National Cultural Policy - A Need of the Hour

We the Indians must congratulate ourselves for completing the elections and electing a new government with some strong verdict. Political analysts may and will say that this Government has the mandate of only 31%. But let us also recall that no Government in the past had 100%mandate. Let us hope for good governance which benefits the country as a whole beyond the borders of cast creed religion language etc.

I have been a student of history and music simultaneously. There was a time when the kings would take lot of pride in having men /women of excellence in their court. They were called ASHTA DIGGAJAS/NAVARATNAS and so on. Bhojaraja had Kalidasa the great poet, Amarasimha a lexicographer. Akabar had Tansen the great musician, Birbal a court jester who would diffuse the situation whenever needed.

As late as in the last century the Kings of Mysore had Venne Sheshanna, Subbanna, Vasudevachar, Abdul Karim khan, Fayaz khan as their court musicians. Abdul karim and Fayaz were court musicians of Baroda too. The Mysore kings even invited Harikeshanllur Muttaiah Bhagavatar to compose kritis in Kannada. I am sure many more kings, principalities all over the country did have great musicians, scholars, sculptors who would/did contribute to the well being of the society and sometimes boosted ego of the patron king.

Now, gone are the days of Dynastic rule(?) We are the largest democracy. We have Economic policy, Foreign policy, Sports ministry (BCCI and Cricket taking preponderance over other sports/Hockey chess and other native games which deserve lot more attention) policy to protect the minority .backward class/tribal people and so on. Despite being secular democracy, we also have subsidies for a particular section for pilgrimage. Historically people also have paid a tax called Zaziya meaning anybody with shikha, (juttu) paid a tax to the state. That apart do we have a strong cultural policy in place to protect the interest of artists, poets, sculptors and men of letters?

We are aware that all these artistic pursuits have existed much before democratic Governments came into the fore. It’s the individual creative urge which drives you to sing/write a poem and so on. But should we leave it there? Are these people not a part of the main stream society? The HRD ministry, Tourism ministry tries to include few policies to promote art/food and so on. Here the focus is more aimed at selling it as a package to tourists rather than promoting true hard core art forms. Indian Council for Cultural relations sends and gets the delegation of artists. Unless this institution is decentralized this does not address the grass root needs of the artist community. The Sangeeta sahitya academies are content giving awards to achievers (the criteria can be varied for selection). Sawai Gandhrva the legendary guru of Bhimsen joshi, Gangubal hangal, Feroz Dastur did not have any award. Sometimes these awards are given so late, that the artist will not even be able to go and receive it. Pt. Bhimsen Joshi was conferred the highest civilian award Bharata Ratna in his house by a group of officials. Whereas “Mile Sur mera tumhara” sung by him and others stands as an epitome of national integration.

Tabla maestro Pt. Samir Chatterjee based in New York shared his thoughts with me on the cultural policy. He opines that “a nation is defined by its geographical and cultural identity. Since her formation into a nation, India has been devoid of a formulated cultural policy, leading the nation into a complete chaos. It is the internal and an eternal strength of the land that has helped her to sustain through such terrible failure from the ruling administrations. Such uncertainties can otherwise be devastating to a nation. It is usually the responsibility of trusted administration to make sure that such an important aspect of the nation's identity is maintained with proper care and understanding. In the case of India we see a continuous effort from common people and private sectors to somehow compensate for the government's failure.  

Just as a proper policy is needed to determine the needs and course of action in every other aspect of the nation, there is even a greater need for a proper cultural policy to uphold the image of India within and outside the land. We hope the new administration will put effort into a systematic identification of the cultural heritage of the country and take necessary steps towards its preservation and promotion.”

Dr. T.S. Satyavathi a renowned Carnatic Vocalist, scholar, writer shared her sentiments.

“A nation’s Progress is assessed not merely by its achievement in the field of science & technology but also by its cultural standing. The monumental efforts of the great Seers & visionaries of the past have successfully put our ‘Bharat’ on top in this regard.

Having withstood repeated attacks from external as well as internal forces our country, with its perennial current of human, moral and ethical values propagated through her art and literature has nurtured the cultural roots to grow from strength to strength.

However, an increasing trend in recent times to embrace indiscriminately anything and everything that is foreign is causing serious concern among the conscientious thinkers regarding the survival of this rich cultural heritage.

At this juncture, a highly balanced and strong cultural policy of our own will go a long way in preserving and propagating our traditional art and literature which shall certainly make the process of Nation - building all the more smooth. Hence it is the need of the hour.”

Very many young film personalities walk away with Padma awards in their mid thirties where as poets/writers and others are still to be recognized even at the twilight of their carriers. There work may have been translated into many languages but still,,,, One of the state Sangeeta academies annual budget is rs.45 lakhs which includes the staff salary, publication, concerts scholarships to younger artists and so on. Whereas recently one of the central ministers gave away rs.47 lakhs as personal cash award to the team officers which had a monthly salary.(as reported in national news channels)

All India Radio and Doodrdarshan which are the voice of the nation some times reduced to the voice of ruling govt. DD Bharati will televise a morning raaga in the night not once, many a times. (Raga Ahir Bhairav by Rakesh Chourasiya at 9PM on June 11th 2014. I am aware its not the fault of the artist). Do we have an exhaustive collection of all the maestros in the National Media archives, for more than 30 hours each? (some artists have lived for more than 60 to 90 years)

There is a stiff competition for the post of president of cricket association of all the states by several leaders. Some of them are sitting presidents too and few of them never played the game at the given level of competence. We want to see a healthy competition in the society to head the cultural organizations. Lobbying/political considerations for the appointment of academy president and members should go, merit should prevail.

We have not seen a day and night cricket match stopping mid way due to power failure. But several state and govt owned auditoriums have pathetic infrastructure and no power back up, the singing may continue without mike. Some private organizations have come up with minimum health care packages/schemes for artists. But there is no pension, social security for them from the govt . One time MP/MLA will get a life time pension not withstanding their contribution in parliamentary debates and legislation's.

Its high time that our new energy, new government paid attention to the needs of cultural fraternity. Let us come up with a strong cultural policy which will encourage everyone including the parents to support their kids to pursue fine arts and other art forms as their Carrier options. Lets recall five of the Bharata ratna awardees in music (most to a single discipline) M.S. Subbalakshmi. Bismillakhan, Lata Mangeshkar, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt.  Ravishankar (only Pt.Ravishankar went up to college). The rest conquered the entire world beyond borders just through their music.

We should be proud to have, two highly sophisticated, well developed systems of classical music coexisting in our country for ages. The richness of our folk arts coming from different geographical influences is another feature. While some countries are still struggling to find their roots in culture and music, given our Cultural Heritage, it’s high time we evolve a strong solid National Cultural Policy to preserve and promote the art and the artists.

We have seen a strong foreign policy by the present Government. It has another four and half years to go to fulfill the promises that our diverse population demands.

It is heartening to see that our present Honorable Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi Ji, had Pt. Channulal Mishra a Varanasi based Classical Musician along with him, when he went to file his nomination papers in Varanasi at the time of election. This symbolism should turn into a movement. 

Legacy of the torch bearers and their successors

Dear friends, Namaskar.  It has truly been a pleasure interacting with all of you through this blog and getting your feedback.  You may have noticed that in the past week, in the print media, there has been big news about Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, his assets, and the ensuing family feud.  A few reactions on the internet have been even scarier, to the extent that some have put a picture of Panditji and around it they mention his financial assets, the house and flats that he owned and also his Bharat Ratna with a lot of sarcasm.

Right from the days of the Mahabharata, the Kauravas and Pandavas fought for the empire, despite being brothers.  So it is but natural that these kinds of family quarrels, such fights for petty things, do continue no matter which age you are living in.  This is no reflection on the artistic ability and contribution of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.  We all should remember that he has been conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, for his excellence and contribution in the field of classical music, not for the assets he has acquired or the family dispute that comes out of that.  In my humble opinion, the only thing that media or society should worry about is whether we have been able to carry forward the musical legacy that he left behind.

It’s unfortunate that the media is always waiting to sensationalize news about a celebrity and keep churning it for some time.  Whereas media’s main responsibility is to report not to give opinion. In my experience as a musician, for the last forty years, I have never seen a panel discussion about a great rendition of Raag Deshkar by Mallikarjun Mansur, Raag Hamir by Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Raag Adhana by Pandit Jasraj, Raag Kedar by Gangubai Hangal, Raag Mayamalavagaula by Shemmangudi Srinivas Iyer, Kalyani of Madhurai Mani Iyer, or Raag Kirvani by M.S. Subbalakshmi, who is also coincidentally a Bharat Ratna awardee.  I can also very humbly add here that as many as five musicians have been conferred the Bharat Ratna, which is probably the most for a single discipline over a period of time except some political personalities for obvious reasons.  Let us also submit that society as a whole and the musicians’ fraternity in particular does respect and recognize the contributions and excellence of people from other walks of life.

We have seen a panel discussion about how Panditji’s children were fighting for his mundane assets.  In turn, Panditji’s true asset was and remains his innovations like Raag Kalashree (his house name is also Kalashree) and Raag Lalit Bhatihar.  These two are immortal renditions which you can listen to any number of times and every time you listen, it gives you a different meaning and transports you to a different world altogether.  If we were truly worried about Panditji’s legacy, we should have had a panel discussion about the untimely demise of his most favorite and well trained disciple, Pandit Madhav Gudi, who learnt for 26 years, had imbibed all of the nuances of his gayaki, but passed away in April 2011, whereas Bhimsenji passed away in January 2011.  Madhav Gudi would have been a true successor to his musical legacy and assets if he had lived on.  But, he was happy imparting his knowledge to some worthy students, through which Bhimsenji’s legacy lives on.

As a student of history and music, I strongly feel that if we are looking at Pandit Bhimsen Joshi’s lifetime achievements, assets, and legacy, it should be as follows:

1. Panditji popularizing classical music in the nooks and corners of the country and abroad and inspiring youngsters to pursue music as their life’s ambition.

2. His innovative concept/concerts of Santavani, the devotional lyric of Marathi saints.

3. His innovative concept of full length concerts of Daasavani, the compositions of the Haridaasas of Karnataka who spread the message of righteousness and spirituality in the common man’s language. But for Panditji’s emotive singing, these lyrics would have remained in the books.

4. Pandit Bhimsenji started the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival in Pune 54 years ago which became a huge platform for the propagation of classical music.  Even today, every senior and great musician and upcoming artists would love to perform there to gain a sense of gratification and pride.  It’s not very easy to hold a festival of that magnitude, where 15-20 thousand people would sit and listen for almost a week over a period of 54 years.

And the list goes on

Has the media been able to highlight these things about Panditji’s life? Are his critics worried about somebody or anybody carrying forward these traditions for the future with the same amount of authority and dedication?  Recently, I wrote a book on Pandit Bhimsen Joshi which has been well appreciated by some sections of readers.  While the newspapers have ample space to highlight the ongoing family litigation, they can spare only a passing reference to this biography.

A Song for Anyone at Anytime

Home is the first abode of learning and imperatively, the mother becomes the first teacher for a child.  As it is well said, if a woman is educated, then the whole family and the generation will be educated.  So did my mother, Ambujabai, who inspired me to sing all the traditional compositions from my early childhood.  Let me also concede that academically, we can brand her as “illiterate”?  But she would sing the compositions of Shivasharanas of the 12^th century and the Haridasas of Karnataka of the 16^th century with enormous authority and intent.  My father, Shri Ramarao, who also came from a very humble socioeconomic background, was very passionate about theater and music.  He served in the State Government Revenue department.  But, as an amateur artiste, he would take the lead roles in plays like Yechhamanayaka and Sangeetasubhadra which commanded an enormous intuitive knowledge of music. 

My mother, who studied up to third grade at school, is a walking encyclopedia of traditional songs, arathi songs, folk songs, and so on.  She would sing an arathi song for the goddess Gauri which I too learnt at the very young age of four.  The song would end with a line praying that, “Oh goddess, make me an eternal happiest Sumangali [Muttaide].”  As a young boy, I didn’t know that the last line was exclusively meant for women.  But as a part of the song, I too would repeat it every time.  As I look back at those songs, the lyrics of those traditional songs, they would pray for the well-being of the entire undivided joint family which would involve at least fifteen people under one roof as against the nuclear families of present day.  What a magnanimous concept of co-living imbibed and propagated through these traditional songs!

My parents Ramarao Havaldar and Ambuja Bai Havaldar being felicitated on a Gurupoornima Day.

As my mother says, I made my debut as a child singer at the age of four!  It was a school day celebration in our village Sandur and one of my teachers, Sri Gurunath Rao, lifted me up in his arms so that I could reach the microphone and I sang a song “Kannadada Kuladevi” originally sung by the famous playback singer P. B. Srinivas for a Kannada movie “Postmaster”.  Now I realize that the song is based on Raag Jinjoti.

Thus began my journey of singing.  I was an integral part of all interschool music competitions and would inevitably get a first prize.  I would sing a few select devotional and film songs, but the sense of sur and taalas was impeccable as it comes by birth.  Therefore, I also had the privilege of conducting the prayer in my high school.  I would sing each line and the entire school assembly would repeat it. 

In the ninth grade, after the midterm break, our school reopened.  As usual, I started off the prayer.  After the initial songs, I was about to begin the national anthem.  Suddenly, a voice came from the teacher’s row asking me to stop and give a command to the school assembly to stand at ease.  The teacher came closer to the microphone and asked me, “Are you Mr. Nagaraj who also sings film songs, etc.?”  I politely said, “Yes, sir.”  He raised his voice and shouted into the microphone so that the whole school could hear him, “You may have to sing in front of the railway station and the bus station in future.”  [Singing in those places meant begging]  I politely asked, “Why is it so, my dear Sir?”  He again raised his voice and shouted, “You have scored zero in mathematics in the midterm exams.  Are you happy with this?”

Well, let me confess, I had a genetic weakness for mathematics.  My skull was so strong that it would not let any principles of arithmetic and algebra to enter my brain.  I thought I was reasonably good at geometry, but coming from a very humble socioeconomic background, I didn’t have a geometry box of my own.  I had borrowed an old geometry box from my friend which was all worn out.  Therefore, whatever measurements I had taken from the compass went wrong.  I had not attempted a single question from the arithmetic and algebra sections.  Hence, I ended up getting a zero.  But, after leaving that school in 1974, I went to Hampi Utsav, a national music festival near my hometown, in 1996 as the main classical musician and that very Mathematics teacher attended the event and was very proud of the fact that by then, I had sung in all major music concerts across the country, reflecting the application of very subtle as well as complex aesthetic and intuitive mathematical skills .

As musicians, we all get so engrossed in our music no matter where we are.  People laugh at me at the traffic signals when I suddenly start singing a complex taan and they find it amusing and disturbing at the same time.  Notwithstanding such small pinpricks and admiration , I continue to grab every opportunity that comes my way to sing in order to derive happiness to myself and give pleasure to my listeners.

Devudu Narasimha Shastri is a big name in Kannada literature.  His son, Shri Gangadhar is my close friend.  His wife, Kusumaji, was a great fan of my music.  My disciple, Sri M.G. Prabhakar, had organized a home concert in Gangadhar’s place at the request of Smt. Kusuma.  A day before the concert, we wanted to check the seating and mike arrangements in their house.  We reached their house at about 7:30 in the evening.  We were discussing the details about how many people would come, where they would be seated, where the mike and speaker would be positioned, and so on.  Smt. Kusuma offered us a nice cup of coffee and also kindly requested me to sing one devotional song.  As it was already 8:30 by the time we had finalized all these details for the next day’s event, I politely said, “Kusumaji, tomorrow I am going to sing for several hours in your house. You can keep ready the entire list of songs.  I will sing all of them.”  After the coffee, we left the house.  Let me remind you friends that I had never denied an invitation to sing anywhere, anytime, be it a concert or an informal visit to someone’s house.  But it so happened the next morning, Mr. Gangadhar called me over the phone and told me that the evening concert scheduled for that same day would have to be canceled because his wife Smt. Kusuma had died of cardiac arrest in the middle of the night.  I still regret that I could never sing for her again.

For artistes, each concert, every occasion, every listener, every organization, is a new challenge and a new learning experience.  A senior couple in Bangalore by name Dr. Krishna and his wife Sumitra were very fond of my music.  The elderly and knowledgeable couple that they were, they had heard very many great musicians of yester years in live concerts.  Smt. Sumitra had arthritis and she could never climb the stairs in our apartment to listen to me whenever she wanted, since our apartment does not have an elevator. 

I don’t remember the exact date, but on that day, actually in the middle of the night, Dr. Krishna called me over the phone, “Dear Nagaraj, can I request you to kindly come to my house because my wife Sumitra was listening to your cassette and the song “Dari Yavoodaiya Vaikuntake” [which is the path to the abode of the Lord] and she breathed her last.”   A few hours from now, I need to go ahead with the cremation and other formalities.  I would appreciate it if you could come and sing that very song in front of her dead body.  Imagine, in the middle of the night, the motionless body of Sumitraji, a highly emotive Dr. Krishna, and my charged voice singing “Dari Yavoodaiya.”

A Gem of a Composition

My music learning has been a long and ongoing journey.  In my early childhood days, I saw a Kannada film by the name of Sandhya Raaga in which Pandit Bhimsen Joshi had sung the theme song.  The gist of this song was the hero saying, “Oh, the goddess of music, I believe you, I worship you, I live on your blessings.” I was fascinated by the melody and the style of singing. I have followed the same philosophy in my life.  While I was doing my masters in history and archaeology at Karnataka University, Dharwad, I also enrolled for a course called Sangeetaratna which was a six year long course. After the Masters, I got into PhD Program which allowed me 4 more years of stay. This fell in sync with Sangeeta Ratna course.  Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, Pandit Panchakshari Swami Mattigatti, Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru, and Pandit Sangameshwar Gurav were my teachers.

           

I have been singing from my early childhood, though I never had the opportunity to formally train till I joined the course at Dharwad.  But my childhood impression of Bhimsen Joshi’s style guided me to go to his immediate prime disciple, Pandit Madhav Gudi.  Pandit Gudi, who spent 26 long years with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi under the true gurukul system, had imbibed all the nuances of his music, mannerisms, lifestyle, and everything.

           

I am a strong believer in the theory that let noble thoughts come from all the windows.  I have interacted with very many great teachers and artists which can be compared to a flowing river which culminates in an ocean.  As all of us can guess, you can only take a handful of water even though you are in front of an ocean. That’s exactly the case of learning music.  My desire to learn has been innate, sublime, and subconscious too.  While I was with Pandit Madhav Gudi, he would encourage me to listen to other styles and artists.  His guru, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, has confessed that he was influenced by the singing styles of Kesarbai and Ustad Amir Khan, but Joshiji learned from Pandit Sawai Gandharva who was a direct disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan.  We can see an impact and influence of Pandit Joshi’s music on all of the younger generation musicians despite the fact that whom they are learning from and which Gharana they belong to differ.  This only goes to show that good, true music will attract everybody, everything, and that it is all pervasive

           

In 1988, as my learning, listening, and practice was in progress, I came to All India Radio Bangalore as a program officer.  Even then, I would make frequent visits to Dharwad to learn from Pandit Gudiji and in turn, whenever he came over to Bangalore, he would stay a week or ten days and fine tune my music.  Also, my stay in All India Radio for three years helped me to know many other artists of both Carnatic and Hindustani style.  Pandit Manik Rao Raichurkar was one such maestro who I met while I was in All India Radio.

           

Pandit Manik Rao, as the very name suggests, was a gem of a musician. He hails from a small town by name Raichur. His early training in music was by his uncle Nagesh Shastri. Later he took intense training from Pt. Jagannathbuwa Pandharapurakar for seven long years under true Gurukula system. Between 1948 to 1951 he also served in All India Radio which allowed him to interact with several great musicians of that era. In the year 2004 he was conferred honorary doctorate by Gulburga University. In 2006 he was conferred The Rajya Sangeeta Vidwan award by the Government of Karnataka.

He was in his mid-sixties when I met him and I should concede that it’s only after forties and fifties that a musician and his music will be more mature as he will have seen the life, the pain, the pleasure, the pangs of separation, and so on.  The elder the musician, the more mature his music is.  Pandit Manik Rao had even gone to Pakistan, then the unseparated part of India before independence, and had learned from many Ustads after the partition.  During the sensitive days of Hindu-Muslim confrontation, he had to come back to India. 

            

He was also the member of Karnataka Sangeetha Nritya Academy.  He had come for a meeting and as an officer in All India Radio, I had gone to cover and report that meeting.  After the meeting, I requested Panditji to come and record for our All India Radio Archive.

           

He accepted my invitation and came over to All India Radio.  He sang a beautiful Gorakh Kalyan, more so a unique, unheard drut bandish, Baaje Murali Mana Baavara.  I fell in love with that composition.  I also fell at the feet of the maestro, requesting him to teach me that bandish.  As he was scheduled to travel to Raichur by train at eight o’clock, he politely said, “Nagaraj, please excuse me, I have to leave today, but when I come to Bangalore next, I will definitely teach you.”  Honestly, he had no obligation to teach me either as I was not his direct, official disciple. 

           

My All India Radio work would demand that I leave home at 8 in the morning and come back at 8 in the evening.  With the entire day spent in the office and the stress and anxiety, I would be left with no enthusiasm to practice music after coming home..  My wife, Sudhamayi, who had married me thinking I would be a musician, my teacher Pandit Madhav Gudi who had passed on a great musical tradition to me with passion, and my grand Guruji Pandit Bhimsenji who had enormous vision and faith in my ability, were partly disillusioned that I was ending up as a glorified clerk in All India Radio.  They all convinced me and encouraged me to leave the job and take the plunge into the world of music full time.  Hence, I quit a lucrative, secure job and took to my two Tanpuras. 

My new life had begun teaching a few students, occasional concerts, reinventing the old raagas, their twists and turns.  As I was doing my riyaz one of the days, somebody knocked at my door.  My wife, Sudha, opened the door and one very unassuming, simple person at the door told her, “Please tell Nagaraj that Manik Rao has come.”  I also heard the voice and suddenly rushed toward the door.  I could not believe that Panditji was at my home.  He made a subtle inquiry about my well-being and also exclaimed at the fact that I had left the job. He again had come for meeting at the state academy had recalled singing Gorakh Kalyan for radio. This time too, he had taken the pains to go to All India Radio, search for me, take my address, and change three buses to reach my house.  Straight away he said, “Nagaraj, come on, let us learn the bandish in Gorakh Kalyan, Baaje Murali Mana Baavara.”  I was not able to comprehend what was happening with me and was overwhelmed and awestruck.  So he started teaching Baaje Murali Mana Baavara.  We had a session that lasted for a few hours long.  He made sure I would imbibe all the nuances and subtleties of the raga and the bandish.

Once he was totally happy, we stopped the session.  We had a very mild, informal lunch as we had not predicted his arrival.  He had no mundane expectations from us. Panditji said, “Nagaraj, I have learned this bandish from great Ustads in Pakistan.  Now I am happy that I have passed it on to a deserving musician of the next generation.”  That was really a gem of a bandish taught by Manik Rao.  Isn’t our world of music, the guru and the shishya, beautiful and lovable?  Yes, it is indeed.

Here is that very Gem of a Composition - Baaje Murali -


Please click here to listen.

About my books

Dear Friends,

Writing about music can be as engaging as singing itself.

I have had the fortune of meeting several great maestros and scholars over a period of time.

The common listener generally knows either the glorious side or the flip side of the musicians.

I have tried to portray the human side, struggle and the socio-cultural relevance of music and musicians.

My two books tittled SWARASANNIDHI and BHARATARATNA PT.BHIMSEN JOSHI NAAVU NEEVU KANDANTE  has caught the imagination of the readers.

Here is a press review of the same by young musician/critic Dr. K.S. Vaishali.

Welcome to my realm of music

Dear Music Lovers, Namaskar.

It has been a long pending desire for me to share my musical pedigree, journey, experiences and interaction.  As of today, our traditional music is beyond artificial boundaries,. The media/technology revolution has shrunk the world, but the depth and vastness of our music has remained the same.  This may sound like an oxymoron.  As we start sharing, we'll explore the synchronized journey of modern era and ancient music.