'@Ram_Guha’s piece in @ttindia on music transcending prejudice and bigotry, emphasising the syncretic nature of art, took me to a time earlier this year when I sought solace in just such a tradition, and went rooting around YouTube for examples. (THREAD)
telegraphindia.com/opinion/indian…
telegraphindia.com/opinion/indian…
As Delhi burned, I found succour, even escape, in seeking examples and reminding myself of an (endangered) artistic tradition that routinely went beyond mere tolerance, well into reverence and celebration even, of identities and symbols other than its own.
Yet, even as they sometimes deigned to rise above religion, classical artistic traditions have reproduced and perpetuated other abominations in our society, prominent among which is caste. With this important caveat, it is still instructive to seek a glimpse into its syncretism.
From the many hours spent foraging on YouTube, here is a selection of my gleanings.
To begin with, from the same 1956 Rama Navami concert in Bangalore featuring Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan that @Ram_Guha writes about, here is another piece by the master:
To begin with, from the same 1956 Rama Navami concert in Bangalore featuring Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan that @Ram_Guha writes about, here is another piece by the master:
In case the juxtaposition of this Muslim artist and a Hindu festival seemed contrived, try this soulful rendering of “Hari Om Tatsat” in Raag Pahadi by the same Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan:
Or this vilambit bandish, “Jinke Man Ram Biraaje” in Raga Malkauns by Ustad Amir Khan, unparalleled in its ability to suggest entirely through music, the peace, gentleness, beauty and tranquility that must accompany the contemplation of Lord Ram:
Communal or linguistic boundaries have not seemed to matter to artist, patron or audience. Mysore's Krishnaraja Wadiyar staunchly patronised Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, founder of the Kirana Gharana, who, in turn, warmly embraced Carnatic music and engaged closely with its exponents.
Here, the UP-born exponent of Hindustani music sings a Carnatic krithi, Tyagaraja's Rama Nee Samaanamevaru (Rama! Who can ever match you?!) in Telugu, learnt, apparently, from the Tamil-speaking Veena Dhanammal during Ustad Karim Khan’s southern sojourns:
Here is Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan’s (he was a staggering 105 years old at the time of this performance) rousing rendition of the bhajan, “Mera Rom Rom Hari Har Bole”:
Dhrupad, a musical form sometimes seen as a pre-Islamic relict of North Indian classical music, has been nurtured for over 20 generations by a Muslim family of the Dagar gharana. Here, Ustads Moinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar sing, praising Goddess Saraswati:
In case it seemed that such syncretism is a province of the past, here’s one of our current best, Ustad Rashid Khan, singing, “Sumiran Bhajman Ram” in the beautiful Raag Alhaiya Bilawal:
And Begum Parveen Sultana singing her much-admired “Bhavani Dayani”
Lest the focus on classical music should blind us to the vast richness of syncretism in other devotional music, here is the India-born Pakistani qawwal Ustad Farid Ayaz and troupe addressing Lord Krishna in a lovely 'Kanhaiya, Yaad Hai Kuchh Bhi Hamaari?':
Heading south, the names may sound similar, but the juxtapositions are yet more curious. Here's Ustad Faiyaz Khan from Dharwad, singing lines in Kannada by the 16th CE mystic, Purandara Dasa on invoking Lord Vishnu’s name, “Hari Naamadaraginiyu Haarutide”:
What about Carnatic music? Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, while being a bastion of classicism in music, took on a young Christian disciple of vast talent, Kattassery Joseph Yesudas. Here, the duo sing, “Siva Siva Siva Enaraada?” in Raga Panthuvarali:
Yesudas went on to offer this beautiful rendition of Tyagaraja's composition, “Sukhi Evvaro?” invoking Lord Rama as musical homage to the composer at the 148th Tyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyyaru, on the banks of River Cauvery:
For his mastery over Carnatic music, the American Jon Higgins was even called ‘Bhagavatar’. This unhurried rendition by him of Vyasaraya’s “Krishna Nee Begane Baro” in Raga Yamuna Kalyani, urging Lord Krishna to hurry, is indeed memorable:
Are Yesudas and Higgins exceptions? Not really. Generations of the late Sheikh Chinna Moulana's family have been nadaswaram exponents. Here he plays a Tyagaraja composition to Lord Rama in the Raga Bahudari at the 147th Tyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyyaru:
Similarly, Kaleeshabi Mahaboob and her husband Sheikh Mahaboob Subhani are among the best-known performers of the nadaswaram today. Here, they are performing at the Tyagaraja Aradhana in Thiruvaiyyaru last year:
In this absolutely remarkable Carnatic music concert held in 1991 at the Dargah at the Nagore, Tamil Nadu, the incredibly talented but a sadly unsung Carnatic musician SMA Kadir (guru of Nagore Hanifa) sings Raga Panthuvarali:
As we have seen Muslim and Christian artistes revere and celebrate Hindu symbolism and culture, Hindu artistes too have embraced symbolism and heritage from other religions, particularly Islam. Here we have Pandit Jasraj singing “Mero Allah Meherbaan”:
Here, Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, a devoted Shaivite, groomed in the tutelage of Ustads Manji Khan and Bhurji Khan, weaves his syncretism into this enchanting piece in the aptly-named Raag Kabir Bhairav.
The lyrics of Naimat Khan Sadarang and nephew Firoz Khan Adarang, composers in the court of the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah “Rangila”, are still deeply embedded in the khayal tradition. Here, DV Paluskar sings “Karim Naam Tero” in Miyan Malhar by Adarang:
In this video, a youngish Pandit Bhimsen Joshi delivers an inimitably powerful rendition of the drut bandish, “Mohammad Shah Rangile” in Raag Miyan Malhar, in praise of the Mughal Emperor:
I am running into the 25-tweet limit on a thread, and hence, continuing in a separate thread below:
https://t.co/wOZ2mJr3Ao
https://t.co/wOZ2mJr3Ao
