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Rasik Shroteho
Namaskaar,
I have been told to speak on “ Majhi Sangeet Sadhana”. I was just thinking
on the word “sadhana”. It indicates hard work, dedication, full devotion,
doing endless efforts for achieving some aim by avoiding all other surrounded
attractions and sacrificing for it. And then question comes whether I have done
anything like that. Well, I feel, it would be proper to say “Majha Sangeet
Pravaas” (My Musical Journey) rather than to say sangeet sadhana. For me, the
journey was a sheer pleasure and still it is. The journey was so full of
Happiness that even if, there would have been a little stress, it was not at all
tiresome. I had to forgo some of my interests like when I was in college and
thereafter when I started doing job, I was very much interested in cricket. I
had played cricket on all most all grounds of Mumbai. I had represented my
office in Times Shield also. But then, I could not devote sufficient time for
Riyaz – practising of music so I stopped playing cricket. I did not repent for
sacrificing cricket, for the music. I took sincere efforts for the music on my
part. I would have faced some failures but I have totally forgotten it because
of the pleasant and happiest moments, I came across in this journey.
I said “the Journey”, it is true in the other sense because I
traveled all most everywhere in India and abroard for musical performances.
Therefore, I would like to tell you some of the incidences of this musical
journey. You can call it ‘sadhana’ if you feel like.
In respect of an Art, I am of the opinion that art is
generally inborn talent. Let it be, painting, dancing, sculpture, literature.
For all these form of art, for creativity it is necessary to have an inspiration
in your mind. It is not possible only through tuition. One can learn grammer or
science (theory) of the art but without having inborn seed of creativity in your
mind, it is difficult to turn it into a tree. And the great fortune of any
artist or someone who is appreciating and receiving it, is that this seed of
creativity or receiving, appreciating the art is the gift of God. Therefore,
they experience ultimate purity of happiness.
My ancestors from my mother’s side were interested
in music. My parents were also interested in music. We had a Gramophone record
player and few old gramophone records in my childhood. My mother allowed my
elder and younger sisters to take training of music in those days. Of course, as
it was a practice, in all typical middle class family that one should earn his
bread first, it was necessary for us to take formal education for acquiring a
job.
After my college education, I took training of Indian
Classical Music for around six years. That time, I was doing a job and learning
music and also attending various musical programmes. There was a great influence
of Bhavgeet all over the marathi people. Famous “Geet Ramayan” programme was
just started and it strongly appealed the audience. I used to travel by local
train of 9 o’clock in the morning. We had a nice group of friends- writers,
dramatist, journalists, some of them were artists in various fields. I used to
receive inspiration, acknowledgement and even guidance from them. A writer would
tell new stories written by him, some dramatist would tell some incidents from
the stage, I used to sing whenever I composed a new tune. Listening was the main
programme in those days. We used to listen performances of many new, upcoming
and veteran vocal, instrumental artists.
I got through the audition test of All India Radio in
1958. Then I started composing on my own. In fact, I did not know, how to
compose the tune for a song but then it was a challenge for me to accept. I
started studying the poems, listening it. After composing my fresh tunes, I used
to make listen to my family members and friends, seeking their opinion for
making suitable changes. Automatically, we had one group of friends those who
were interested in the music. Few of them were singers, tabla-harmonium players
and some of them were just listeners. Mostly on saturday nights we 8-10 friends
used to gather at someone’s place and have recital upto late night. From this,
I could get judgement about the performance, accompanying etc.
In 1958, I heard programme of “Geet Ramayan” for
the first time. It was hardly third or fourth public programme of Shri Sudhir
Phadake. I have had a deep influence of the same. I think, everyone would have
the same feelings about it. It was all together a new and different experiment.
I bought a book of Geet Ramayan. I attended Shri Sudhir Phadake’s
5-6 programmes in Mumbai continuously. I liked one song very much.
“Leenate Chaarute Seete”. I sang this song on Akashwani (Radio) in one live
programme. That time there was no recording facility in the studio, all
prgrammes were broadcasted live. Many people used to listen radio in those days.
Someone, a listener of that song invited me to perform the programme of Geet
Ramayan in Ganapati Utsav at Karjat. In fact, I was not fully prepared for all
the 56 songs but still I accepted the programme. In Mumbai, Shri Sudhir Phadake
was performing his programmes, once again I attended those. Whatever he used to
sing in the duration of around three hours, I practised at home and set up the
programme. 2-3 friends from our group were ready for accompaniment and we
performed the programme over there. It was my first public programme. It was
nicely responded by the audience. Those days, mouth publicity has it’s own
importance, rather more important than publicity in the newspapers. Slowly, I
used to receive invitations for the performances. In 1962, on the day of
Ramnavami, I performed Geet Ramayan at Kaupineshwar Mandir, Thane for the first
time and still on the day of Ramnavami every year I am invited by them. While
singing from time to time, I could understand Geet Ramayan more and more and now
I feel that there is a lot more to learn for new poets and singers. Just see,
how at every line of a song “Leenate Charute Seete” has got different shades
of emotions.
In 1962, I went in HMV for audition test. I sang few
songs composed by me, expecting that they will think of publishing a gramophone
record in my voice. But at that time, the officers present over there, liked my
compositions i.e. tunes and gave offer for music direction.
That time, I was unknown to the field of music direction. But I accepted
the same and a famous singer Manik Varma sang two songs under my music
direction. That was my first gramophone record.
You might have heard one of those songs “Karaat Maajhya Vaaje Kankan”.
After two years, HMV decided to publish a record in my voice. I composed
one poem of Indira Sant “ Hirawe Piwale Ture Unhache”. I was a music
director and a singer, too. This song was popular then.
I love poems since my childhood. May be, because of
that I would have developed interest in the light music. The interest in the
poetry was developed since my school days. In those days, I was under great
influence of “Vishakha” poem collection of Kusumagraj. After that the
interest in the poetry started growing and it is still continued. Because of
that, afterwards, I composed in music, poems of Mardhekar and
poems from a collection of burlesque poetry ‘Zenduchi Phule’ by poet Keshav
Kumar alias Acharya Pralhad Keshav Atre. I sang in many Sangeetika – musical
features – for Akashwani. Therefore, I got an opportunity to know many
renowned music directors, I could know their style of music direction, I could
noticed important aspects of their music direction and I did get the chance to
discuss with them on this subject. Thus, it helped me to form opinions in
respect of music direction and could get a firm direction to my thoughts about
the same. I will explain it to you by giving one example.
Around 35 years back, few poetry lovers
formed a group at Dombivli named as “Kavyarasik Mandal”. On the very first
programme, they invited famous poet Sopandev Chowdhari. All most all poets from
Dombivli and of course, some poetry lovers like us were present on that occasion
of poetry recital. I was sitting beside famous writer
Famous Drama-critic and my close friend Shri V. Y.
Gadgil (Vaay Gadgil) was in our group of local train of 9 o’clock. Once he
gave a book of songs based on epic Mahabharat written by Dr V. S. Deshpande from
Pune. It was a series of songs just like Geet Ramayan. He had liked those poems
so he asked me to compose them in tunes. I put them in the tunes. I took
rehearsals with my accompanists and set up the full programme and we performed
it publicly at Shivaji Mandir, Dadar. “Geet Mahabharat” was my first
independent programme. Media praised it and audience also appreciated it very
much. Then I performed this programme at various places. Pune Akashwani
broadcated this programme in full. Vividh Bharati, Doordarshan (TV) telecasted
it in part. Geet Mahabharat has been also published on the cassettes. I got
recognition as a singer and music director. I have memories in respect of this
programme but I can not say all at once here, due to time factor.
I had chance to try some experiments in music direction of this programme
and was successful to a great extent.
I always prefer to perform in public programmes than
recordings for cassettes, radio and television. Meantime, Shri Nagesh Joshi got translated version of Geet
Ramayan in hindi by Pandit Rudradatta Mishra and I got an opportunity to
participate in it. A new venture was opened for me. I performed many programmes
of Hindi Geet Ramayan in North India and I got accustomed to the audience over
there. I realised their angle of interest in music. I decided to perform Hindi
Bhajans (devotional songs) for them. Then I gathered hindi bhajans of Kabir,
Tulasidas, Meerabai, Surdas etc. and composed them in music and performed
specially for North Indian audience.
I was regularly singing for Akashwani and doordarshan.
I was asked to sing by the Konkani section. I accepted it with intention that I
will get chance to learn some new things. I had to study especially the
pronunciation with the help of experts of Konkani Language. I was fortunate
enough to get an opportunity to sing my first Konkani song under able guidance
of Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki. It was appreciated by the audience as well as the
officers of Akashwani. After that, till date I have sung around 50-60 songs for
Mumbai as well as Panaji (Goa) Akashwani and Mumbai doordarshan.
There was one Gujarati speaking officer Shri
Jyotirdhar Desai at Mumbai doordarshan in the earlier days. He was dashing and
imaginative. He asked me to arrange a programme on “Vijayadashami” in the
form of a feature. It means a song with a small narration explaining about the
festival. I met famous poet Mangesh Padgaonkar and told about the same. He wrote
as per the requirement and I composed it and performed on doordarshan. It was a
great success. The officer was very much happy and he asked me to arrange the
more on the another festivals in coming two years. Famous poets like Vasant
Bapat, Mangesh Padgaonkar, Shanta Shelke wrote for this programmes and I
composed and performed them for doordarshan. It was a new kind of experiment.
Those days, it was welcomed by the people. I performed these programmes on
various occasions like Dasara, Ganapti Utsav, Diwali, Gudhipadawa, Gokulashtami,
Gandhi Jayanti etc. this experience was valuable for me, it enriched my singing.
It was, can say, a milestone for me in my musical journey. I could discuss with
all these renowned and veteran poets and of course, had a close contact with
them. Further, some of these songs were included in their collection of poems
also.
As I said, from the beginning, I was interested in
poetry. I used to read good poems published in the various magazines and would
note it down. From that I used to select the poems composed it for the
performance at Akashwani, doordarshan or for cassettes. My younger son bought a
book of collection of poems of Shri B. S. Mardhekar (Ba Si Mardhekar). While
reading that book, I noticed that the poetry-readers have few
misconceptions in their mind about the poems of Mardhekar. Readers were under
the impression that Mardhekar’s poems are not in the meter. (muktachhand) but
in fact, 75 per cent of his poems, are in meter. I selected few and composed them in
music only with the intention that people should come in contact with these
poems. I prepared the narration for every poem explaining the background of the
poem, some personal references from the life of Mardhekar and recited the
programme “Mardhekaranchi Kavita ~ Ek Nadanubhav” for the audience. Many
veteran writers, poets, famous personalities in the field of literature
appreciated the programme. Noted writer Dr. Vijaya Rajadhyaksha was very much
happy to listen to it and she on her own arranged few programmes. Shri Rambhau
Kapase specifically mentioned that Mardhekar’s poetry is not difficult to
understand and it can be sung also. Students of M.A. and M. Phil. of SNDT
University told that we could understand Mardhekar more, after listening to this
programme. Many people as well as
media praised this programme and I was satisfied for this experiment.
On the occasion of Birth Centenary of Acharya Atre, I
composed a programme of his burlesque poem from the collection “Zenduchi Phule”.
I performed it all over Maharashtra & outside and received overwhelming
response from the audience as well as media. Many veterans in the field of
literature appreciated it. At the concluding programme of
Birth Centenary celebration at Shivaji Park, Dadar, Acharya Atre’s
daughter Smt. Shirish Pai said, “Many programme were organized in this
centenary year but this one “Zenduchi Phule ~ Saagrasangeet” was the best of
all.” I was fortunate enough to perform this programme before Kusumagraj at
Nashik and received applause from him. The audience present at that time, still
remember the incident and for me, it’s a treasure of my life.
Many great people in the field of Music, Literature
and Theatre appreciated both these programmes and it gave me satisfaction
because the intention behind creating these programmes, was only to present
these beautiful poems of those two poets before the audience. I tried the medium
(i.e. music) which I got and I think, it received a good success as such.
I feel that drama, dance and music are basically
performing arts. I think, the circle of the creation is completed when an
artist, after creating his deed, puts it before the audience and when the
audience appreciate the same. The artist does not create only for the sake of
his pleasure. He requires an appreciation from the audience.
Well, just now, I’m speaking but if there is no
audience in front of me then it has got no meaning. Art is a conversation
between artist and a receiver/listener, with help of using art as a medium.
Therefore, an artist and the audience, is an unbroken relationship. Both are
incomplete without each other. Because,
an art is a “ Telling ” of an experience of the artist and when there is
some “ Telling ”, it is necessary that there should be someone to listen to
it. The mediums of expressing are different such as words for a writer, painting
for a painter, dance for a dancer, music for a musician, acting for an actor.
With these various mediums, artists express their feelings of life and the
receivers (audience) have to enrich their lives by feeling it, by understanding
it, by exploring it. I think, this is the intention of an art. The artist has to
take great efforts, he has to work hard for achieving the aim, this may be
called “Sadhana”. This study, efforts also give pure happiness every moment.
In fact, this happiness itself gives inspiration of creativity to the artist.
The ultimate result of this, is getting an appreciation from the audience.
Today, on this occasion, I express my thoughts before
you. I think, you might have got some idea about my inspiration of creativity
and the pleasure of it. Dedication to an art and pleasure of creativity become
one and the same. Though, this is a personal pleasure, feel like distributing to
others and more over, it become perpetual because of love and affection by the
people. I conclude my speech with the words of poet Mangesh Padgaonkar.
“
Tinhi Lok Aanandane Bharun Jau de, Tujhe Geet Ganyasathi Sur Lagu de. ”
(
“Let there be Happiness all around, let there be a melody in my voice to sing
Your song” )