More Rudra Veena Masters: Shrikant Pathak and R. V. Hegde

Bindu Madhav Pathak

Here we present two Rudra Veena masters from Dharwar in South India: Shrikant Pathak and R.V. Hegde.  Both are students of Pandit Bindu Madhav Pathak (1935-2004), an exponent of Rudraveena and Sitar.

Dr Bindu Madhav Pathak was the son of a great Rudra Veena player Pt. Dattopant Pathak and hails from Hubli. He obtained his early training from his father (pupil of Late Ustad Murad Khan Beenkar of Jawara) and later from Ustad Rajab Ali Khan of Dewas. Both Ustad Murad and Rajab Ali Khan were students of the great Rudra Veena player Ustad Bande Ali Khan.

BMP blossomed into an accomplished artist at a very young age of 17. He was a top 'A' grade artist of AIR. He performed in several National Music Programmes of AIR and Doordarshan. Some of his students are his son Shrikant Pathak, Ramchandra V Hegde and Jyoti Hegde. He was Head of Dept. of Music in Karnataka University, Dharwad.
Pt Pathak was heavily influenced by the vocal music of Kirana Gharana (that of Abdul Wahid Khan). He insisted his gharana to be Kirana, and not formally associated with any Dhrupad gharanas. He said he played Khayal style (Kirana type) of music on Been. 

Mr. Pathak, who retired as the Head of the Department of Music of Karnatak University, was popularly known as "Been" Pathak for his expertise in playing the Been. Apart from performing for Akashwani and Doordarshan, he was a recipient of several awards and titles including the Karnataka Kala Tilak Award, Aryabhata Award, and "Vidyaparipoorna" title. He also served as adviser to the Union Ministry of Education and Culture .

Mr. Pathak wrote many books and articles on music, including Bharatiya Sangeeta Charitre.

Bande Ali Khan

He belonged to the Khyal Ang Rudra Veena tradition. Khyal Ang on veena began mainly with Bande Ali Khan (credited: 1826-1890). An innovative and iconoclastic musician, Bande Ali Khan was particularly fond of khyal singing, which he adapted to the bin, the instrument having until then been solely used to interpret the dhrupad style.

Murad Khan (on the right) and his disciple Krishnarao Kholapure

His student Murad Khan was the one who propagated this unorthodox innovation through the state of Maharashtra. Hindraj Divekar, Bindumadhav Pathak, Jyothi Hegde, and a number of other beenkars belong to this tradition and play khyal and dhrupad ang.

Another point to note is these people including Bindu Madhavji played a been manufactured in Miraj (Maharashtra), whereas others like Bahauddin Dagar play ones from Kolkatta (from what I know).

Information collected from a Dhrupad enthousiast from Hubli, Dharwar, from the book "Rudra Veena: An Ancient String Musical Instrument" by Pandit Hindraj Divekar (see here) and from the excellent website: http://www.rudravina.com/
See also here.

The fotos above are from the website www.rudravina.com.

As we were not able to find any recordings by Bindu Madhav Pathak, we present here two musicians belonging to his tradition: his son Shrikant Pathak and his student R.V. Hegde. The music is from All India Radio. We found the recordings a while ago in the internet. Unfortunately we don't remember the names of the original uploaders.

Shrikant Pathak (Rudra Veena) - Raga Madhumad Sarang (27:55)

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R.V. Hegde (Rudra Veena) - Raga Ahir Bhairav (24:00)

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Shrikant Pathak took Been playing professionally. He has an MA in music and holds a Ph.D. He teaches Sitar at Pandit Panchakshari Gawai music college run by Veereshwar Punyashram, Gadag.

Ramachandra V. Hegde was born in 1953 at Halladkai in Sirsi Taluk, Karnataka in a family with a rich musical background. His grandfather was a well known musician in that area and as a child he grew up in a house steeped in music. He began learning Hindustani Vocal and is an accomplished singer but was fascinated by the Sitar. His love for the Sitar made him give up singing and soon he began his training under Pt. (Dr.) Bindu Madhav Pathak, a well known Sitar and Rudraveena player of the Bande Ali Khan Gharana. Under Pt (Dr.) Bindu Madhav Pathak’s guidance he soon learnt the intricacies of the Sitar. He was also lucky enough to get a guru who was an accomplished player of the Rudraveena.
The Rudraveena is not an easy instrument to master and there are only a handful of artists who play the Rudraveena. Under Pt (Dr.) Bindu Madhav Pathak’s guidance, Ramachandra Hegde was able to master both these classical Indian Stringed Instruments.
Apart from playing the Sitar and the Rudraveena, Ramachandra Hegde believes in keeping the music of the Rudraveena alive for generations to come. He teaches music and trains young pupils from all over the country. Many of his students have gone on to become All India Radio Artists themselves.
from: http://www.angelfire.com/planet/rudraveena/Rudraveena/index.blog/1266513/rudraveena/

If anybody has more information or more recordings by these artists or other artists from this tradition, please share.

Addition of 19th of january 2018:
Just found on YouTube an extremely difficult to get CD by R.V. Hegde, posted by the label in CD quality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WmGlRWSUrM&t=9s

Recently in India a CD by Jyoti Hegde was published:

Jyoti Hegde (Rudra Veena) & ? (Pakhawaj) – Rare Instruments - Rudra Veena: Raga Miyan Malhar: Alap, Jod & Jhala, Dhrupad Bandish in Chautala, Raga Megh Malhar: Alap & Jhala, Dhrupad Bandish in Jhaptal, ASA MUSIC, ASA-MGD-G039

Unfortunately the label put a picture of the Saraswati Veena instead of the Rudra Veena on the cover.

Older Masters of Rudra Veena (Been) - Part III - Ustad Abid Hussain Khan (1907-1978)

Born in 1907 Abid Hussain Khan was an accomplished vocalist and also a Beenkar (a Rudra-Veena player). He traced his musical heritage from Shri Mishri Singh Rajput of Jaipur who once accompanied Miyan Tansen on Rudra Veena before emperor Akbar. As a child, Abid Hussain Khan had been initiated in music by his father Late Ustad Jamaluddin Khan of Bidar state during the twenties and thirties of last century.

Here  we present four Ragas on two CDs. Only one Raga - Raga Darbari Kanada - is played on Rudra Veena. The others are vocal: the two Ragas on the first CD are sung in Dhrupad style and the second Raga on CD 2 is in Khyal style. The recordings are probably from All India Radio.

Download CD 1 & Scans

Download CD 2

We are very grateful to KF, the original compiler of these recordings, who created these two CDs for his own collection and shared them generously.

Here is another Rudra Veena program by Abid Hussain Khan from AIR, with Bhimpalasi and Desh, uploaded by Povster:

http://www.mediafire.com/?li5jbezl2qw

Ustad Abid Hussain Khan: The Maestro Par Excellence

By Roop Narayan Dixit
(Roop Narayan Dixit is a retired professor of English who became a Ganda-baddh disciple of Ustad Abid Hussain Khan in 1963)

Late Ustad Abid Hussain Khan of Indore hailed from Baroda and the court of the erstwhile state of the Nawab of Jinjira but had settled down at Indore during forties and fifties of the last century.

Born in 1907 this grandson of Raza Ali Beenkar was an accomplished vocalist and also a Beenkar (a Rudra-Veena player). He traced his musical heritage from Shri Mishri Singh Rajput of Jaipur who once accompanied Miyan Tansen on Rudra Veena before emperor Akbar. As a child, Abid Hussain Khan had been initiated in music by his father Late Ustad Jamaluddin Khan of Bidar state during the twenties and thirties of last century.

In prime of his youth, he became the court-musician of the Nawab of Jinjira, a Muslim state in the coastal area of Maharashtra where he lived in a cottage facing the rolling waves of the Arabian Sea. Perhaps the resonance of his voice, and his own style of Alap and taking Taans reflecting the elegance and grace of an ocean, was due to this.

A versatile genius, Ustad Abid Hussain Khan could sing Dhrupad and Dhamar, Khayal, Tarana, Tappa with competence. His singing enamoured the audience while reaching rare heights. The manner of Alap came to be recognized as Bidar ang with its distinctive development by gliding from Mandra Saptak to pause at Shadja and gradually ascending toward Madhya Saptak where he stayed considerably. The swara-s he applied were graced with nuances (Kana) and Meend. After a relaxed immersion in the lower and middle octaves, Khan Saheb touched the Tar Saptak, yet plunging back to Mandra and Madhya at times. The Alap in Dhrupad and Dhamar was given ample time to establish notes and relationships. The Alap done in a pleasing and interesting manner, it never tired the patience of the audience. His pronunciations established his Dhrupad lineage from Khandarbani explaining his use of Nom Tom for alap.

When he sang a Khayal or Tarana his Alap was brief, yet he continued to be dynamic and graceful in compositions; in Bol-s and Bol-taan-s, he applied Gamak with force of thunder and lightning. In his Tan-s he was equally graceful, elegant and forceful.

Not only the style but his very persona underwent a change when he sang a Thumri, a Dadara or Hori. Invariably each performance was totally subjective and its intense intimacy touched the hearts of each member of the audience.

Khan Saheb preferred common and well-known Raga-s in his concerts. Mostly, the Raga-s were Bilawal, Malhar, Todi, Malkauns, Megh, Darbari, Kaphi and Chhayanat. His compositions were mostly in Teen-tal, Tilwada, Jhoomara and Ada Chautal. He also gave a few memorable concerts singing less common Raga-s like Barwa, Khat, Durga, Shankara and Jhinjhoti.

Shri Vimal (Bimal) Mukherji (Sitar-player), chief among his illustrious disciples is the foremost representative of the Gharana. His prominent representative for vocal style is Bhavyanand Bhatt of Indore who has retained the charm and uniqueness of His Ustad’s Khandarbani style. His accompanists were Late Ustad Alladiya Khan in Sarangi, Pt. Ambadas Agle Pant on Pakhawaj and Ustad Dhulji Khan on Tabla. Among the living generation, Ustad Moinuddin Khan had accompanied him on Sarangi and Ustad Yusuf Khan on Tabla.

from: http://www.omenad.net/page.php?goPage=%2Farticles%2Fabidhussain.htm

About Jamaluddin Khan
Jamaluddin Khan was the son of Reza Ali Beenkar of Jaipur. The family traces its root to the Seni Gharana. Descendents of Tansen selected Rudra Veena for members of the family; to other disciples they taught Surbahar and Sitar. Jamaluddin had mastered the art and became a court musician at Baroda. His performance at Music Conference held in Baroda in 1916 was excellent and remained in memory of listeners. He trained his son Abid Hussain in Been as well as vocal music.

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ghanonmatta/Musicians

For more information on the Rudra Veena, its masters and its history see:
http://www.rudravina.com/

Older Masters of Rudra Veena (Been) - Part II - Ustad Sadiq Ali Khan (1893 -1964)

Sadiq Ali Khan (1893-1964), a renowned Veena player, was born in Jaipur. He studied at home mainly under his grandfather Ustad Rajab Ali Khan. He was a court musician of several states including Jhalawar, Alwar and Rampur. He was expert in Alapa and liked depth in music. Unlike many other musicians he disliked percussion competitions. He had nine children by his first wife, but unfortunately, all of them except a daughter, Khurshid Jahan, died young. Asad Ali Khan was the son by his second wife. He was a bosom friend of Vilayat Husain Khan (Agra) and Ayodhya Prasad, the well-known Pakhawaj player of Uttar Pradesh. He died in Rampur on July 17, 1964.

From: Musicians of India by Amal Das Sharma, published by Naya Prokash (1993)

from: http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/?page_id=464

Download CD 1 & Scans

Download CD 2

We are very grateful to KF, the original compiler of these recordings, who created these two CDs for his own collection and shared them generously. Recordings on CD 2 courtesy of VN.

Ustad Rajab Ali Khan & His Descendants

In the last centuries the court of Jaipur was the musical center of Rajastans. The generous patronage of Maharaja Ram Singh II assembled in his ruling times (1835 - 1880) numerous instrumentalists, vocalists and dancers in Jaipur. Among them was the Binkar Ustad Rajab Ali Khan, who was teaching also the Maharaja himself on the Bin.

Since Ustad Rajab Ali Khan did not have a son, he passed on his art to his nephew Ustad Musharaf Ali Khan, who became later court musician in Alwar. Ustad Musharaf Ali Khan performed as one of the first Indian musicians in Europe - 1886 in London. Around the beginning of the 20th century he and Ustad Jamaluddin Khan where two of the most famous Veena players of the country. His golden painted Veena can still be found today in the Alwar Palace Museum.

Ustad Sadiq Ali Khan (1883 - 1964), one of the five sons of Ustad Musharaf Ali Khan, took over the position of his father in Alwar after his death. Later he shifted to Rampur, another famous musical center. Here he lived until the end of his life as court musician of Nawab Raza Ali Khan.

At the court environment of Rampur also his 1937 born son Ustad Asad Ali Khan was growing up. At the age of ten he began his lesson on sitar. Four years later his father started to teach him on the Rudra Veena. It followed another thirteen years of intensive schooling and practice (riyaz) in which he also accompanied his fathers concerts.

Ustad Asad Ali Khan is today the last famous musician who combines the mastery of the traditional Been techniques with profound knowledge of the raga. His family tradition makes him also to be one of the last representatives of the Khandarbani, one of the main styles of the Dhrupad.

This mainly on the Been played style is known for the precise control of the microtonal fineness and the simultaneous ornament rich development of the melody. With worldwide concerts and classes to Indian and Foreign students he works for the continuation of the Rudra Veena tradition. His nephew Zaki Haider lives and learns with him since his childhood. Beside that Ustad Asad Ali Khan teaches also some other disciples on the Rudra Veena.

from: http://taal.20m.com/rajabalikhan.html

For more information on the Rudra Veena, its masters and its history see:

http://www.rudravina.com/

Older Masters of Rudra Veena (Been) - Part I - Ustad Dabir Khan (1907-1972)

In the West the Rudra Veena is mainly known through two great masters of the instrument: Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (1929-1990) and Ustad Asad Ali Khan (1937-2011) (see here). 

We are starting now a series of three posts of great masters of the Rudra Veena who lived a generation earlier. As far as I know, never any recordings of these masters have been published. The recordings we present here are mostly from broadcasts by All India Radio.

For more information on the Rudra Veena, its masters and its history see:

http://www.rudravina.com/

We start with Ustad Mohammed Dabir Khan, the grandson and pupil of Wazir Khan of Rampur (the teacher of Ustad Allauddin Khan) who traces his lineage back to Tansen. He was proficient in instrumental Rudra Been as well as in vocal Dhrupad music. He was the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1969. He passed away in 1972.

Info taken from: http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/?page_id=406

Download CD 1 & Scans

Download CD 2

We are very grateful to KF, the original compiler of these recordings, who created these two CDs for his own collection and shared them generously.

Here you can find more recordings by Ustad Dabir Khan:

http://www.mediafire.com/?stpc5rgt65o4i#e2nx97va22b55

http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/?page_id=406

Khan Sahib Imrat Khan - LP EASD 1309 (1967)

Imrat Hussain Khan - Surbahar & Sitar

Nizamuddin Khan - Tabla

Side 1:

1. Raga Bageshree - Surbahar (13:57)

2. Raga Rageshree - Sitar (6:28)

Side 2:

Raga Gawoti - Sitar (20:11)

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Imrat Hussain Khan - Surbahar & Sitar - LP EASD 1358 (1970)

Side 1:

1. Raga Abhogi Kanada (Surbahar) (10:08)

2. Raga Kalawati (Sitar) (9:54)

Side 2:

1. Raga Desh - Vilambit (Sitar) (14:53)

2. Raga Desh - Drut (Sitar) (4:56)

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Budhaditya Mukherjee - Sitar - Raga Bhimpalasi - Raga Mishra Khamaj - ECSD 2619 (1980)

Side 1:

Raga Bhimpalasi (20:52)

Side 2:

Raga Mishra Khamaj (21:55)

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Ustad Munir Khan - Sarangi - LP published 1980 in Holland

Side 1:

1. Raga Darbari Kanada (18:40)

2. Raga Shahana (8:32)

Side 2:

1. Raga Bhimpalashri (13:16)

2. Raga Des (9:31)

Download

"Ustad Munir Khan (born 1926) belongs to a family of distinguished courtmusicians from Rajasthan that goes back many generations. Ustad Munir Khan had his musical eductaion in sarangi and vocal music under the guidance of his father Ustad Nazir Khan (1882-1975) and also became a disciple of Ustad Amir Khan with whom he studied for over forty years. Starting at a young age he participated in concerts with many great masters and he has always been much sought after for sarangi accompaniment by vocalists like Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan, Ummeed Ali Khan and Bibe Khan of Punjab, Ustad Alladiya Khan, Vilayat Hussain Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Nissar Hussain Khan and Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur..."

from the booklet to the CD: Ustad Munir Khan - Ananda, PAN Records, 4016 (2003).

Abdul Halim Jaffar Khan - The Sitar Legend - A Set of 2 Cassettes - Published in India in 1991

Download Cassette 1 & Scans

Download Cassette 2

Tolibjon Turaev and Shukurjon Alimkhulov - Uzbek Khalq (Folk) Music - LP Melodiya M 30 40635-36

Side 1:

1. Hay-Hay - Hay-hay (This is not translated, but means "Hey look") (Saida Zunnunova)

2. Uzma do'stlik torini - Don't give up the (friendship) ties (Pulat Mumin)

3. Sog'inaman Nisbat - I miss Nisbat (Nisbat)

4. Taslim - Surrender (Nodira)

5. Quyida - In the bottom (Haydar Yahyoev)

6. Bo'stonidan - My lovely (mother)land (Sobir Abdulla)

Joined by the folk musical ensemble.

Side 2:

1. Xatlarim - My inner feelings (Folk song - Haydar Mukhammad)

2. Dutor - Dutar (F. Sodikov - Yongin Mirza)

3. O'stirur - Brings up (Folk song - Khushnud)

4. Erta-kech - All day (Folk song -Sobir Abdulla)

5. Sevsang agar - If you love... (Folk song - Zohidjon Obidov)

T. Alimatov on tanbur (musical instrument) (1, 2)

O. Kosimov on dutar (musical instrument) (2)

Folk musical ensemble (3-5)

Download

Many thanks to Berdak Bayimbetov for the translations and transcriptions.

Pandit Yashwantbuwa Joshi (1927-2012) passed away

On friday the 5th of october Pandit Yashwantbuwa Joshi, one of the last great masters of a bygone era, passed away. Last year we had posted already two cassettes by him. See here  and here. Now we present as a tribute to him a cassette published in 2001 in India.

Download

Yashwant Buwa Joshi – “The basic requirement of music is a magical quality called “Rang”

Yashwant Buwa spoke to Deepak Raja on June 5, 2003

I was born and brought up in Pune. My father operated a couple of cabs in the city. He was untrained in music, but had a lovely voice and sang devotional songs very well. That is all I can claim by way of a family background in music. It was my uncle, Govardhan Buwa Naik, who was responsible for pushing me in this direction. He was an alumnus of the first batch (1901) of Vishnu Digambar’s Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (Music College) in Lahore under a nine-year apprenticeship in music. The only explanation for his having gone there was that lodging, boarding, and training were free. That was my grandfather’s way of ensuring that his family could survive on his income. Govardhan Buwa could not sing, but became a competent player on the Harmonium, Tabla and Dilruba (a short-necked, fretted, lute of the bowed variety). So, after graduating, he started a music school in Bombay. Because he had no children, he was keen that I should train as a musician and take over its management after him.

At my sacred thread ceremony, which took place when I was nine, my uncle invited the famous vocalist, Mirashi Buwa (Yashwant Sadashiv Mirashi). My uncle’s Guru, Vishnu Digambar, and Mirashi Buwa had studied together under Balkrishna Buwa Ichalkaranjikar. My uncle and Mirashi Buwa thus belonged to a close-knit gharana fraternity. Mirashi Buwa had just moved to Pune from Nashik, after serving a leading theatre company for 24 years. Over lunch, my uncle requested the stalwart to teach me, and he agreed. This is how it started. Every single day, after returning from school, I would go to Mirashi Buwa’s house and learn music. As luck would have it, my uncle died within a year of my starting music lessons. There was no longer a ready business awaiting me. But, I continued studying music.

The relationship was in the traditional mould, the only difference being that I continued to live with my parents. I paid no fees, and spent all my time – other than school – with my Guru. Initially, the teaching was by the “direct method” – reproducing what the Guru sings. No questions were to be asked. No logic was to be understood. Despite this, within five years, I found myself so intoxicated with music that I could no longer concentrate on my studies. So, four years short of graduation, I quit school in favour of music.

Making a living
My training with Mirashi Buwa continued for 12 years. By this time, I was 21, and had to start making a living. Music was all I knew. Those were difficult days for musicians, particularly in Pune. I spent a whole year contemplating my course of action. My childhood friend, and neighbour from Pune, Ram Marathe, was by now in Bombay, making some headway as a professional singer. So, in 1950, I decided to take on the world with his helping hand. Though I had no experience, the only path open to me was teaching music. Fees were poor in those days. Each student would pay Rs. 10 or 15 per month. With great difficulty, I earned about Rs. 50 a month. But, living was cheap – my monthly food bill was Rs. 30 -- I managed. Though I did not ultimately inherit a music school, teaching was evidently my destiny anyway. For over 50 years now, I have been teaching. I must have, by now, taught over 125 students. Several have become successful vocalists. Some are just making a living as music teachers. Some pursue other professions and enjoy music as a hobby. And, many have merged into the faceless audience of Hindustani music.

Moving to Bombay widened my horizons. Soon after I moved, Jagannath Buwa Purohit moved into our locality. I was greatly attracted to his style. So, I studied with him for about six years. In the same spirit, I studied with KG Ginde, SCR Bhat, Nivrutti Buwa Sarnaik, Master Krishnarao Phulambrikar, Mallikarjun Mansoor, and the Natyasangeet singer, Chhota Gandharva. In my childhood, I had heard Ramkrishna Buwa Vaze, and his style had made a deep impact on me. So, in my singing, you will find the glimpses of each of these stalwarts.

The philosophy of music
I am conservative, but not orthodox. I have a strong foundation laid in the Gwalior style. But, I was never a prisoner of the gharana. I sought out every musician whose style attracted me, and learnt from him what I could. Jagannath Buwa often told me that the basic requirement of music is that magical quality called “Rang” (literally: colour). As a quality in music, “Rang” transcends considerations of voice quality, grammar and communication of rasa (emotional content). Public appeal is not my yardstick for validating my music. I will not sacrifice the dignity of my art to charm audiences. I will not, for instance, make a Thumree out of a Khayal, or start singing with my body. But, an artist cannot be a mere scientist. If he wants to command an audience and also command respect, he has to strike the tricky balance between the sanctity of art and the listening pleasure of audiences. If he cannot do this, he can remain a teacher.

My recordings have been in the market for several years. I have been performing on the radio since 1946, and also broadcast two National Programmes over All India Radio. And, for a long time, nobody noticed. In the last ten years, people suddenly realised that Yashwant Buwa can also sing. Today, I have admirers not only in our home state of Maharashtra, but also in Calcutta, Delhi and a few other cities. Several institutions have bestowed honours on me for my services as a teacher and performer. At 75, I can still hold an audience for two hours. I have no regrets. But, had recognition come when I was younger, people would have heard better music from me.

The pursuit of music – then and now
Our times were tough. The status of musicians in society was low. There was no support for music either from government or from private benefactors or institutions. There was no ‘career’ in music, except for the greatest. Audiences were small. The Guru was the only source of musical inputs for students. There was radio, and there was the gramophone; but not many people could afford either. There were concerts; but mainly for invited audiences.

To begin with, finding a Guru was tough. We did not pay fees, but rendered all manner of services in lieu of training. The relationship was totally one-sided, and often oppressive. He taught the way he wanted to, and there was no appeal against it. There was no notation, no possibility of recording training sessions, no grammar, no logic. You could encounter musicians who could sing a raga very well, but go blank if you asked them the scale of the raga. Learning was primarily by reproducing what the Guru sang. From studying music, to making a career, it was struggle, struggle, and struggle. The positive aspect of this was that, because of the price they had paid for their success, the survivors conducted themselves, and practiced their art, with dignity. They treated that passage between the stage and the audiences as sacred.

The situation today is exactly the reverse. Anyone can learn music if he can afford it. Good Gurus are, of course, more scarce than they were in our times, and locating them can take a lot of trial and error. Recorded music is so accessible that it is possible to become a reasonable vocalist even without a Guru. The relationship between the Guru and his disciple is now a commercial one. A student can demand an explanation of the logic and get it. He can record training sessions for revision. Career opportunities are plenty, and the money is good for the successful. Society, government, and institutions encourage music.

Most important is the emergence of a market, with audiences willing to pay for music. For creating a substantial class of connoisseurs, we have to thank the educational efforts of the two giants, Bhatkhande and Vishnu Digambar, and their followers. Glamour and money have now made music a rat race that everyone with half a chance wants to join. The journey is still tough. But, it is a struggle, which takes the dignity of the art as its first casualty. It makes art cross the frontier between the musician and the audience to plunge into pockets. And, yes, many bright kids now get money and fame ahead of maturity, get bloated heads, stagnate, and fall by the wayside. The demands of success are changing, as they inevitably will. Despite these anxieties, I am optimistic about Hindustani music for several reasons – today’s kids are intelligent and talented, studying music is no longer difficult, and there are ample opportunities for building a career in it.

by Deepak Raja from his very interesting blog:
http://swaratala.blogspot.de/2007/04/yashwant-buwa-joshi-basic-requirement.html

"Yashwantbua Joshi, now 76 ( in 2004), is one of the leading exponents of the khayal gayaki of Gwalior and Agra gharanas. Yaswantbua had extensive training in Pune from Pt. Mirashibua. Around 1950, he moved to Bombay where he came under the tutelage of Pt. Jagannathbua Purohit “Gunidas”. He was also influenced by the gayaki of stalwarts such as Gajananbua Joshi and Chhota Gandharva.

His gayaki combines the romanticism of swara with the discipline of laya, making his mehfils unparalleled in quality. He is an old-school artist at heart, preferring the Tilwada or Jhumra (not the ati-vilambit kind) for his khayals. The khayal is usually followed by multiple bandishes (or, rarely, taranas) in the same raag. The khayal presentations are full and leisurely. The badhat and the chhota khayals are peppered with a variety of taans and very sophisticated layakari. He has a huge repertoire of bandishes, from which he summons the choicest of compositions and presents them with panache. While his concerts are dominated by khayal, he also enjoys singing the occassional natyageet or bhajan.

Yashwantbua has been honoured with a number of awards, including the Maharashtra Government Gaurav Puraskar in 1993 and, most recently, the Sangeet Natak Academy Award."

By Chetan Vinchhi (http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/?page_id=305)

Meera Music, a small label in Mumbai, released two CDs by him:

Yashwantbuwa Joshi (Vocal) – Live Vocal Concert, MP3 CD: Raga Shivmat Bhairav, Raga Bibhas, Raga Komal Rishabh Asawari, Raga Shuddha Sarang, Raga Gavati, MEERA MUSIC, mm 028
Total time: 2 hours and 10 minutes. 

Yashwantbuwa Joshi (Vocal) – Live Vocal Concert: Ragas Yaman, Nand, Hameer & Shahana, MEERA MUSIC, mm 003

They can be obtained from: info@raga-maqam-dastgah.com

“Yashwant Buwa Joshi (born: 1927) is an unusual musician who has spent most of his adult life as a modest teacher, and gained recognition as a performer only after the age of sixty. Yashwant Buwa’s career has flowered (“Buwa” is a suffix commonly used in Maharashtra to signify a respected, elderly gentleman) in the sunset years of his life, thanks to the incredible vitality of his performances which have earned him nationwide popularity, and the growing rarity of his brand of music. He has performed on All India Radio since 1946, and currently occupies the top grade amongst empanelled musicians. Since the mid-1990s, he has also established a substantial presence in the commercial recordings market and collected his share of honours.

Joshi studied first with Mirashi Buwa (Yashwant Sadashiv Mirashi) of the Gwalior tradition, and switched thereafter to the Agra style (Jaganatbuwa Purohit). The switch did not, evidently, quench his thirst for musical ideas. He therefore went on to study with several other vocalists (KG Ginde, SCR Bhat, Nivrutti Buwa Sarnaik, Master Krishnarao Phulambrikar, Mallikarjun Mansoor, and the Natyasangeet singer, Chhota Gandharva), representing an eclectic mix of styles. Today, he is respected as the last surviving pioneer of the Gwalior-Agra stylistic confluence in khayal vocalism.”

Deepak Raja in Sruti Magazine, March 2008