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________
openmind
who: Bhimsen Joshi
what: Hindustani Vocal Music
when: 000-00-0000
where: World Music Library
sound like: Ethnic
and on: Mar-23-2003
resulting in: 03 tracks
which makes: 66,4 MB
using lame at: 192 kB
and some more:
From an early age Bhimsen seemed to be enthralled by
music. Be it the bhajans sung by her mother, the
khayals of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan relayed on the radio
or even the music played by a band, Bhimsen found a
potent power in music from which he could not resist
himself. He wandered around in the streets of Hubli, a
small town in Karnataka wherever the strains of music
led him to. Often the little kid found himself lost and
it happened so often that his father wrote his address
on the back of his shirt with an appeal to any kind
gentleman to bring the lost boy back home.
It was in the 1930s, but BhimsenÆs father, a school
teacher by profession was far from being conservative.
Perhaps he saw in his son something special and started
his music education at an early age. Interestingly, it
was his dhobi (washerman) who became young BhimsenÆs
first music teacher. In a mere couple of years, Bhimsen
was ready for a more rigorous road. The passion for
music and zeal to learn more than what his teacher
could provide urged Bhimsen to leave his home.
He was on a mission. He wanted a guru. He had no money
and often went without food. He started to sing in the
train compartments for money. The train conductors let
him travel for free. Days and months went by till he
came to Calcutta. For some days he stayed in the
residence of Pahari Sanyal, working as a helping hand
for household chores. The actor was well known and
moved in the circle of the cityÆs cultural elite. This
gave young Bhimsen a chance to get close to the
established musicians of the times. Often he would make
time in his leisure to visit Bhismadev Chattopadhyay
and would listen to him singing. Yet this was hardly
what Bhimsen was looking for. He heard that the
students at the Madhav Sangeet Vidyalaya at Gwalior
were given free food once a day. He spent a couple of
months there. Form Gwalior he went to Ayra Sangeet
Vidyalaya in Punjab. A renowned vocalist, Paluskar,
founded the academy. BhimsenÆs teacher was Mangatram.
He was the owner of oil mills, a rich person but he had
no children of his own. Young Bhimsen was like a son to
him. A couple of years passed by. Mangatram himself was
a close follower of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and Bhimsen
spent his time in enriching himself as a dhrupad
vocalist.
But for Bhimsen the most wonderful thing to have
happened was that he was accepted as a disciple of
Sawai Gandharv near his hometown Hubli. There he
started his talim as a student of the Kirana gharana.
The guru was aging and Bhimsen had little time to lose
but his devotion and his passion were his assets. After
Sawai Gandharv was stricken by paralysis, Bhimsen
continued his education from Mustak Hussain of Rampur.
By that time Bhimsen was well on his way on the path
that he had chosen for himself.
He got a job as a vocalist at the Lucknow Radio Station
and enriched himself by learning the intricacies of
thumri. He was at a point where no guru was there to
hold his hand and lead him through. He had to embark on
a lonely journey meant for the artist in search of art.
He could afford to employ musicians for his rewaz which
used to go on for 14 û 18 hours a day. He was polishing
his art and all that he had learned over the years.
His break came at the music conference held in the
honor of his guru, Sawai Gandharv. He was so impressive
that he got an immediate offer form six other music
conferences. In 1953, Bhimsen came to Calcutta for the
first time as an artist at the Bengal Music
Conferenceàand many times after that. Recently Bhimsen
was here in the city that honored him at the historic
Town Hall. In the presence of reputed writers, poets
and fellow vocalists and musicians, Bhimsen found the
gift of love and honor from the city where ironically
he had spent a few days of his early life as a helping
hand.
There were rumors that the maestro could retire but
Bhimsen himself has dispelled any doubt by saying that
so long he is able to practice his art he would do so.
He humbly says that it takes a lifetime to mature as an
artist and the fact that he is able to do so at his age
is due the blessing of God and his guruàand due to his
sadhana. He has seen many changes over the years. He
sees an increasing mental gap between the artist, the
audience and the organizer of the music conferences.
The sense of sacrifice for the sake of art that was so
common in the past is hard to find these days. He finds
that a healthy competition between fellow artists is
conspicuous by its absence as is the respect that
elderly artists used to enjoy or the encouragement the
younger artists used to get. But he believes that there
is no dearth of talentàmaybe music does not appeal to
the heart as it used to else why would everything
become so mechanical instead of as spontaneous as it
used to be in the past.
The concept of music education is also changing though
he feels that feels that the idea of gharana is still
there albeit in a much less restrictive and much more
flexible way. It is the gharana that contributes to the
style that each artist develops and to be an artist one
should have a style of his own. This he feels is the
most important thing that makes an artist popular.
He himself grew up in the Kirana gharana, yet his music
bears the distinctive charm that is the result of his
innovativeness and which is very him own and not
restricted by the ordains of his gharana.
Article contributed by Ananda Chaudhuri
Coming from the south of the country it was never going
to be easy for me to start listening to Hindustani
Music. In my family it was scoffed at as the Negadi
Sangeetha (as if the singer has caught a cold). Chance
hearing of Nambide Ninna Naada Devatheye by Bhmisen
Joshi in G.V. Iyer's classic Kannada film Sandhya Raga
changed all that. I got hooked on to Hindustani music.
He remains my most favourite classical musician.
Pt Bhimsen Joshi is the most prominent Hindustani
vocalist living today. This doyen of Kirana Gharana is
very popular and has earned the critical aclaim as
well. As the most well known of the many great
desciples of Savai Gandharva, he along with Pt
Mallikarjun Mansur, Smt Gangubai Hangal, Pt Kumar
Ghandharva, Pt Basavaraj Rajguru has made Dharwad (in
north Karnataka) home to Hindustani music.
Born in 1922 in Gadag (North Karnataka) he was always
intersted in music from a tender age. He left the
security of home in search of a guru. He travelled all
over the country looking for that elusive guru. Finally
he came across a musician who asked him where he was
from. Young Joshi replied 'Dharwad' the nearest city to
Gadag. The musician told Joshi that the best guru is
actually very near to his home, Savai Gandharva (i.e.
Rambhau Kundgol) in Kundgol.
Joshi returned home and sought the guidence under Savai
Gandhrava. It is said that the guru rejected Joshi
saying his voice is no good. But finally agreed to take
him after seeing his determination and recommendation
of another student, Gangubhai Hangal !
Bhimsen Joshi never looked back. He absorbed raga after
raga. Imbibing all the best of Kirana Gharana. He also
learnt from other gayaki styles. In one of his early
concerts, a well known singer of another gharana said
'I came to see how much you have stolen from us' !
He quickly became one of the most sought after concert
artists. The intensity he brought to his performances
made him the most popular vocalist of the last 5
decades, esp. after untimely death of Ustad Amir Khan
and Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan.
Joshi is also very widely recorded. Apart from khayal
raga renditions, his bhajans in Hindi and Marathi have
been very popular. In 70's he also recorded, some
Kannada Dasa Krithis in Dasavani, normally sung by
Carnatic musicians. That has made him immensely popluar
in southern Karnataka too.
Panditji conducts Savai Gandharva Sangeeth Mahotsav in
Pune from 3 decades. It has now become an institution.
His best performances perhaps have been at the
concluding session of the festival.
Though Pt Joshi has many desciples, most known is Pt
Madhav Gudi, who some feel may not be able to carry on
the tradition with the same vigour. In the last few
years he has been training his young son Srinivas
Joshi.s
I like vintage Joshi upto early 80's the most.
Unfortunately those recordings are not that good and
are mostly mono. EMI India / RPG which owns most of the
recordings has made no effort to have them digitally
remastered and presented with best possible fidelity.
Also there are a lot of live concert recordings and AIR
recordings available, which hopefully will be
remastered and preserved for future generations.
Panditji has not been giving public performces from a
couple of years.
Pt Joshi was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Indian
Governament in 1999.
Artists Bhimsen Joshi - Vocal. Madhav Gudi, Vocal
Support & Tanpura; P M Walawalkar, Harmonium; S Mulay,
Tabla
http://www.musicalnirvana.com
track list:
│ 01 Khayal - Raga Puriya Dhanashri
│ 02 Tulsidas - Ji ka Bhajan
│ 03 Marathi Abhang
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