My journey with Sangeet Martand Pt Jasraj ji

13th October, 2016, Nehru Centre, Mumbai, is a day am going to cherish for a lifetime. Sangeet Martand Pt. Jasraj ji mesmerised the audience with the divine musical prowess, very few are blessed with. A legend who at the ripe young age of 86, could give a younger musician a run for his money. The control over every ‘sur’, the magical intonation of every syllable, the ‘kharaj’ akin to a lion’s roar, stand testimony to the Master’s command over his craft.

Durga Jasraj, in 1987, then a friend of a friend’s, had invited us to dinner at their lovely home in Shivaji Park. That opened doors to a charming friendship between her and me. Durga's love and dedication towards the art form has provided unique platforms to not only the legends but also the next generation of artistes, thus showcasing talent that is both enchanting and deserving respectively.

One of the most memorable concerts I've attended of Pt. Jasraj ji's, was on a very special evening.. Pandit ji was performing at the Ravindra Natya Mandir, with Zakir ji accompanying him on the Tabla. I had no ticket and it was a sold-out show. I requested Zakir ji and soon found myself seated on the floor, in the wings, soaking in the divine music. Little did I know, that the word 'Taarini' appearing in that evening's rendition of 'Mata Kaalika' would subsequently be the name we chose for our daughter.. What made that concert special was, my pregnancy was confirmed just that very morning! Yes, life does have her magical ways...

Durga’s warm invitations to all her musical endeavours, gave me an opportunity to meet and be in awe of Pt. Jasraj ji. At one such concert, Pt. Bhimsen ji was performing. This was again at Ravindra Natya Mandir, Mumbai. Soon after the concert, Jasraj ji took me back stage and introduced me to Bhimsen ji, who in turn, very casually said, “inko toh hum pehchante hain. IMG ke concerts mein bahut baar dekha hai inko backstage”! My jaw dropped as I realised that I was being watched even as I would surreptitiously  stand in a corner, observing all my Gods (of music) in the green room, where I would gain entry, thanks to Zakir ji’s kindness.

Subsequently, I became a regular at Jasraj ji’s residence, then in Parel. I was welcomed into the privileged fold comprising lunches, dinners and impromptu music sessions along with his bunch of dedicated students. On one such occasion in 1994, they were heading to the U.S. Consulate for their visas. I recall Panditji saying to me, “aap bhi America chaleye. Hum concerts karenge aur aap humare sabke saath ghoom lijiye”. I thought he was kidding until when I met him the next day, and he handed me a visa application form! Well, I filled it and applied wondering what fate had in store. Bingo! Before I knew, I was holding a 5-year visa. All I now needed to do was book my tickets. Even here, Pandit ji managed to wield his magic wand and procured for me (and his students) an unbelievable ticket of Delta Airlines, providing innumerable flights for internal travel. I purchased the same from his contact in London, bought a Bombay – New York – Bombay ticket on Air-India and was all set to fly to America, a dream destination for most of us then!

A 2- month tour, covering all of USA and most of Canada, I was indeed blessed to experience the life of a performing artiste. Starting with the concert in Houston, I went on to accompanying Pandit ji on the Tanpura at 16 concerts. In fact the one at Delaware was recorded to be released as an album. After the concert, I recall Pandit ji slipping a 100 USD bill into my hands saying, “tanpurewali ki fees”. I was shocked, thrilled and joyous at my very first earning in the music field, being in USD! The long hours spent travelling on the roads of America, invariably led to ‘Antakshari’ sessions. The impact the concerts had on me was clearly visible at these song sessions. When my turn arrived, I would more often than not, break into one of Pandit ji’s ‘bandishs’. He would be amused and remark, ‘arre, inko kya hogaya?’ The mischievous smile accompanying such remarks, gave away his appreciation at my imbibing the lyrics and appropriately presenting them during the game!

During one of the many visits I made to Hongkong in the 90s, Pt. Jasraj ji and Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia ji were scheduled to perform together at a ‘Jugalbandi’ concert organised by my dear friend Avisha. The camaraderie between the 2 legends, our outings together and inspiring conversations, are now all stacked away in a very special box of memories. The powerful vocal and instrumental rendition of Raag Jog as part of the ‘jugalbandi’, continues to play in my head, even today.

As the job I kept then, required me to travel quite a bit within the country, allowed me sometimes to be in a particular city coinciding with a concert. During one such in Chennai, Pandit ji had planned to visit the legend M.S. Subbulakshmi ji on the day after the concert. I was asked to accompany. One more experience am truly indebted to him for. The taste of the Horlicks she made for us, with me standing next to her in her kitchen, the words she uttered while blessing me, are moments etched deep in my memory.

Another time, a drive from Chennai to Coimbatore along with him and his extended family of students, led to the impromptu composing of a song (in Raag Hamsadhwani), dedicated to me! All I can say is, I am truly humbled!

‘Purna Kalash’ was a concert I was truly privileged to be associated with. Songs and bhajans dedicated to Lord Krishna were presented by Pandit ji in his inimitable style, in a specially designed venue, where the performance platform was constructed at the mouth of a 5-star hotel swimming pool, with the audience seated around the pool. Lotuses and lit ‘diyas’ in the pool, enhanced the beauty of the Kojagiri Purnima night, making it a musically, aesthetically memorable occasion. Even here, I did my bit as an enthusiastic lover of music, but what surprised me most, was Smt Madhura Jasraj ji announcing my name along with hers and Alaknanda ji's, as a co-producer of the show. A gorgeous sari soon followed, as a gesture of thanks from the gracious lady.

The many times Pandit ji travelled with me in my car, sharing stories and anecdotes....his visit to our home on a Diwali morning....his attendance at Taarini’s 5th birthday party....are a few incidents that speak volumes of the love and blessings he has showered upon me!

Thank you, Jasraj ji......you have greatly enriched my life!

When Mother Teresa Held My Hand

My experience with Mother Teresa just got published....

http://www.indiapages.in/mother-teresa-held-hand-6569.html

The Samovar shall be no more!

I can't imagine Jehangir Art Gallery without the Samovar... It's like losing a part of my life... Amma introduced it to me and regaled me with stories of Appa & Amma's times together there! As a college student and a serious member of the BNHS, Samovar became a regular haunt. Later, I even sometimes managed to grab a quick lunch there, from office. Their mint tea and hot pakoras were a must during monsoons. And on hotter days, their chilled guava juice! Just the other day, during the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, I stopped by at the Samovar and feasted my eyes on the museum building, a part of which is visible from the cafe. I was just so grateful for this quaint little place tucked away in the folds of time. Am truly saddened by this news of it downing its shutters and am beginning to wonder if Bombay has finally become Mumbai!

Brilliance In Action

When it began, it seemed like any other day. The usual chores, the normal routine... As the evening approached, an excitement began to build up. I was scheduled to watch a play. Theatre is a performing art form I have always revered. For me, watching a play means becoming an invisible participant. Mentally I partake, I play a character and experience an adrenalin rush close to what the actors on stage must be experiencing. But today was going to be different. I was preparing to just allow the magic to unfold. Naseeruddin Shah and Rajit Kapur. 2 very formidable names. And the play, 'A Walk in The Woods'. How do they do it? How can someone create magic by mouthing words? No cuts! No re-takes! How do they 'become' the character? I wasn't watching Naseer or Rajit. I was watching Mr Ram and Mr Jamal exchanging some very poignant moments. Naseer and Rajit ceased existing for the duration of the play. Here, I wish to convey my compliments to Ratna Pathak Shah for her debut as a director. I often wonder what it takes for any artiste to attain such phenomenal levels of perfection. In spite of my close proximity to some legendary artistes and a keen study of their behavioural pattern, am still seeking answers. Am given glimpses but that still doesn't complete the picture for me. This is a quest I intend pursuing and believe, some day I shall find the elusive piece to complete the puzzle. Meanwhile, coming back to Jamal and Ram, or rather Naseer and Rajit, I was floored by their ability to get under the skin of their respective portrayals. The voice modulations, the body language and other intangible traits left me speechless. After the play, Parimal Aloke, a dear friend who works closely with Naseer, was kind enough to grant me a wish. My desire to meet the 2 people who had just displayed their brilliance was granted. My day would have been incomplete if I hadn't had the opportunity to thank them both for transporting me to another world. A world of perfection! Meeting both of them re-affirmed my faith in the belief that only super achievers are the most humble. Thank you Mr Shah. Thank you Mr Kapur. I had just witnessed 'brilliance in action'!

'Mumbai Sanskriti' comes alive

Magical moments are being created in the portals of history. The 200 year old Asiatic Library stands witness to this bewitching rendering of musical syllables even as a few 1000 connoisseurs of music lose themselves in the moment.

Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, a name synonymous with the Santoor, originally a 100 stringed instrument, enthralls the audience with every stroke of the striker (light wooden mallets). The evening begins with Raag Bhoop, one of India's traditional ragas. The first composition is performed to the accompaniment of the Pakhawaj, an instrument that heralded the very beginnings of our rich tradition of music thru the Dhrupad-Dhamar styles. Ably accompanied by Pt Bhawani Shankar on the Pakhawaj, Shivji recreates the richness of the bygone eras of Indian Classical Music in the precincts of the open air space sandwiched between the Asiatic Library and Horniman Circle. This is followed by a rendition in the same raga but now set to Jhaptaal, a 10 beat cycle on the Tabla. Mukundraj Deo keeps brilliant pace with Shivji's dextrous strokes on the Santoor.

Shivji's interaction with the audience is rich in information besides being layered with a touch of humor. He appeals to the audience to clap less and instead soak in the melody thereby transcending into a meditative state. In a lighter vein he adds that an appreciation via just a 'wah, wah' can be more inspiring to the artiste in lieu of clapping.

The rhythm and melody blend into a 3 cycle pattern, thus concluding each raga after ascending to a crescendo.

Moving on to a light classical music piece Shivji chooses Raga Shivranjani, a raga I had secretly hoped to listen to this evening. It was as though my silent appeal had reached Shivji's telepathic powers, which he announced aloud to a gasp of surprise that escaped my lips, a little too loud for a public display of excitement.

Shivranjani, a light raga that has tremendous power to evoke every emotion in the book of human existence. Be it a sense of longing or plain mirth or a glimpse of the Divine, Shivranjani encompasses it all within the 6 notes that lend structure to its edifice. No wonder then, this raga has been the basis of many a song composed for Hindi films. Some of the songs inspired and built on Raga Shivranjani are Aavaz Deke Hame Tum Bulao, Baharon Phul Barsao, Banake Kyun Bigada Re, Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein Tujhko Bithakar and many more.

A magical rendition and its time to down the curtains on an evening that brought together Mumbaikars on a very different 'note'. As Shivji pleads, may this year be one of peace and harmony.

The background sounds of vehicles and honking come alive once again. Had the traffic come to a standstill during these two and half hours or was it just the sheer power of the music that had transported us to another world? If only each one of us could immerse ourselves in this beautiful ocean of Indian Classical Music, just for a few minutes each day, imagine the rejuvenation we'd experience? What bliss to be re born each day, afresh each day, to live each day with the enchanting flow of musical notes!

Thank you Shivji. It is such an honor to just be alive in the same era as you!

Aaj phir aapki kami si hai.....

It was sometime in May, 1994 at a concert hall in Houston. As I listened to that soulful voice singing 'woh kaagaz ki kashti', I let the tears flow unabashedly down my cheeks. Had held them tight over the past 10 days since my Patti's (grandmother) demise. That line 'woh budiya jise bachche kehte the nani' broke open the floodgates and I finally wept at her going-away! Post concert, I simply had to go up and express my gratitude as well as appreciation to the artiste. That was my first interaction with the legendary 'King of Ghazals', Shri Jagjit Singhji!

My husband Neville, had initiated me into Jagjitji's music in the late 80's. Since, every new album found its way from the store shelf to our homes and into our hearts! 'Marasim'; 'Hope'; 'Someone, Somewhere' being a few of them.

My frequent visits to the Taj Salon at the Hotel Taj Mahal, Mumbai led to many subsequent meetings with the singer. For some reason unknown to me, each time, he welcomed me warmly with the standard question 'Aap U.S. se kab aayein?'. This amused me each time and I did my best to undo that notion. But that first meeting on foreign soil ensured my 'U.S. citizenship', atleast in Jagjitji's mind!

My husband Neville was a keen aero modellor. His weekend sojourns to the Mahalaxmi Race Course invariably got him to meet Jagjitji who went there regularly for his walks. Neville being an ardent fan of his, would strike up a conversation and created a niche for himself in Jagjitji's memory pool.

In 2006, my husband left his body and moved on. For a while after that I could not bring myself to listen to any of Jagjitji's ghazals. Each had a memory attached and the act of listening to it required a mental armour to combat the pain!

In 2009 I was working on a 'Mumbai Anthem' project with Sonu Nigam. He composed the music and got every singer to partake in it, including Jagjitji and Talatji. The recordings were conducted at Sonuji's studio and scheduled over 3/4 days where all the artistes came. One of those evenings were ear-marked for Jagjitji and Talatji. Upon their arrival, Sonuji introduced me to them. Jagjitji's immediate reaction was 'per yeh toh America se hain na?'. I could not help laughing even as Sonuji tried telling him that I am a complete 'desi' product! That's when I remarked and told Jagjitji, how thanks to him each time we meet, I feel like a U.S. citizen!

During the course of the night, Jagjitji, Talatji and I found ourselves alone in the outer room as Sonuji and the others were inside the studio. Talatji picked the 'harmonium' and requested Jagjitji to hum a few lines. Jagjitji obliged and Talatji accompanied him on the 'harmonium'. At one point, I gathered enough courage to appeal to Jagjitji to sing one of Neville's favourite ghazals. Just before that, I mentioned his meetings with Neville at the race course. Jagjitji's reaction was 'arre haan. But I haven't seen him for a while. Where is he?'. I gingerly broke the news of Neville's demise. Jagjitji was shocked! The next couple of hours were dedicated to Neville! He turned the 'harmonium' towards himself, got so involved, gazed into my eyes and sang every ghazal I requested of him. Meanwhile, listening to that sonorous voice, Sonuji and the others trooped into the room and soaked in the melody!

I could not have asked for a bigger tribute to be paid to Neville. That night am sure Neville was present and enjoyed the moment as much as the rest of us did! For me, unknown to anybody else, it was an unspoken gift, on the eve of our wedding anniversary!

Shukriya Jagjitji!
Aaj phir aap 'dono' ki kami si hai.....

Guru Purnima '2011

Being in the same space with 2 legends can sometimes be very overpowering. 15 July, 2011 was one such for me. It was Guru Purnima.

I reached the Gurukul at 5.30 pm to pick and drive Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia to meet his Guru, Guruma Annapurna Devi. This was to be my bit of ‘seva’ for the Guru in him.
Once we were seated and belted, we began on our journey to the other end of town. Under normal circumstances, this long drive would have seemed tedious, right from the moment of switching on the car’s ignition. But with Hariji beside me, this very same long drive translated into an ‘our time’. With him keeping rigorous travel schedules and with me keeping insane hours at work, this ‘our time’ had of late become quite a luxury!

An hour of never-ending line up of cars in Andheri, the snarling traffic jams on the highway finally gave way to an open albeit brief drive on the Bandra-Worli sea-link. Hariji insisted on paying the toll fee and did not pay any heed to my many protests. We got on to Worli sea-face and onto Peddar road. All this while, the various radio stations kept playing music, some pleasant and some others, not so! We discussed the advent of Pakistani singers in the Hindi film industry and how our own Sonu Nigam still held a special place in Hariji’s opinion.

Hariji spoke incessantly from memory. Of the years gone by, of the innumerable recordings he had been a part of, with greats such as Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Latadidi, and others. And where he’d get paid a handsome sum of Rs 80/- per recording. He spoke about the hotel room (in Evergreen, Khar) which was home, when he moved to Mumbai in 1962. And how most other music directors also stayed there, having migrated into this ‘city of dreams’. How the Sr. Mr Raheja (of Raheja Builders fame) offered him a flat in Khar for what now seems a meagre, Rs 12,000/-. And which Hariji could not afford! Hariji then shared with me his joy of having subsequently invested about Rs 1 lakh in a home on Carter Road, Bandra, which he could finally call his very own. With so much of travel down memory lane, we did not realise the stress of our travel to Nepean Sea road, which we finally got to, after 2 hours!

The watchman recognized Hariji and we were immediately offered a parking slot within the compound. Taking along the gift hampers that Hariji had brought for his Guruma, we trooped into the elevator and got on to the 6th floor. As soon as we stepped out, the past came alive and I imagined all those times Hariji had visited this space in order to imbibe that celestial music, all of us are privy to, today!

Once we were inside her home, I had to request my heartbeats to slow down a bit. I was afraid the ‘lub-dub’ could be heard by Hariji. As we expectantly looked towards the door, we first heard her feeble voice. And then gradually as she walked into the room, I felt as though a luminous body was gracefully moving towards us. She looked at Hariji, like a mother would, towards her child. Hariji, bent down with great reverence and touched her feet. All of us settled down. For me, it was a moment in history witnessing the love, camaraderie and respect between these 2 great souls. When Hariji tried to introduce me, she cut in saying she remembers me from my past visits to her. Amazingly, she even remembered that I have a daughter! Who would say she’s past 80? After about an hour, she chided Hariji and told him it was time for his dinner and that he ought to leave. I don’t think any other person on the face of this earth is authorised to tell him so! Very obediently, Hariji got up, touched her feet once again, even as she scolded him for having come all the way to meet her.
On the return journey, we once again went back down memory lane and Hariji told me some amazing facts about Ustad Allauddin Khansaheb, the doyen of the Maihar Gharana and father to Guruma.

Once again, I felt blessed to have been in the presence of these 2 legends on Guru Purnima. I was overwhelmed and still am!