The singer and his seeking

The monograph on Mallikarjun Mansur takes you through his life and times

At a time where riches and glamour matter, and destination is more important than process, the story of Mallikarjun Mansur sounds bizarre. The rigour and austerity with which the legendary maestro of Jaipur-Atrauli gharana earned his music in the gruelling, uncompromising akhadas of the great masters is surely not a tale from our times. Toiling to seek individual expression in the lessons imparted by his great gurus remained Mansur’s pursuit for most part of his life; even the concert stage did not matter to him.

P.V. Vivekananda, in his monograph on Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur in the Vyakti Chitra Maale series of Vasanta Prakashana, recalls how a critic of those times had expressed his wonder at Mansur’s devotional surrender to music. “There is such clamour to present their music before a learned audience, but this master from the South remains cocooned in his own world of music,” the critic is said to have remarked. Mansur, for whom music was a personal act of faith, was content to sing in his puja room.

Full report here Hindu

Their life is a blend of music, literature and poetry

Life of A D Madhavan and his wife, Radha Madhavan, is blending of music with literature and poetry. The couple, based in Kozhikode, has carved out their own niche in the writing on music and litertature.

A.D.Madhavan, a former employee of SAIL and Kerala State Development Corporation (KSIDC) has turned his attention to the art of writing on Indian music, which was not touched by many, after his retirement from the KSIDC in 2000. The feeling to write on Indian music was in his blood since childhood. However, he says, since he was very much occupied with his official duties he was unable to concentrate on the same until retirement.

His latest book Ye sham ki Tanhai, which is a study of the raga-based songs that had hit Hindi films during the 1945-65, will shortly hit the stands. It will have the text and translation of the Hindustani songs in Malayalam. The book, named after a song with the same name of the movie Aah, sung by Latha Mankeshkar.

Full report here Times of India 

Food for thought

Enid Blyton has been the founding stone on which several writers have built their careers and it was no different for Namita Dayal. “I think I have always enjoyed creating and exploring different worlds and making up stories in my head,” says Namita, about a habit that was probably supplemented by all the Amar Chitra Kathas and Enid Blytons that dominated a large portion of her staple reading diet.

Namita was in town for the launch of her latest book, Aftertaste in Landmark. . Set in the 60's, this book follows the drama around a dysfunctional joint family on the verge of bankruptcy. The book is fiction with features Namita has stolen from real life.

Namita had an upbringing that balanced her parallel lives with precision; a modern school and western standards of education with a very traditional gurukul world of Hindustani classical music, and it was in this miraculous world of classical music she found her first book, The Music Room, which Pandit Ravi Shankar called a must read for every musician and music lover.

Full report here Hindu

Ode to a singer

My Life & My Thoughts – K.J. Yesudas’ comprises articles by Yesudas that have been translated into English by K.V. Pisharady

K.J. Yesudas' mesmerising voice has won him many fans. One such fan is K.V. Pisharady. An employee of the Kerala Public Service Commission, he has compiled and translated into English articles written by Yesudas in Malayalam.

The articles written by Yesudas from the 1960's to 2007, has the singer tracing his journey in music, his struggles in life, his philosophy… And it is likewise in the book My Life & My Thoughts – K.J. Yesudas, Pisharady's ode to the singer. The book released by Ayaan Publications has Yesudas voicing his opinions on various subjects in specially allotted chapters.

Autobiographical
Says Pisharady: “The book is actually an autobiography of sorts of the singer. It has everything – right from his formative years to his views on religion and god, career and marriage, to his concern for the environment. What I like about the book is the singer's philosophical musings. The photographs that are a part of the book were obtained from Tharanginisari and from photographer Leen Thobias, who has been documenting the singer's life through his snapshots.”

Full report here Hindu

Recording Gauhar Jaan

Vikram Sampath looks like he’s just out of college. His sense of humour and the bright sparkle in his eyes when he laughs (which is quite often) belie his twin passions… history and classical music. Proving it is his second book, My Name Is Gauhar Jaan! The Life and Times of A Musician.

Overcoming all kinds of stumbling blocks, Vikram has resurrected the glory of Gauhar Jaan, a nautch girl from Calcutta and the grand dame of Indian recorded music. That she was the first Indian to record on a gramophone is well-known. But how that one bold step changed the face of Indian music, both here and abroad, is to be read to be understood.

Says Vikram, who takes Carnatic lessons from Jayanthi Kumaresh when he is not playing financial analyst at an MNC or leafing through historical documents, “Gauhar Jaan was exceptional in more ways than one… she created a template to showcase something as expansive as Hindustani music in just three minutes! Besides, she has recorded nearly 600 songs in 20 languages. To top it all, she composed several timeless thumris including the famous ‘Kaise yeh dhoom machayi.’”

Full report here Hindu

Resul Pookutty's autobiography released

“I am a humble cinema boy,” goes the first line of Oscar winner Resul Pookutty's autobiography Sabdatharapadam (The milky way of sound), which was released by Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan Mumbai on May 13.

The first copy of the sound engineer's autobiography was handed over to music composer A. R. Rahman and eminent lyricist Gulzar.

The event, aptly named ‘Sound of music' was organised by the Malayala Manorama and Penguin, publishers of the book. In his address, Jacob Matthews, Executive Editor of Malayala Manorama described Pookutty as “one of the most creative men of our times.” This was the first time someone had made music the theme of his autobiography.

Full report here Hindu

Susan Boyle to release her autobiography

Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle has signed a deal to write her autobiography.

The autobiography titled 'Woman I Was Born To Be', will be published by Transworld in the autumn. She will tell the incredible story of how her voice catapulted her from obscurity after she shocked the world on last year's Britain's Got Talent contest on which she eventually finished runner-up, Daily Mail online reported.

The 49-year-old Scottish singer whose career has been guided by music mogul Simon Cowell, has also seen the downside of fame after struggling with the pressures of appearing in the public eye.

Boyle, whose debut album 'I Dreamed A Dream' has been a massive worldwide hit and already netted her royalties of 4million pounds, said, "When I strutted on to the stage for that audition, I was a scared wee lassie, still grieving for my mother, not caring how I looked. I think I've grown up a lot in the last year, become more of a lady, and I'm not so frightened any more."

Full report here PTI

Who is Gauhar Jaan?

Author Vikram Sampath confesses to being besotted with Gauhar Jaan, a high-brow Hindustani classical singer and courtesan who spent her last years at the Mysore Palace. There are however, no reasons to her death, only piles of hospital bills, a death certificate and miscellaneous memories, capsuled in time at the Palace’s archives.

Sampath stumbled upon the existence of Gauhar by chance, during his research on another book. His curiosity about her soon turned into an obsession which led him through the by lanes of Kolkata, where she attained fame, the alleys of Azamgarh, her birthplace, and the ruins of the Rampur Palace, where she spent some years, among other destinations. In his recent book, My Name is Gauhar Jaan, Sampath documents the life, love and tragedy of Gauhar’s life.

The inimitable Gauhar Jaan; (inset) her records She was born in 1873, in Azamgarh as Angelina Yeoward to an Armenian Christian couple. Her father, William was an engineer and her mother Victoria a musician. The marriage ended as a result of varied interests and Victoria moved to Banaras with her daughter in tow. There she converted to Islam and changed her name to Malka Jaan and Angelina’s to Gauhar Jan.

Full report here Bangalore Mirror

Songs under a shroud

Gramophones may have lost the battle with technology, but there are some voices — heard and unheard — etched on them. In a world characterised by such forgetfulness, a book on the songbird Gauhar Jaan is staggering. Gauhar Jaan, a tawaif who was born to an Armenian father, lived in Calcutta in the late 19th Century. She was the first Indian musician to sing on the gramophone (1902), and, in that sense, a pioneer.

Vikram Sampath, author of the recently released My Name Is Gauhar Jaan! The Life And Times Of A Musician, stumbled upon this grand songster of regal bearing, when he was researching in the Mysore Palace Archives for his earlier book, Splendours Of Royal Mysore: The Untold Story Of The Wodeyars.

“Her name had an interesting ring, and the fact that she was the first musician to sing on the gramophone fascinated me,” he says.

Full report here Hindu

The romance of Gauhar Jaan

In December of 1911, at the famous Delhi Durbar, Emperor George V was crowned the paramount power of British India in the presence of Indian princes and aristocrats. While the announcement by the emperor that the capital of his Indian territories would be shifted to Delhi from Calcutta might have cast a pall of gloom in “the second city of the empire”, the durbar itself brought unprecedented glory to one Calcuttan—the legendary Hindustani vocalist Miss Gauhar Jaan.

At that glittering ceremony, in the presence of the emperor and his queen and all of India’s royalty, Gauhar Jaan, along with her contemporary Janki Bai, were bestowed the rare privilege of presenting a song specially composed for the occasion Yeh jalsa taajposhi ka mubarak ho mubarak ho! They were escorted to the emperor after the concert and he praised them profusely for their talent and presented them with a hundred guineas as a token of his appreciation.

Such was the fame of the first Indian and woman to record on the gramophone, Gauhar Jaan. Born Eileen Angelina Yeoward in Azamgarh, in what was then the United Provinces, in 1873, Gauhar was a woman of exceptional beauty, talent and grace. She seemed to symbolize the secular ethos that Indian classical music is known for—her grandmother was Hindu, grandfather British and father Armenian Christian. Gauhar embraced Islam and remained a devout Muslim all her life, though most of her compositions are replete with Krishna bhakti.

Full report here Mint

Season of renewal

In Two Lives, his memoir of his great uncle and aunt, Vikram Seth reproduces extracts from the 1893 Jewish Prayer Book of a Berlin synagogue, at the end of which is a brief appendix on fundamentals of Jewish morality.

This says that “Judaism teaches: the Unity of Mankind. It commands us therefore to love our neighbor, to protect our neighbor and his rights, to be aware of his honor, to honor his beliefs, and to assuage his sorrow. Judaism calls upon us through work, through the love of truth, through modesty, through amicability, through moral rectitude, and through obedience to authority, to further the wellbeing of our neighbors, to seek the good of our fatherland, and to bring about the loving fellowship of all mankind.”

Given what would happen in that German fatherland within a half-century, the reference to “obedience to authority” makes painful reading. Assimilated Berlin Jews of this period were patriotic to a fault. A happier phrasing would have been, “through questioning of authority.” Truth and questioning are inseparable, as the terrible price of German obedience showed.

Full report here NYT

Gauhar Jaan: Song sung true

Staring at you from the cover of My Name is Gauhar Jaan! The Life and Times of a Musician is Gauhar Jaan herself. “Even this picture has a story behind it,” says author Vikram Sampath. “It is from a picture postcard sent by a British officer to his mother back in England, mentioning how besotted he was with this Indian beauty. Instead of keeping the postcard, his incensed mother chose to give it away. The postcard traveled around and somehow made its way to Switzerland and back to India. And now it is on the cover of this book.”

Gauhar was no ordinary woman. The first Indian classical musician and woman to record on the gramophone at the turn of the 20th century when technology was at its most basic, this feisty Hindustani vocalist from Calcutta adapted to the needs and demands of recording with elan. Today technology may have made recording a breeze, but the book tells us how in that era, artists had to sing very loudly and refrain from making any movements to ensure a good recording.

The book also traces Gauhar Jaan’s life and times as a musician, and for Sampath it was like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. Bemoaning the lack of documentation of artistes’ lives, he says, “For these people, the music was bigger than the person.” After two years of research, he has collected documents that put to rest myths about her date of birth as well as her lineage — Gauhar Jaan was born Elieen Angelina Yeoward on June 26 1873 in Azamgarh. Born into an Armenian Christian family, she was six years old when her mother and she converted to Islam.

Full report here DNA

Setting the record straight

An ongoing exhibition in New Delhi unearths the golden voices from the musical history of the nation

They were the first ones who ensured that their music lived on long after they are gone, not just metaphorically but literally. In the early 20th Century, the baijis, as the tawaifs were addressed in those times, took a revolutionary decision of concurring to let their golden voices be canned on 78 rpm vinyl records. A novelty in the course of music in this country, it then created a stir and later came to change the way music was to be heard. The singing stars of yore are at the centre of CMAC's “Women on Record”. Blending various art practices — seminars, performances and an exhibition, the exercise probes how these women “democratised music and made it accessible to people,” as described by photographer Parthiv Shah, who along with his classical musician wife Vidya has put it all together.

The scale of the business and its vibrancy can be gauged from the fact that around 500 artists — as mentioned on a panel displayed in Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts' Maati Ghar — were recorded in different regional languages all over India. “It was a well worked-out business. The challenge was to train them to sing for gramophone records, that is presenting a raga in just three minutes. Then, they were to sing into a horn and the methodology was called wax horn. A number of genres, not just khyal and thumri but even sadra, chaturang, qawwalis and ghazals were recorded. Gauhar Jan and Zohra Jan Agrewali had mastered the technology. In one of the records, she apparently concludes by saying ‘Main Gauhar Jan, champion',” says Vidya.

Full report here Hindu

Great demand for books on film music

From sports journalism to music, Ravi Menon, a Music Research Manager with Club FM, has come a long way and has carved a niche for himself in the area of history of film music in Kerala.

Once a well-known football journalist, Menon's latest book Mozhikalil Sangeethamayi (Music in Verses), a work on Indian film music is into its second edition, within two-and-a-half months of its release in last December, a rare phenomenon in the state's publication industry these days.

"The demand for the book points to Keralite's growing love towards music and nostalgia", Ravi Menon told PTI here. The book contains well-researched articles on music directors of Malayalam cinema belonging to different eras, ranging from K Raghavan to Vidyasagar.

'It is an attempt to chronicle the rise and development of playback music in general, even though the focus is on the composers, Menon said.

Full report here Outlook

Publishers may stop printing film song books

They would have a grand launch in the same theatres as the film. And often, these slim volumes outlived the time a movie ran in the theatre. They were the Tamil film song books that put a song on everybody’s lips, whether they could afford the price of a movie ticket or not.

Though old-timers fondly recall memorising lyrics and reading trivia, publishing houses say the market for the books has been dwindling. “Nobody buys song books anymore. We will stop printing them soon,” says P Sivamudhu of Sri Dhanalakshmi Puthaka Nilayam, which brings out song books for Re 1 each.

A couple of decades back, there were dedicated writers who watched matinee shows of a new release. They would quickly note down the lyrics in shorthand and rush to printing presses to bring out song books for the evening show. “Producers brought them out and sold them in theatres,” recalls film historian and writer Film News Anandan.

Full report here Times of India

Classical album

Raghu Rai captures legendary musicians in their grit and glory in a new book

From the exuberant exchange between tabla maestro Alla Rakha and his son Zakir Hussain to the touching, intimate moment when Mallikarjun Mansur took his last drag on a cigarette held by his son, Raghu Rai’s solo exhibition on Indian classical musicians resonates with passion and even humour. The show, hosted by the Vadhera Art Gallery, opens at the Lalit Kala Akademi in Delhi on February 24 and a companion book, India’s Great Masters (HarperCollins India, Rs 3,500), will be released shortly.

The images have been captured over three decades. “I love classical music and have attended concerts since the early 1980s, my camera always ready beside me,” says Rai, 45, whose iconic images have often defined India to the world. Sitting behind his huge wooden desk at his office, he adds, “Some images have been taken from the orchestra pit during a performance; others in the homely environs with their families after many teas and chats. However, two things unite this vast body of work — one is that these maestros have all risen above the dictates of their gharanas to create a style of their own; and two is the spiritual level their music has achieved. It’s easy to make pleasing, even good music. But very few great artists can stir the soul,” he says.

Full report here Indian Express 

Chaurasia biography runs into trouble

Family can often be one's harshest critics. Certainly true for maestro Hari Prasad Chaurasia, whose sons have sued him over his authorised biography. They say the book, Woodwinds of Change, gives readers the impression that they are illegitimate.

This new controversy may help retire another one around a book - Om Puri took offence when his wife, Nandita, shared details of his sex life in her book on the actor.

Tell-all biographies often run into trouble even when they don't exactly tell all. In India, celebrities have been spared the paparazzi-tabloid onslaught that say, a Brad and Angelina live with. But that page is turning, warn many.

Full report here NDTV

I don't make music, I write: Biddu

Three years ago, Biddu, the musician who gave India the Bollywood cult number Aap Jaisa Koi..., decided to swap his guitar for the pen - partly because "music was not the important thing in the world any more".

"Record sales were dipping and the X-box was moving in - unlike 15 years ago when music was the most important thing. I did not want to keep doing music year after year till I grew old with a foot in the grave," Biddu told IANS here. Last week, the musician cut his teeth in the literary world with his autobiography, Biddu: Made in India. "I hadn't intended to write an autobiography. In 2007, I decided to write a novel. I started writing in Spain where I spend a lot of my time. Two years later, in March 2009, I came to Delhi with my manuscript and met several publishers. They liked the story, but suggested why don't you write an autobiography first since you are known for your music. Then we will take a look at your fiction," Biddu said.

The musician returned home to write his memoirs in April 2009. "The book was ready by September. It is the first of a three-book contract that I have signed with HarperCollins-India," he said. The book traces his life as Coorgi tribal boy Biddu Appaiah, born to a gregarious mother and a doctor-father in Bangalore, when "the city was a pleasant little heaven of 700,000 people" in 1945.

Full report here Times of India

Simply Sufi

Be it films, music festival, clothes or paintings, Muzaffar Ali is celebrating Sufism all the way

Frenetic activity possesses Kotwara Studio. Staffers scurry in and out with tension writ large on their faces. The tickets of the participating artistes, costumes, paperwork…the issues at hand are many and time is a paucity. The pressure is palpable but unable to affect Muzaffar Ali. Jahan-e-Khusrau — Sufi music festival held against the breathtaking backdrop of Arab Ki Sarai, Humayun's Tomb complex is just two days away when we meet Ali, the man credited with this invaluable addition to the Capital's cultural calendar.

The source of peace and content that envelops Ali even amidst this chaos is clearly the belief in Sufi philosophy Ali's life revolves around. “Sufis are the best people. They make bridges connecting people with each other. Those are not done physically but in a more subtle way through the mind and the soul. Just yesterday I was thinking, who is a Sufi amongst the people I know. And the architect Joseph Stein's name came up in my mind. He was an architect who designed India International Centre. Anybody who is passionate about people, nature and beauty is a Sufi,” ruminates Ali.

Full report here Hindu

If people want me to perform, I will: Biddu

Biddu has been on a break from music for quite some time now. Busy writing a couple of books, out of which his first book — an autobiography aptly titled Made In India releases this week. But now, Biddu has just recieved a lifetime achievement award at the Annual India Rock Awards.

On a high: BidduThis will be Biddu’s first performance in the city in eight years. Biddu jokes, “I guess the last time I performed here was when the British were still ruling us!” He adds, “I am really relieved that I got this award before I hit the bucket.


He feels that these awards weren’t there during the 80s and it’s a good sign for the rock bands. “We are no longer that old country, we are a young India. We have so many musicians in this country who need a boost. Bollywood I think has atleast nine awards every year. We should have more awards and even awards for pop singers,” says Biddu.

Full report here DNA