’s favorite thumri ‘Gopala Mori Karuna Kyo Nahin Aave’. I was driving my car in the evening and the CD that being played had this song. The friend who was with me appreciated: “I feel like already had my two pegs of vodka due for this winter evening”. My reply went like: “If so, what would you feel when you listen to his Guru Pandit Firoz Dastur singing the same, having two pegs of ‘the Absolute’ itself?”

Here are both the tracks, please don’t miss:

1. Chandrasekhar Vaze: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUhFVEoRSTc
2. Firoz Dastur: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZmyWYqA2wo

When we listen to Sadagopan…the body does not matter

Suppose Shri V.V.Sdagopan is alive, he is 98 years now. It’s sad that we could not locate him after his disappearance from a train journey in 1980 when he was traveling from Delhi to Chennai. There could be three reasons for his disappearance, 1) His own option to withdraw from the madding crowds to some point on earth in search of peace of his choice 2) As sudden shift in one’s mental state by which a person loses his track and could not come back to his self as he didn’t get the right person’s helping hand at the right time 3) Death itself probably due to an unnoticed fall from the train in which he was traveling. But even the body was not found.

29 January was his birthday. He started giving concerts all over Tamil Nadu in his teens itself. In mid 1940s, at the height of his music career he entered into Tamil films and acted in the films like Madana Kamarajan, Athisayam etc in leading roles. Later he served two terms as a professor in the music department of Delhi University. He was known as a musicologist of tall order with an amazing skill as a singer as well.

Here are two rare music tracks of V.V.Sadagopan

1. Ramabhajanai- Ragamalika- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdtwwIMOw1U&feature=related

2. Saraswati Manohari: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-vs_uQif4Y&feature=related

January 30: Gandhi, Dagars and Music

It has been said by many about the cautious and somewhat unwilling mind of Gandhi towards arts and aesthetics. He himself wrote once that whatsoever distracted him from his ‘chosen mission’ was considered by him as a sin.

But in an interview given to All India Radio by Ustad Aminuddin Dagar of the senior Dagar brothers, there is an interesting incident remembered. Once the great Drupad singers had been to Gandhi and they were given thirty minutes from Bapu’s busy schedule. The musicians who were known for great vlambit alaaps, had naturally taken more time from Gandhi affecting his back-to-back programme schedules for the nation’s struggle for independence. When the music was over by 50 minutes, Dagars were little puzzled as Mahatma went away from the scene without saying anything. But after a few minutes, Gandhi’s secretary came with a piece of paper and told them that as Bapu was on ‘maun vrut’ (fasting by silence) he had given his reflections in writing. The paper had this single line: “while listening to your music, I was experiencing God”.

Let me dedicate this vilambit Asavari by Dagar brothers on January 30^th, the day of Bapu’s martyrdom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Vi62ir-VQ&feature=related

Rag Bhatiali , Ustad Vilayat Khan, East Bengal and Bauls

Ustad Vilayat Khan rendered a Dhun composed in Bhatiyali, a raga supposed to be his own invention. However, please see what Ustad said about it in ‘Komal Gandhar’, an autobiographical narration documented by Shankarlal Bhattacharya:

“Where from did I get the compositions that I play, "Bhede mor gharere chabhi"? Actually this is not Bhatiyali, this is Baul. I changed its name -- To bring in a famous name so that a person keeps thinking that is this Bhatiyali? And I did this because... How many things of Bihar, or Rajasthan, of Lavani have I taken for use in my music and if I take something from Bengal what else can it be called but Bhatiyali? So, put this connection to use. In this vein I did a lot of research and this piece that resulted is Baul. "Bhede mor" is Baul but I called it Bhatiyali with an aim, to make it popular outside Bengal. Heh, heh, heh!

And just think Shankar, how many varieties are there in Mand. There is Sarama ki Mand, Garama ki Mand, Virayat ki Mand and yet Brindavani Mand -- how many Mand-s are there. There are a hundred Pahadi-s. Similarly there are over hundred Lavani-s. In the same way there are pieces in Bhatiyali, Baul... All these things get proximate by the influence of mood and philosophy. So I tell you that I gave the name of Bhatiyali just out of need, but it is nothing but Baul” : ( Courtesy: http://omenad.net: Bhatiyali in my view)

1. Dhun by Ustad Vilayat Khan in Bhatiyali: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvad2eGHGXA

2. Ustad Vilayat Khan’s Bhatiyali with an introduction by Ustad Shujat Khan, his son: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHhUt7MjbRM

3. Ustad Shahid Parvez: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXM9MXLytTA&feature=related

4. Tagore’s famous song Bhenge More Gharer Chabi in Bhatiyali ( Baul as Ustad Vilayat Khan says)