Late Pt. ArjunSa Nakod - Divinity redefined

I was on a visit to Hubli, for my regular lessons with Pt. Arjunsa Nakod when I decided to pop a few questions to the man of few words, doyen of the Gwalior Kirana gharana. Arjunsa, father of such illustrious sons as Pt. Raghunath Nakod, Pt. Balachandra Nakod, Vishwanath Nakod and Rajendra Nakod, was known among the music circles as a ‘true gentleman’ who encouraged his youngers and respected his peers/senior artistes, regardless of their background. He began by narrating his journey, from his birth on 1st January 1928, in Bettgeri, to a brief training from Krishna Buwa, and then to the visit of the legendary Panchakshari Gawai, (who had heard about young Arjunsa’s ability) to his hometown then – Gadag. Reminiscing the turning point in his life, he said, “When I sang ‘Neer bharan’ in Tilak-kamod before Panchakshari ajjaru, he was overwhelmed and said that I had a bright future as a gawai, insisting that I should go with him to pursue music. My parents, though reluctant at first, agreed to let go of their ambition to see me as a school teacher and I was on my way to artistehood”.
Panchakshari Gawai belonged to Gwalior gharana and used to run a musical drama company – Sri Kumareshwara Natya Sangha. He travelled from place to place putting up his musical shows and was accompanied by young ArjunSa, who learnt music as well as acting. Barely a couple of months into his training, at the ‘Belli mahotsava’ of a Dharwad mutt, ArjunSa sang a couple of vachanas and immediately shot into fame for his eloquent and perfect delivery. There was no looking back since then for this classical singer-actor, popularly known as ‘Mallikarjun’ for his role. His wife Anusuya joked about the female characters he played saying, “All my good saris were used by him more than me!” Camp life was gruelling as the shows ran late and days began early; music lessons would start only late in the afternoon. ArjunSa affectionately recalled, “Panchakshari Gawai was a fatherly guru, he always taught while tabla was being played alongside so that students could master the laya and tal aspects.”

Having had an extensive training from Panchakshari Gawai, ArjunSa started learning from Pt. Dr. Puttaraj Gawai (after the demise of the former) renowned musician and spiritual head of the Veereshwara Punyashram for blind children at Gadag. Soon Arjunsa was running his own ‘Vasant Kala Natya Sangha’, staging shows all over the state, while he continued giving classical recitals all over India. Many a time, because of conflicting schedules he had to let go of classical programmes being the sole breadwinner. According to his wife, “He never got into the maze of fame or wealth; he earned enough to run his immediate family and the drama troupe.While he ran the show, I would work behind the scenes, preparing meals for the troupe and looking after the kids.”

Arjunsa enthralled his audiences wherever he performed and had earned the name ‘huli’ (tiger) by his fans for his reverberant voice and powerful delivery. He was at the peak of his career, when one fine day, he realised that a drink offered to him had caused him problems in his voice box. Slowly his voice began to fail him and he was forced to cut down on his performances. He searched high and low for a remedy and after multiple surgeries, he realised that the cyst in his voice box was not improving. Through such rough and trying times, Arjunsa did not lose heart - he put all his attention on teaching, and went on to start ‘Renuka Sangeet Vidyalaya’ in 1965.

He believed in sincerely imparting knowledge to anyone who knocked on his door, never once expecting that it would be remunerative. Resident disciples would stay with him in true guru-shishya tradition and those who could not afford to pay in cash, did some form of service as their gurudakshina. In the nineties, he started visiting Bangalore and taught a number of local students. More than his own, Arjunsa had now begun to draw satisfaction from performances of disciples – prominent among them were Pt. Bhalachandra Nakod (son), Hanumanth Rao Gonwar, Sadashiv Aiholi, D.S. Siddaramu (clarionet), Jayateerth Mevundi, Ravindra Sogavi, Renuka Nakod, Vasumati Raganathan, B. R. Geeta, Mouna Ramachandra to name a few. His advice to upcoming students was, “Be dedicated and determined to become a good artiste. Do thorough ‘riyaz’ and see how scales tilt in your favour.” “It is not necessary that a student should perform only after a certain (long) period of learning; smaller baithaks sharpen presentation skills, preparing the student for mehfils”, he encouraged.

Praising his contemporaries for their knowledge and skills he enumerated Pt. Basavaraj Rajguru, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur and Ustad Amir Khan for their unique styles. Arjunsa maintained that any good music deserves appreciation, and that one must pickup good aspects from others’ music. Truly untouched by artistic rivalry or by competition, this ‘Sangeeta Ratna’ was a sensitive, scholarly and well-respected musician among peers, music lovers and critics alike. Among the many awards that he has won, the Sangeet Natak Academy award, the Karnataka State Rajyotsava award, Sangeeta Sudhakara award and the Dussera award are a few.

Urging the Government, educational institutions, music organisations and media to promote classical music he warned that unless propagated, this rich tradition might get restricted to just a few pockets of culture in the country.


As ArjunSa spoke that day, it seemed as though all the Zig Ziglar lessons on positive attitude were there in front of me in flesh and blood – having made his long and arduous musical journey through untold misery and financial hardships, sickness and loss of voice, there was not a hint of exhaustion from whatever he had undergone, on the contrary his twinkling eyes and radiant smile spoke of his contentment, inner peace and tranquillity. “What more do I want – I have travelled all over India on performances and have produced such good artistes among my disciples!”

Today although he is no more with us, his music lives on in the hearts of people and through his many disciples.

- Smita Bellur

Author's note:

If there is anyone who could take happiness and adversity alike, it was my guru Late Pt. Arjunsa Nakodof Hubli Karnataka, disciple of the legendary Ganayogi Panchakshari Gawai of Gadag. He was fondly known as the 'Huli' (meaning tiger in kannada) and had a huge fan following across India during his prime. Later, when he lost his voice and stayed away from public performances, he did not despair - he took it as an opportunity to train disciples such as Jayateerth Mevundi, Sadashiva Aihole, Bhalachandra Nakod, Ravindra Sorgavi, shakti Patil, Renuka Nakod, Mowna, Vasumathi, Geeta and me. Nothing could touch his extermely modest, dignified personality - a true stoic and an exemplary human being; hard to come by such virtuos musicians in today's world!

Late Pt. Rajabhau Sontakke - Keeping alive the rich tradition of bhava poorna gayaki

“Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance,” a saying by Samuel Johnson, rings true of Pt. Rajabhau Sontakke, who is the epitome of dedication and perseverance. A veritable encyclopedia on the Hindustani ragadari system of music,(encompassing its science and history), Pt. Rajabhau is one of the foremost disciples of Pt. Omkarnath Thakur - the legendary doyen of the Gwalior Gharana. Pt. Sontakke is a leading light in the Gwalior gharana, having kept up the rich tradition of bhava-poorna gayaki of his guru and propagating it through his students. A pundit in Hindustani classical vocal music and gifted violin artiste, Pt.Sontakke’s journey of music has been an arduous one ridden with challenges and obstacles (both monetary and otherwise). Hardships began early in life, for this son of KrishnaRao and SharadaDevi Sontakke, having been afflicted by blindness at a tender age. Barely ten then, little Rajabhau had to leave school and take on music to survive. Training under Shri. Shamarao at Nagpur for ten years reinforced the young lad’s knowledge of Khayal gayaki as well as instruments like Tabla, Violin, Dilruba and Sitar. A chance listening of Pt. Omkarnath Thakur’s recording set-off the desire of studentship in young Rajabhau. As Pt. Sontakke recalls, “I was completely possessed by the beauty of Pt. Thakur’s music and had decided that I would learn from him at any cost.” The sheer perseverance, guru-bhakti and hard-work of young Rajabhau had led him to Surat, where he in sang Deskar in front of Pt. Thakur, replicating his master’s voice and technique as was. Pt. Thakur is believed to have advised him to use his keen grasping skills to develop an original style and agreed to teach him right from the start. With neither the local language, nor resources to sustain himself - “It was the kindness of a few families who gave me food and shelter for three years; above all I am grateful to my guru who has given me excellent coaching,” he acknowledges.
During this time, Pt. Sontakke had developed a command over Violin. Recalling an incident when he accompanied Aftab-e-Mausiki Ustad Fayyaz Khan from the Baroda durbar, he says, “Ustad Fayyaz Khan praised me for accurately following his vocals on my violin, at such a young age.” The Ustad is believed to have said, “This Pandat is very gifted - you have done the right thing to learn from such a teacher who is so learned and adept at both shastra and practical singing.”
“Pt. Thakur used to teach according to the student’s level. He insisted on playing the tanpura with one hand and keeping taal (playing on the Dagga), with the other, while singing,” reminisces this award-winning doctor of music. Later Pt. Sontakke followed his guru to Benaras, where the latter was opening a music college. Pt Sontakke was appointed violin-instructor in Pt. Thakur’s music college.

Pt. Sontakke went through 15 years of training at Benaras, says: “My guru was so serious during the class hours that I felt that he was specially training me for it.”

Slowly Pt . Sontakke progressed from instructor to Professor and from financial challenges to comfort. His music tuitions led to his meeting with Mani (Mrs. Sontakke later). He says with a mischievous smile, “She had come to learn from me and adored my singing. I felt the need for a feminine influence in my life - I proposed to her”. He acknowledges how her family supported in the decision to marry, despite his blindness. In a couple of years his son Prakash was born, bringing a light into their life.

Attributing his deep knowledge of the ragadari system – practical concert presentation and musicology, to his guru, he recalls his guru’s last few days at Benaras when he (Pt. Omkarnathji) said, “My son, I have given you all the knowledge that I have, practice it and take it forward. Teach students of music and guide them towards PhD in music.

Speaking about the specialty of Pt. Omkarnathji’s well-researched music (his works Pranav Bharati and Sangeetaanjali series are renowned for their path breaking concepts), he says, “My style is based on gayaki and not gatkari. While doing alaap, one has to use the 10 types of gamak with discretion; additionally, volume, breath control and intonation determine the effect of the alaapi and the rasa. Even taans determine the rasa – for instance Malhar taans are very different from Kanada taans,” explains this guru who has taught several students through the Music College at Benaras, and more recently at his Hindustani Sangeet Vidyapeeth, Bangalore. Among his performing disciples, he enumerates Suresh Prakash Sharma, R.P.Shastry, Ramchandra Bhagwat, Venkatesh Balaji, Ganpat Vashisht, Lalitha Kaikini, Chaitra, Lavanya and heir apparent Prakash Sontakke, who is takes forward his legacy with his mastery over Hawaiian guitar, violin and vocal.
Continuing, he says, “One must appreciate the intricate usage of the 22 shrutis. Many do not even know the same swara’s versions (with different shrutis) can produce a completely different effect. For instance the komal Rishabh (ati komal Re) used in Marwa is completely different from the komalRe used in Purya. Similarly the Malkauns komal Ni and the Bhimpalasi komal Ni are also different. This is based on the samvaad (harmonically in tandem) aspect of two swaras, placed at a distance of 6, 7, 9 or 13 shrutis.”

When asked about his gurubandhus at Benaras, he mentions Shri. Balwant Rai Bhatt, Padmakar Barve, Manohar Barve and KanakRai Trivedi, among the several others. “I am fortunate that I spent the longest time with my guru and was able to gain the most amount of knowledge. I have also got a lot of beating from him too (what with his ringed fingers), but he was very pure-hearted and never bore grudges”, he says on a lighter note.

Speaking about the dominance of shringar rasa in Hindustani music, he says, “Love is the basis of this world – whether it is devotee towards God, mother to her child and lover to his love, it is all important.” “It may manifest in different forms; but there is nothing wrong with it being the basis,” he reflects. Is music our classical music shortlived? “There is music from birth to death in our culture - music will never cease as long the world exists.” “As for Classical music, there be may be minor ups and downs, but it is eternal; the very fact that there are veterans/performing artistes as well as students is itself a positive trend!” beams the maestro, reminding me of Robert Browning’s words, “My sun sets to rise again”.
- Smita Bellur

Ustad Irshad Khan - "Strings of the Soul"

Ethereal extreme
Speaking of his star-studded lineage he traces back his roots from his forefather ‘Khurramdaad’ (a title given by Shah Jahan meaning ‘appreciated by Khurram or Shah Jahan’), a court musician of Mughal emperor. “The name ‘daad’ stayed on with subsequent generations and my gharana – was formed by my ancestors Khurrabdaad, Sahabdaad (an ancestor who made the Surbahar), Imdaad etc, who gave it the name of Imdaadkhani Itawah gharana,” says a beaming Irshad Khan, the 10th generation into music.

So initiation into music was but natural? Irshad says, “I don’t remember when I started with music, because it was as good as talking considering that my family members - Inayat Khan (grandfather), Vilayat Khan (uncle) and Imrat Khan (father) are all musicians. My grandmother (daughter of the legendary vocalist Bunde Hassan Khan Sahab and mother-in-law of the legendary Amir Khan Sahab) initiated me to music. Later, my father trained me.I was given a smaller toy sitar to start with. Later for my first concert at 7, I was given a sitar (one size smaller than the regular).” Reminiscing his school days, he says, “I used to be drowned in music and my teacher put me in the last bench because of my constant humming in class.” Having to constantly travel on programmes, Irshad knew that he was cut out for music and to that extent academics took a back seat. A hard-worker, Irshad remembers how he did an average riyaz of 8 hours per day with the bulky Surbahar.

“Differentiating good authentic classical music is easy,” he says, “just as a rose gives out its fragrance no matter where it hidden. It does not matter whether one does folk, fusion or film music – good music has to do with beauty more than the genre”, says this foreign returned sitar wizard. Putting concerts as the top most on his list of favourites, he admits that he would not be comfortable if he had to spend too much time in recording studios.
When asked for his take on fusion music, he says “I can guarantee you that if you don’t like my fusion album where I have coupled Sitar with violins and Cellos, you can ignore me completely for a no-gooder.” His album, ‘Romancing the Sitar’ and other classical albums have gone on to become big hits.

So how does he define his music? A quality conscious and extremely talented Irshad breaks into a “Baajuband khuli gayo re” (thumri) while demonstrating the similarity between his sitar strokes and vocals – the flourishes and embellishments makes it convincing as the true gayaki ang. With a deep sense of gratitude he says that he is fortunate to have received authentic music at the hands of his guru and credits his forefathers for his abilities; but when it comes to mistakes – owns it. Saying that he could never be bored living the life of a musician, he explains how every time he ventures into the ocean of the raga, he finds something new to explore. “There are certain zones of the raga, which make me feel so immersed that I forget everything else. That ‘rasa’ to me, is the immortal nectar, that gives a divine ecstasy – both to me and the audience.

His influences are his father, grandfather, Amir Khan sahab, Bade Ghulam ali Khan, Begum Akhtar and Barkat Ali Khan Sahab to name a few.

On a lighter note, when asked about handling female fans, the handsome and otherwise articulate Sitarist is completely at a loss for words. After a brief pause with a flushed face, he
says, “Interesting question”. But on a serious note says, “As a musician I have to follow my own code of conduct and stay within my boundaries even though I am given a whole lot of adulation.” Calling himself spiritual rather than religious, he says that his close relationships such as those with his God, wife and kids are too personal to be elaborated upon.

Saddened by the rising commercialization of the music scene, Irshad expresses concern that packaging and marketing has taken priority over proficiency in the current music scene. “I was so caught up in riyaz and gathering knowledge that I missed out on the public relations,” he mulls.
Urging parents to encourage their children towards appreciating music, he says that home is the first school where children pick up the likes and dislikes. “Parents should make it fun to learn to learn rather than force them. Also, the teacher should interact and connect with the child in such a way that the child looks forward to the class.”
- Smita Bellur

Vidushi Dr. Aswini Bhide - “There is no alternative to being proficient”

As I approached Ashwini Bhide Deshpande for a chat, the sounds of the soulful Bibhas (a late night raga) that I heard a couple of years ago, was still ringing in my ears. When the door opened, the sun’s rays from the opposite window seemed to create an almost angelic halo around the diva of Hindustani classical music – the Devi of Jaipur Athrauli gharana, who ushered me in with a warm smile. I figured that it is her pleasing personality and congenial nature that makes her the darling of her audiences and concert organizers alike; her soothing honeydew voice and soulful delivery – the crowd puller.

Being the daughter of a vocalist like Smt. Manik Bhide, Ashwini had a great family background for the pursuit of music. Nevertheless, there was never any pressure or expectation from parents she says, adding, “My brother and I, were always good at studies and music – but the choice was clearly ours (parents never imposed their aspirations on us). My decision to take up music as a profession came much later (after I had acquired my graduation in Microbiology and PhD in Biochemistry) which my parents whole-heartedly supported.”
One wonders what amount of discipline and dedication would have gone into those hours of riyaz that were put in by her while doing research at BARC alongside. Modestly she acknowledges, “Yes, for 6 years I did the balancing act; although there was good progress, I decided to take up music as a full time activity for a trial period of one year. It is 14 years since, and there has been no looking back.” “I would not have regretted being a scientist either,” beams this woman of substance aptly titled ‘Zee Astitva Woman of 2005’.
Having released first album in 1985, this Libran (October born) is an exemplary professional from whom one can learn a thing or two about time management and compartmentalization. “I believe in giving each activity a full 100%. I put in 3 hours of ‘quality’ practice per day.” But isn’t that too hectic? “At the end of the day, despite the exhaustion, there is a sense of satisfaction”, reflects this articulate and erudite artiste, who was awarded ‘Kumar Gandharv Samman’ by the Madhya Pradesh Government for her contribution to the field of classical music (she is the first female vocalist to have received this honour).
Speaking of the influence of greats such as Vidushi MoguBai Kurdikar, Pandita Kishori Amonkar and Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur on the Jaipur-Athrauli gharana that was founded by Ustad AlladiyaKhan sahib, she reminisces, “We were raised on Kishoritai’s and Moghubaiji’s music. NarayanRao Datarji used to teach me since the age of 5, later for specific taleem on ‘gayaki’ my mother (herself a disciple of Kishoritai) once took me to Moghubaiji requesting for lessons. Instead, Moghubaiji advised my mother to train me – that is when my mother started teaching on a professional level. Since the last 20 years, mother has groomed many a successful artiste”, beams this Sangeet Visharad from the Gandharva Mahavidyalay.”
Responding to a query on her choice of gharana, the doe eyed beauty explains with a twinkle in her eye, “Jaipur-Athrauli is like my staple food, so it was always a preference. Besides, Kishoritai has been a leading light in that she has moulded th Jaipur-Athrauli gayaki (singing technique and style) to suit the female voice perfectly.” Aswini’s tutelage under her current guru, Shri. Ratnakar Pai, bears testimony to her belief in continuous learning - although her students are themselves well on the path to fame.
A huge fan of Kishori Amonkar herself, she says, “Kishoritai has the right blend of concept, emotion and vocal technique”. Ashwini enjoys listening to Lata Mangeshkar, watching Sanjeev Kumar or Madhubala movies when she finds time. Not much of a sports enthusiast, she says that she prefers gymnastics, because it is similar to dance. A vegetarian by birth, she sticks to simple food and confesses her love for ‘dal-chawal’.

Her latest offering to music lovers and students of music is a compilation of 84 Khyal Bandish compositions in various ragas and talas, called “Ragarachananjali” (by Rajhams publishers) written in Hindi. Accompanied with an illustrative CD, this brilliant work is truly a gift to every singer wishing to expand his or her repertoire of ragas and bandishes.

To the stereotype that classical music is more for spirituality and tranquility, she says, “Yes our music is meditative and soothing, but it is also good fun!” “Classical music is comparable to a diamond; it gives a different shine from each of its facets”, says this ‘empress of melody’, giving her pearls of wisdom.

- Smita Bellur

Newspaper links to articles written by me

My guru Late Pandit Rajabhau Sontakke:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2005/09/09/stories/2005090903860200.htm

My guru Late Pt. ArjunSa Nakod
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/02/25/stories/2005022502530200.htm
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/mar182004/metro12.asp

My guru Pt. Bhalchandra Nakod
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/03/24/stories/2006032402810200.htm
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Jun132004/ac3.asp

Pt. VishwaMohan Bhatt (Grammy award winner and Hindustani Classical Mohan Veena maestro)
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Jul112005/metromon1828542005710.asp

Shashank Maktedar (Hindistani Classical Vocalist)http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr92005/arts121014200548.asp

Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma (Santoor Maestro)
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep262004/ac4.asp

Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar (Sarod maestro
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jan092005/ac2.asp

Pt. Rajeev Taranath (Sarod maestro
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Sep272005/spectrum1427152005926.asp

Smt Kamla Bose (Hindustani Classical Vocalist)
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Nov282004/ac2.asp

Padma Talwalkar (Hindustani Classical Vocalist)
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/nov152004/metro9.asp

Ustad Irshad Khan (Hindustani classical sitarist
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug282005/finearts641362005827.asp

Amaan and Ayaan ali Khan
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/july252004/ac2.asp

Ravindra Sorgavi
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr92005/metrosat161035200548.asp

Sangeet Sankalp
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb032005/metro13.asp

Rajendra Nakod
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jan262004/metro5.asp

Salil Bhatt (Hindustani Classical Satvik Veena player)
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb192004/metro15.asp

Pt. Ajay Pohankar
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb162004/metro11.asp

Sidhramayya Mattpathi
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2006/05/26/stories/2006052602840200.htm