Pt. Rajan Mishra’s music completely blended the Benaras gharana’s ethos with up to date sensibility As the pandemic continues to remove lives, the world of Hindustani classical music suffered one other colossal loss with the passing away of Pt. Rajan Mishra. A stalwart of the Benaras gharana, his lifelong jugalbandi with youthful brother Pt. Sajan Mishra unveiled a number of modern idioms inside the conventional khayal gayaki. Enthralling audiences throughout the globe for over half a century, the maestro is remembered as a charismatic performer, affectionate guru, devoted good friend and a real artiste whose generosity embraced all generations.
Pune-based veteran vocalist, Suhas Vyas, who shared over 40 years of friendship with the late musician, says, “The first thought that came to my mind was how his brother must be feeling. They have spent every moment of their musical journey together — they were one soul in two bodies.”
Jokes and generosity
Remembering quite a few situations once they visited one another in Delhi, Pune, Benaras and Mumbai, Vyas remembers, “The moment he entered a room, he would light it up with his remarkable sense of humour and joviality. He had this rare quality of putting anybody at ease instantly. If there was a glitch before a performance and people around were fretting, he would say something funny and before you knew it, everyone would be laughing and relaxed.”
Jaipur-based slide guitar artiste Salil Bhatt additionally talks about this high quality of Pt. Rajan Mishra. “The connect between our families spans four generations. My father (Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt) and Pt. Rajan were close friends. I remember the many interesting discussions on music whenever they met and if there was a cricket match being telecast, then nothing else mattered.”
Pt. Rajan Mishra hailed from a musical household in Benaras that outlined the khayal gayaki of the gharana throughout a number of generations. He had rigorously educated beneath his father Pt. Hanuman Mishra, uncle Pt. Gopal Mishra, and was additionally a gandabandh disciple of his grand-uncle Pt. Bade Ramdas. Reflecting on his musicianship, Vyas says, “He was blessed to have received such great taleem, but that was just the foundation. Over the years, he developed a style of raga presentation that was deeply immersive. He could gauge the audience, engage them and take them along, as he and his brother unfolded the raga. His artistry included his expressions and gestures. This made his performances mesmerising.”
Despite being a busy performer and guru, Pt. Mishra made it some extent to be current on the performances of his associates and likewise at necessary moments of their life. “Most artistes these days tend to be self-absorbed,” says Vyas, “however Rajan all the time inspired different artistes. I bear in mind his reassuring presence in any respect my concert events in Delhi; he would flip up even when he needed to alter his live performance schedule. That type of camaraderie and appreciation is one thing solely a real artiste and good friend can supply.”
His generosity and compassion had a profound impact on a younger generation of musicians. Ajay Joglekar accompanied the brothers on the harmonium at several concerts. Reminiscing about his first performance with them as a youngster, he says, “It was in 1991. I was nervous and overawed, they were star musicians I had grown up listening to, and to accompany them was overwhelming. Pt. Rajan Mishra immediately sensed my anxiety in the greenroom. He asked me to sit with him and gently reassured me. He also gave me the most important lesson of accompaniment — instead of being worried about how I would perform, he suggested I just listen intently on stage, and the musical movements would automatically follow.” Joglekar points out that his music also carried the same spirit of generosity and togetherness. “He considered music-making as a painting we all make together on stage, and believed that just as we tune our instruments, we need to be tuned to each other.”
Mutual understanding
The good rapport between Rajan and Sajan emerged because the putting function of their musical journey, a jugalbandi that additionally outlined their life off stage. Interviewing them for a radio present in 2004, I used to be struck by their skill to finish one another’s sentences, simply as they rounded off one another’s musical phrases throughout performances.
Describing this understanding, Pt. Rajan Mishra had mentioned, “This is possible only if there’s respect between two people. We are two individuals. We sing together but we have never made our singing competitive. We love each other; we appreciate each other’s singing. When this (mutual appreciation and love) reaches its zenith, we emerge as one soul.” Nodding gently, Pt. Sajan Mishra had added, “We are two different people with different voice textures, yet we reach out to listeners as one voice.”
From Benaras to Delhi
Brought up in Benaras, the brothers began performing collectively from their early days, first in temples, and later in music festivals and concert events. Their first main live performance was in 1968 in Sankatmochan temple in Benaras. In 1973, their uncle Pt. Gopal Mishra referred to as them to Delhi for a radio audition. Their live performance was broadcast on All India Radio and shortly they began receiving a number of invites and shifted to Delhi.
Pt. L.Okay. Pandit, Delhi-based senior vocalist of Gwalior gharana, remembers assembly them as younger musicians on the radio station. “Their repertoire of khayals was amazing and their jugalbandi remains unparalleled.”
Benaras is usually recognized for thumri, dadra and different allied kinds. To change this notion, the brothers determined early of their journey to give attention to the Benaras gharana khayal and current its many sides. Meeting them once more in 2008 simply earlier than a live performance with Holi across the nook, I requested them to current a hori or thumri. Pt. Rajan Mishra laughed and mentioned, “We often get such requests, but we don’t sing thumri on stage because people think in Benaras only thumri is sung. We want to project our gharana’s many vocal and instrumental styles.”
Prolific composer
Their multi-faceted strategy to vocalism additionally displays within the Benaras model’s affinity for the literary and emotional content material of bandishes. A lesser-known truth about Pt. Rajan Mishra was his love for writing and composing bandishes. Senior disciple and Ahmedabad-based vocalist Viraj Amar has executed her doctoral analysis on the compositions written by her guru. “He beloved poetry. All his compositions are a wonderful mixture of emotional expression and layakari. In his efficiency, the kehene ka andaaz and play with phrases was enthralling.”
Remembering his composition in raga Maru Bihag, ‘Sajan bole re koyalia’, Mumbai-based vocalist and guru-behen Tulika Ghosh says, “He was a voracious reader, that’s why he was so attached to the sahitya of the composition.” Ghosh learnt in the Benaras gurukul system and remembers their daily schedule where his father (their guru) would conduct their classes from 5 a.m. “His music had immense tehraav. He could express the same phrase in so many different ways, giving it a different flavour each time. The elements of unpredictability in his presentation made it absolutely riveting and memorable.”
After a long string of performances, the family would often retreat to the mountains. Love for nature also inspired the brothers to build a gurukul in Dehradun besides the one in Benaras. Remembered as a deeply affectionate and encouraging guru, the legacy of Pt. Rajan Mishra resounds with the possibilities of compassionate music, forever in a jugalbandi with life.
The creator is a Delhi-based arts researcher and author.
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