Four musical celebrations of the season of Spring

Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011) (pic: www.scroll.in)

Spring or Basant in India, the season of regeneration and rejuvenation, is a major celebration among Hindus. Basant Panchami or the fifth day of the onset of spring, is observed with propitiatory rituals by Hindus and Sikhs. The syncretic nature of the celebrations is also evident in the Sufi tradition. Along with raag Basant, one can also hear strains of raag Bahaar at Sufi dargahs. The famous composition Sakal ban phool rahi sarson describes the mustard flowers seen across fields in Northern India during this time of the year.

This short documentary film describes the Basant celebration at Sufi dargahs and also includes a rendition of this composition.

The next track features maestro Bhimsen Joshi singing a drut or fast tempo composition in raag Bahar set to the 16-count Teentaal.

This is followed by an elaborate rendition of the same raag, Bahar, on the violin. Scholar-musician Gajananrao Joshi, a vocalist pursuing the Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur-Atrauli styles and a pioneering violinist, plays a composition in the ten matra Jhaptaal. The gayaki ang or vocal style is very evident in this presentation. Cross-rhythms are also employed in the faster sections. Tabla accompaniment is provided by tabla player Shripad Nageshkar.

Roshanara Begum, the Kirana gharana vocalist who migrated to Pakistan, sings a vilambit or slow composition in raag Bahar set to the 12-matra Ektaal. The song-text describes spring, the season that brings with it new flora. Note the quick and short turn of phrase that is a hallmark of Roshanara Begum’s singing.

First appeared in www.scroll.in on February 7, 2015.

Shobha Gurtu, the thumri singer from Goa

Goa has given to Hindustani music some of its best women performers. This was possible because of the immense talent that these musicians displayed and the training that they received from respected teachers in Mumbai, a city to which they migrated in large numbers starting from the nineteenth century.

The poignant voice of Begum Akhtar

There was a time when Doordarshan was the only television channel in India and there was no competition for TRPs. The state-run channel was used for government propaganda, but it also featured some of the country’s best-known Hindustani musicians. We had studio concerts in the presence of an invited audience, maestros were interviewed and there were also regular studio sessions without an audience that often left performers ill at ease. More importantly, these recordings were made only because knowledgeable producers, who were at times artistes in their right, took the pains to curate innovative programmes. Mercifully, some of these recordings have been resurrected and made available to music lovers.

Tabla maestro Ahmed Jan Thirakwa demonstrates the versatility of early 20th century musicians

As a practitioner of Hindustani music, I have always been amazed at how Indian musicians dealt with the new technologies that became an integral part of their profession in the early decades of the twentieth century. The performance context was entirely different from what they were used to in chamber concerts, and yet, after initial reluctance, they adapted wonderfully to their new circumstances. Proof of their musicianship and creativity is to be found on the 78RPM discs they recorded at time.

Four musical celebrations of the season of Spring

Basant, short film by Yousuf Saeed (1997)

Pandit Gajananbuwa presents Raga Bahar

Raag Bahaar...!!!

Aneesh Pradhan

Musician, composer, researcher, author, teacher

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Shobha Gurtu, the thumri singer from Goa

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The poignant voice of Begum Akhtar

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Tabla maestro Ahmed Jan Thirakwa demonstrates the versatility of early 20th century musicians

Aneesh Pradhan