Pandit Anant Manohar Joshi: His Gayaki and Legacy in Khyal Vocalism-Dr. Ranjani Ramachandran
Pandit Anant Manohar Joshi: His Gayaki and Legacy in Khyal Vocalism-pdf
Assistant Professor, Department of Hindustani Classical Music, Sangit Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan
Abstract
Khyal vocalism in North Indian classical music or Hindustani music, has immense stylistic diversity represented through different gharanas. The musical style or gayaki of practitioners in every gharana has always been reinterpreted across generations. This paper examines the contributions of Gwalior gharana khyal vocalist Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi and his role in sustaining an aesthetically cogent style represented by some of the most successful vocalists in the 21st century. The introductory section gives a brief description about his rigourous musical training and inspirations that shaped his gayaki. The following section provides a detailed analysis of his music through an objective methodology based on specific parameters. The concluding section describes his musical legacy represented by practitioners who have provided fresh interpretations, and thereby helped in sustaining his vocalism.
Keywords
Gwalior Gharana, Khyal, Hindustani Music, Music analysis, Anant Manohar Joshi, Gayaki
Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi
Introduction
North Indian classical music (Hindustani music) has a rich history of khyal practitioners who have been authentic representatives of their gharana, and, have also developed a musical style that carries the stamp of their individual expression. Many ensured the perpetuation of their musical legacy, and were engaged in multiple roles of music-making as a performer, guru, composer, and author. Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi of the Gwalior gharana was one such musician who performed these multiple roles with aplomb and left behind a formidable legacy that has shaped the aesthetics of khyal in contemporary times. While faithfully adhering to the gayaki of his gharana, Joshi’s music represented a unique interpretation of his talim (musical training). Born on 8th March 1881 in Kinhai, a village in the erstwhile princely state of Aundh, Satara district of Maharashtra, he belonged to a family steeped in music. His father Manohar bua, gifted with a marvelously charming voice and an inborn aptitude for music, was apparently a favourite in the Aundh court because of his sweet renderings of devotional music (Ranade, 1998, p.104). Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi, with an inclination towards music since a young age, trained for several years under the able guidance of Pt. Balkrishnabua Icchalkaranjikar in Miraj, Maharashtra. He received support from the Aundh princely state during the period of his music tutelage. Icchalkaranjikar is known to have propagated and established the Gwalior gharana gayaki in Maharashtra upon his return from Gwalior in late 19th century. Anant Manohar’s gurubandhus/co-disciples were Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Pt. Gundubua Ingle, and their talim sessions were spread across thrice a day. They received instructions in the guru-shishya tradition and learnt bandishes and alap-tana patterns (improvisational techniques) in different ragas, and acquired command over talas like jhoomra, tilwada and adachoutala. Apart from khyal, Pt. Anant Manohar also learnt other genres such as tappa and tarana.[1] After his training in 1896, he embarked on a concert tour along with Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, during the course of which, he performed successfully in Baroda, Indore, Ujjain, Mathura, Gwalior, Delhi, Amritsar, Lahore and Jullandhar. Later, with stints in Bombay for a few years, he eventually settled as a court musician in the Aundh state. He was profoundly inspired by the music of Ustad Rehmat Khan, scion of the Gwalior gharana and son of Ustad Haddu Khan, one of the founders of the gharana. He had the opportunity to travel and provide vocal accompaniment to Ustad Rehmat Khan for a period of four years and recounts the impact of this association in his own words. During this period he is understood to have gained expertise in a more refined presentation that eventually enriched his gayaki. In his autobiographical article, Pt. Anant Manohar states that “I was already adept in the formal architecture of many ragas but during my sojourns with Ustad Rehmat Khan, I was able to acquire a greater understanding on the subtleties of his alaps (unmetered and metered improvisation), new tana (virtuosic runs) patterns and his ability to dexterously arrive at the sam keeping the surprise element intact” (Joshi, 1995, p.33). Post independence, he began broadcasting regularly through the All India Radio. In 1955, he was honoured by the Central Sangeet Natak Akademy. He expired at the age of 86.[2] The following section gives an overview of Pt. Anant Manohar’s musical style, based on a detailed analysis of his recorded music.
Photo Courtesy: gajananbuajoshi.com
Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi’s gayaki
A considerable archive of Joshi’s music exists with the national broadcaster All India Radio. Some of the recordings that are available in the public domain include Miyan Malhar (sumara naama ko mana hi ke mana mein, a self-composed drut khyal in teentala), Malgunji (raina kari daraavata jaage re, drut khyal in teentala), Alhaiya Bilawal (peevana laago maa, drut khyal in teentala), Chayanat (karata ho, vilambit khyal in tilwada and yeri maalaniyaa gunde laavori, drut khyal in teentala), and Gaudmalhar (kahe ho, vilambit khyal in tilwada and balama bahar aayi re, drut khyal in teentala). Based on specific parameters such as voice production or swar lagaav, treatment of the bandish, and improvisational techniques used to develop a composition (treatment of alap, bol-alap, behelawa, bolbant, bol-tana and varieties of tana), an objective analysis has been carried out with respect to the salient features of the Gwalior gharana khyal gayaki. [3] Some observations based on this analysis are given below.
Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi adopted an open throated and natural voice production and laid equal emphasis on the melodious articulation of the raga phrases. He was deeply influenced by the vocalization of Ustad Rehmat Khan’s gayaki (as mentioned earlier), which lent an element of continuity and fluidity. The wide vocal range of two octaves and a high-pitched voice (D #) was commensurate with the basic features of voice projection as prescribed for the Gwalior idiom. Introductory alaap before singing a bandish, performs the function of creating the right mood for the rendition of a raga by delving on certain key phrases of the raga, and is an essential feature of the Gwalior gayaki. Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi rendered a raga-vaachak alap before the bandish. This implies that the alap highlights the main phrases of the raga in the ascent and the descent. While singing drut khyals, the alap was very brief but commensurate with the melodic nature of the raga. Joshi also resorted to nom-tom alap articulating through syllables such as ri, da, na, tom. The Gwalior gharana gayaki pays due attention to the faithful rendition of the bandish. Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi used the bandish to establish the overall tempo of the presentation. Hence he usually sang the sthayi twice, the first time to establish the tempo of the khyal and the second time to re-affirm and re-establish the bandish form. Often slight embellishments are also introduced when the sthayi is sung for the second time. The antara is usually sung once after the sthayi improvisation or even towards the end of the rendering. All practitioners of the Gwalior gharana gayaki have a tendency to sing primarily in medium tempo or slow-medium tempo. Joshi’s focus was on delivering a specific and complete idea in every avartan (rhythmic cycle) of the tala. The tempo of his vilambit khyals at 45-56 beats per minute tends to be slightly higher than the accepted norms for madhya laya khyals. His preferred talas were tilwada (mostly), jhoomra and ektala while drut khyals are set to teentala. The Gwalior gharana gayaki focuses on rendering alap in accordance to the bandish structure. Expanding upon this element, Pt. Anant Manohar emphasized on building up a raga through a basic melodic idea, which was expanded further (upaj anga vistaar). One striking feature of his gayaki was to follow the principle of khane-puri, with the avartan divided into segments and each segment concentrating on a specific region of the melodic canvas. As a result, each alap acquired a definite design. Mukhada of the bandish seamlessly blended with the sam, which contributes to the fluidity of his rendition. His voice quality was such that it was conducive to the lower and middle registers hence alap was prominent in the mandra and madhya saptak relative to upper registers. Sapaat and avarohi tanas are a speciality of the Gwalior gharana khyal renditions. Joshi rendered sapaat tanas with a sequential descent even in ragas with vakra (non-linear) chalan such as Gaudmalhar and Chayanat. Matthi tanas (slow paced gamak laden tanas), avarohi tanas and chut tanas are dominant in his renditions. Upaj anga is evident in his tanas along with adhering to a design defined by the principle of khane-puri. Pt. Anant Manohar learnt dhrupad and also tarana and tappa, but performed khyal predominantly.
Teaching, Dissemination and Legacy
Joshi lived and worked in Bombay for close to fifteen years and established a music school in 1907 naming it Shri Guru Samartha Gayan Vadan Vidyalaya. He attained considerable success as a teacher and as his school grew in reputation, it started attracting talented students. His disciples included Pt. S.N. Ratanjankar, who first learnt the Gwalior gayaki and later trained in the Agra gayaki. Chaugule, Godbole and Gokhale were his other disciples who contributed to the music education in the municipal schools in the early days. Like many of his contemporaries in the Gwalior gharana who also authored books on music, Pt. Anant Manohar published three volumes of Sangeet Pravesha and Harmonium delighter. Towards the latter part of his life when he eventually settled down in Aundh, Maharashtra, he had taken to an ascetic way of life accepting the discipleship of Shivanand Swami. His son and disciple Pt. Gajananbua Joshi, was born in 1911 in Mumbai. Trained in the Gwalior gharana gayaki by his father, Gajananbua also learnt from Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan of the Agra gharana and Ustad Bhurji Khan of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. He could thus fuse different elements and nuances that he assimilated from the practitioners of Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur-Atrauli gharanas, and was dexterous and methodical in presenting khyals with the distinct stamp of each of the three gharanas. He was also adept at playing the violin and was instrumental in establishing the violin as a concert instrument in Hindustani music. His lasting contribution remains as an unparalleled guru who evolved a specific teaching methodology that could ensure a vocalism which is marked by systematic and phrase-based unfolding and expansion of the raga through the bandish, a consciousness of laya and sub-beats, and creating a new melodic design in every avartan. Many of his disciples have carved their niche as concert performers, composers and have also contributed in the domain of ethnomusicology. Amongst his disciples, veteran musicians Vidushi Jayashree Patnekar (amongst his senior most disciples), Vidushi Padma Talwalkar, Vidushi Shubhada Paradkar, Dr. Ashok Da Ranade and Pt. Arun Kashalkar, to name a few, have evolved their own individual expression and vocalism. His grand-daughters Smt. Apoorva Gokhale and Smt. Pallavi Joshi represent the fifth generation of very fine musicians of this lineage. Pt. Gajananbua’s disciple Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, is one of the finest exponents of khyal in Hindustani music today, with a vocalism steeped in tradition and modern in interpretation. He is one of the most sought after gurus, having been associated with the ITC Sangeet Research Academy for more than two decades, and is considered to be one of the most important and exemplary torchbearers of this legacy. ‘Malaniya goonde laavori’, a compilation of notated compositions of Pt. Gajananbua Joshi and his father Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi was published in 2008. Aundh Sangeet Mahotsav, an annual music festival initiated by Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi in memory of his spiritual guru, and continued by his son Gajananbua and his lineage of disciples is, now in its 85th year. It is a unique twenty-four hour classical music festival, held in Aundh, Maharashtra and attended by the local population as well as drawing audiences from all over the country. It has featured some of the most celebrated Hindustani musicians and continues to inspire musicians and connoisseurs alike.
In conclusion, this paper reiterates the notion of re-interpretation of one’s musical learning, which subsequently results in diversity of styles even amongst the disciples of the same guru. Pt. Anant Manohar Joshi’s musical legacy has sustained for five generations spanning more than hundred years. Represented by serious practitioners who have made valuable contributions as a performer, teacher and propagator, the vocalism of this legacy has continued to evolve and remain relevant in the modern Hindustani music world.
Notes
[1] An autobiographical article by Anant Manohar Joshi and later edited by his grand-daughter Sucheta Bidkar was published in a periodical named Rudravani. See Rudravani (May-June 1995), p. 33
[2] For more biographical details and a wonderful musical analysis, see Ranade (2011, pp. 103-118).
[3] For a detailed reading of specific audio samples and understanding of this methodology to study the style of a music practitioner, see Ramachandran (2013, pp. 92-107).
References
Joshi , Anant Manohar. (1995, May). Mee Anant Swaryogi. (Sucheta. Bidkar, Ed.) Rudravani, pp. 31-42. (Republished from original article written in the 1950s)
Ranade, Ashok Da. (2006). Music Contexts A Concise Dictionary of Hindustani Music. New Delhi: Promilla & Co. Publishers. -.
Ranade, Ashok Da. (2011). Some Hindustani Musicians They Lit the Way!. New Delhi: Promilla & Co. Publishers.
Ramachandran, Ranjani. (2013). Stylistic diversity within the Gwalior gharana: an analytical study of the gayaki of some Gwalior gharana vocalists from the 20th century [Doctoral Thesis, Savitribai Pule Pune University]. Shodhganga@INFLIBNET. http://hdl.handle.net/10603/250317
[Dr. Ranjani Ramachandran is a well-known khyal vocalist, specialising in the Gwalior and Jaipur gharana gayakis. Trained under master musicians Pt. Kashinath Bodas, Vidushi Veena Sahasrabuddhe and Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar. She has performed in major music festivals in India
and abroad, including Serendipity Arts Festival, MUSICON (Durham, UK), ICCR, and First Edition Arts, to name a few. She has been recognised with several distinguished awards, including the Charles Wallace Research Grant from the UK. She is an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and an accredited artist of AIR and Doordarshan. Ranjani has collaborated with ethnomusicologists in India and abroad, and has participated in several interdisciplinary projects with visual artists. She recently curated a multimedia exhibition on Hindustani musicians, finding new ways of activating a music archive. She has a Ph.D. in music and teaches in the Department of Hindustani Classical Music Sangit Bhavana, Visva Bharati, in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India. Email: ranjani.ramachandran@visva-bharati.ac.in]