Anant Ambhaikar comments : Rajan, Your series on music is exceptional not only for the rich treasure of music it offers but also for the beautiful enunciation of the sacred tradition. I am greatly indebted to you for opening up this beautiful vista of knowledge and wish you the very best in all your endeavours.
Unmesh Joshi comments : You have a very nice series of articles on music. I dont understand anythign in classical music. But like the clips you provide with your articles. Also I have one question about quality of voice. When people say Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar had the best quality voices in the last 50 years of film industry what do they exactly mean? How to compare quality of voices?
Surinder Chowdhury comments : Rajan, Your contribution in disseminating the vast body of knowledge related to Indian classical music is truly outstanding.
Thank you for bringing to us Pandit Ramashreya Jha, a treaure, a rishi in the true Indian tradition. Thank you for the beautiful pictures of artists and the clips from old masters. It is sad to see this series end but I hope you will continue to bring more of these treasures to us in the future.
I have been reading your articles and listening to the accompanying music in SAWF with great pleasure. I hope you continue your work. I thank you on the behalf of all music lovers for your service to the community.
I was a student of Pandit Pran Nath for a few years when he lived in the New York city. While growing up in Kolkata, I had a great good fortune to attend many concerts as well as private Mehfils. I even heard Ustad Amir Khan once in a Mehfil and listened to Bhimsen Joshi while sitting next to Hirabai Barodekar. Your collection is quite remarkable, especially the unpublished and rare music. Your gift of unpublished Yaman by Amir Khan is priceless.
I wish you a happy new year and look forward to more music.
Best regards
Pabitra Sen
Vandana Mhaske - Rajalaxmi Kamath comments : Shri Rajan Parrikar, Saprem Namaskar! Tumche gelya 30 Decemberche "Multani Short-takes" article vachale-aikle. Gelya anek articles pramane he hi ragachya dalanaat gheun gele, khoop kahi deun gele. Tya lekhachya shevati tumcha "Nirop" vachla. Our first reaction was `Why'? This is what perhaps made us write to you post-haste! Geli teen varshe tumhi SAWF chya website var abhijaat bharatiya sangeet vishayak lekh lihit aahat, ragachi olakh, jhalak, ani rag-rang cine-geetan pasun te bhajan, thumri, tarana khyal gayaki sarva madhyamatun ulgadat ahaat. Kay sangave! Amchi ras-poorti khoop darjedar ani abhyas-poorna ritine hoat geli - so far away from home! It was a unique experience of the interactive ability of the net. Doormil gayaki, rare photographs, and ofcourse your Parrikaresque comments! For us, at the literal periphery of this mahasagar, it was a precious experience. Tumcha abhyas, sanshodhan, parichay, pravaas, samvedana, shraddha, yatun ha amol sanskritik theva tumhi jatan kelat, ani amchyashi itkya dil-khulaas pane share kelat - we are really grateful! Hope you will continue doing something like this for the sorts like us... Tumka Nav-varshe laik voccho...melyaa! -Vandana Mhaske, -Rajalaxmi Kamath...both from Michigan State University.
Manohar Bodas comments : Well do you really want to stop?? There is a lot you can do still.
As you pointed out There is no Sarang in Gaud Sarang. Do you find Kamod in Tilak kamod. How these name came about? Are we stuck with them??
Eday Balaji comments : The audio links are not working these days. Any technical hitch? Rajan's articles are nothing short of brilliant. Please please restore the audiolinks.
I have found this series to be exceptionally well documented and lucid to understand !! Thanks a lot. But of late, the audio files do not seem to be working. please advise. The webbrowser is unable to find them .
Regards, Pushpak
Raghu comments : Hello, The audio doesnt seem to be working! Could you kindly set them right .
Thanks, Raghu
Kartik Krish comments : Mr.Parrikar, Your series on Hindustani music have immensely benefited me in understanding the grammar of HM,the khasiyats of individual gharanas,of musicians and of ragas. Truly,the series has benefited a whole community of connoissures of indian classical music and it has been a great learning experience for a lover of HM like me.
Wish you all the very best in your future endeavours. Thanks, Kartik
Ravi Shiroor comments : Rajan, i am very sorry to see that you are bidding good bye. thank you for your efforts, which definitely helped me in savoring a greater amount of Anand from the Hindustani Classical Music.
Jason Goodrow comments : Thanks for the fantastic website! As a western musician I've particularly enjoyed your comments on the 'ethno-musicologist' phenomina; very timely during this especially bankrupt period of western pop culture. Please make the site available for sale as an enhanced CD.
Please do not stop this series. The number of readers & listeners of these articles & music clips are a bit too many, and they love them a bit too much. We will not allow you to stop this series. I am learning music from Pt. Rajabhau Sontakke here in Bangalore. My guru is a shishya of none other than Pt. Omkarnath Thakur. I read your articles and realize the validity of the first paragraph in all your articles ( - "recognized expert" and all that .. ). Your interpretations of ragas are flawless, so to say, and they achieve to the maximum degree, what a written description of this kind can achieve. I repeat, Sir - You can not stop this series like this - we will not allow you to do so.. You have to write on various things like where is Kalyan in Gorakh Kalyan, How the rishabhs of todi, marva, multani are different from each other, why ragas sound good to a human ear, why we hear a swayambhu gandhar in the taanpura and so many things.
Tuven samke bare kaam kela ma re.. Ashinch tuje kadlyan Sangeet seva jaudi mhanun magata..Tuzo Dona-Paula cho photo mat tuven Cidade-Goa mukha vailo lavunk naka asalo. Tu khanycho? Time melta tenna baray..
You are absolutely terriffic in the way you have chosen to contribute to the field of music. Where do you live? Are there avenues where one could get involved with you? I wish to do my bit of spreading the knowledge on music in Mumbai.
Thanks and best regards
Prasanna Karmarkar comments : Dear Rajan, This site, and your oevre was re-introduced to me by Vineet, a friend. Though I have been reading your articles for only 3 days now, it has been a gripping journey. And with Multani, I find that you are bidding goodbye!
I have really enjoyed reading your prose (which sometimes borders on poetry), peppered as it is with those lovely french, german and latin phrases that put me in just the right mood.... I am in awe with which you have culled sound bytes from the aural antariksha , allowing an aficionado like myself a glimpse into the genius, variety and range found in indian musicians. Also thanks for introducing the infinity foundation. I hope your work, and all such work, will find a lot of champions in coming years. Thanking you profusely, and wishing you the fullest life and happiness,
Prasanna.
Bakul I Dalal comments : Dear Rajan: I have enormousely enjoyed your discourses on classical Bharatiya music, not only because they are so immensely informative, or because they have the audio clips that I so enjoy listening to, but because you write so well! You should consider writing as a second (or first) career. Have you already written anything else?
You have a knack at simplifying the most complex concepts, and making them amusing, enjoyable to read and understand. If you were my music teacher in high school, I might have been blowing into flutes rather than giving CPRs (I am a cancer specialist), and writing compositions rather than prescriptions.
Keep up the good work, Rajan. And if ever in Vancouver, Canada, do look me up.
Montino Bourbon comments : Just what does "the cheej pijja-loving (naked) Emperor of San Rafael, Mr. Alubhai Khan" mean? I happen to be a tied disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and I find your tone patronizing, insulting, and racist. I studied with Khan-sahib twelve years full-time, and I find him to be one of the greatest players, composers, and teachers of all time in any tradition , Indian or western. To be sure, he is human, with all the foibles of humanity, but he has taught Indian Classical music in the United States diligently and beautifully for over forty years, rendering a service to humanity and I.C.M. that has not been even approached by any other teacher. I want an explanation of what "the cheej pijja-loving" means, and I want it now; reply at once, or lose all honor.
Sincerely
Montino Bourbon del Monte
The author responds: Dear Mr. Bourbon, I don't owe you any explanation whatsoever. I also don't give a rat's behind to what you think about Alu, Indian music or anything else. Now get lost. Rajan P. Parrikar
Montino Bourbon comments : My, That was fast! I hope that it didn't sting too much!
Yes, I finally (at 2 in the morning) realized what "the cheej pijja-loving" means; I had to screw up my face in that unique way that Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has of saying "Cheese pizza". Of course, being around him for all those years and knowing his speech patterns and his habits helps.
Well, I'd love to bandy words with you further, but I'm having such a good time playing sarod, specifically Raga Chandranandan, an old composition in sulphak tal, that I want to get back to my music room at once.
I look forward to many amusing conversations!
Sincerely
Montino Bourbon del Monte
The author responds: Dear Mr Bourbon, I know I can count on hippie bums to be outraged by my comments on the (naked) Empie Alu. What you do to your sarod in the privacy of your room is strictly your business but I recommend that you first consult a proctologist. I must also advise you to desist from making any more entries on these pages since you have demonstrated an incapacity for saying anything of substance or relevance. Keeping you and your favourite Indian deity in good cheer isn't exactly on the list of our priorities, and more important, we have scant tolerance of triflers or spammers. Again, it was a pleasure getting your goat. Warm regards, Rajan P. Parrikar
Anup Singh Batwal comments : I find it unusual that you treat certain people, especially musicians, disparagingly, since you obviously are a lover of music.
Montino Bourbon - Stop spamming our site. If you continue with this, we will report your abuse to the appropriate authorities.
Montino Bourbon comments : I would like to engage in a polite, reasonable discussion with you; I believe that we might both profit from talking with someone whose point of view may apparently be so different from our own.
I greatly admire both your knowledge of the music and your obvious intelligence; I only regret that I seem to be unable to open the music links on your site, as I would really like to hear the clips that you have.
Please let me know your decision; I will abide by it and not attempt to contact you again, if that is your wish.
Sincerely
Montino Bourbon del Monte
The author responds: Dear Mr. Bourbon, The aim of "polite, reasonable discussion" that you profess now wasn't obvious, going by the posture and tenor of your messages above. This page wasn't intended to be a forum for extended discussions. It has been my practice to add a small rejoinder only if there's a genuine question raised. You have made your point in your initial posting - to wit, your stated displeasure about my manner of addressing your ustad. Let us leave it at that. Concerning your difficulties about opening the musical links - you need RealPlayer, which can be downloaded for free from any number of sites. If you already have RealPlayer on your system, then there may be some other problem with your set-up. Regards, Rajan P. Parrikar
Montino Bourbon comments : Dear Mr Parrikar; I thank you for your cordial answer. As you undoubtedly know, respect for Guru is a primary consideration for us. Since you obviously have great respect for the music and its authors, I will take your jocular addressing of Khan-sahib in stride from now on.
Please forgive my previous combative tone; I am unused to anyone joking about sensitive subjects, but perhaps I have been too sheltered from humor that Indians take for granted; I know that as a non-Indian trained in an art that is Indian in origin, I have been sometimes accused of being 'more royalist than the king', as we say in Europe (Where I was born and partly raised).
I thank you for your suggestion of how to access the music on your site, and I look forward to not only listening, but keeping in contact with you concerning an art that we have both given much of our lives to.
Very sincerely,
Montino Bourbon del Monte
Montino Bourbon comments : Oh, and by the way, I am one of only two people to be kicked out of the Ali Akbar College, and the only one to be kicked out TWICE! and even then I was not finished... but that is a long story, and includes my 'graduation' if you can call it that.
Very sincerely,
Montino Bourbon del Monte
Dr. Mohammad Hanif comments : Rajan: I have no words to express thanks for your remarkable collection and dedication to classical music. Music lovers will appreciate your openness and deep research. People like me who doesn't have much knowledge in classical musical are deeply indebted to your work. Please keep up. Once again thank you. Thank you. thank you.
Milind Joshi comments : Hari Om I live in Sydney .I visit this website every day.It is simply divine to listen to most of the clips. God bless you !! No doubt ,you are a realised soul.I am sure you are marching towards the enlightenment. Shree Swami Samartha.
Ads Mangat comments : It is a wonderful collection and contribution .It is requested that more Ragas should be taken up as and when convenient .
Mitch Taylor comments : I love this site are you going to update your realtime links soon?
Your Contribution to Indian Music is GREAT - Many have contributed through their Vocal Chords or through their art with musical instruments - But your way of Contribution helps others a) to understand Music in simple way B) to listen to some rare gems of musical pieces.
I do not know whether you have plans to come out with such compilation on Audio CDs - that will be great.
Mr Parrikar - You are Simply the Great -
I must tell you when I want to relax and get entertained - I visit your site.
All the Best
Ayub Aulia comments : Rajan Sahib, Roshan Ara Begum was niece of Abdul Karim Sahib. Her father's name was abdul Haque, brother of Khan Sahib.Kindly let me have full text of Jaan ko man allah(Multani) and Gumani Jag tuj geo(Darbri). I am brother in law of Ustad Zakir Hussain and son in law of legend Ustad Alla Rakha. Namaste salam and adaab. God bless. awaitng your reply. Ayub Aulia
Bal Mukund Sanadhya comments : An unique opportunity provided by this website to understand basics of music. A new life to enjoy music spiritually has been provided by you. Parrikar ji long live & god bless you.
Arindam Gangopadhyay comments : Dear Mr Parrikar, I found your collection of clippings just awesome.The othr day I needed some ref on ADANA and my search at your nook was a success. One question though, can you provide a ram/sound file with the 22 shrutis,like the darbari g or bhairav r -we are too used to harmonium and been semitone blind for ages.there are books giving the frequencies (with shadja at 240 or so) but the ear wants more. regards, Arin
These set of articles are stupendous. You should be writing a book compiling all of these and more and I'll be the first to buy.
Thanks for all your efforts in making me more intelligible about Indian Classical music. I thoroughly loved reading thru all articles and practising some of them as well.
Thanks again
Kuldeep Dongre
Kaushik comments : Are you sure Roshanara was Abdul Karim's daughter? I read Hirabhai and Suresh Babu Mane are Abdul Karim and Tarabai's children.
You should be congratulated on your effort to enlighten the minds of all in regards to Indian Ragas. I cannot help but notice some serious deficiencys in your research. As a doctor, I am sure you will benefit in this thorough exam of your body of word. First, you have not mentioned two of the greatest contributors to North Indian Music, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and the late Padma Vibhusan Acharya Dr. Allauddin Khan, acknowledged as the greatest figure in North Indian music in this century. How one could dedicate a webpage, and a few years of his self proclaimed ' do nothing - faineant' life to researching ragas and posting MP3s of great musicians playing them, and negelct to include these two giants of North Indian music shows your obvious lack of research. Perhaps in India, they are still employing chloroform, and the bottle has stayed open a little too long in your house. I suggeset, closing it, walking over to your library and begin doing some earnest research.
Furthermore, your overt rascist statement, "By becoming engineers and doctors, India's best minds today have ceded the business of explicating India's heritage to foreigners. These cultural outsiders - overwhelmingly Westerners - are mostly of third-rate intellectual quality (the smartest Americans are not studying India)" shows a bit of the truth, concerning Western superiority. It is true, Westerners are practicing the music of the Ragas, for a multitude of reasons.
One, because we love the music, Two, because Indians can't PLAY! There is nothing more pitiful than a culture lost in pursuit of the almighty dollar, and buddy, the Indians are LOST. So lost in fact, that they come to my country, the USA, and do all of our high tech engineering for us, and at a cheaper price! The likes of Bill Gates have seduced your youth with programming and higher wages, and your people has lost the rich culture you have created in this music.
As far as trying to attack people for keeping your culture alive, and DOING it better than you can, well, all I can say is this:
Learn how to play, and then you can get the respect of the world, including myself.
Until then, you are just a talker, and I have heard enough of your hot air.
Sincerely,
Christopher Kilday
The author responds: Dear Christopher Kilday,
I am pleased that my writings have given a two-pesos noisemaker like you piles up your rectum. Pencil in an appointment with your proctologist. Now get lost, pissant.
I thought your collection was just awesome -- especially Jha-Saheb's recordings. I learned music for a short while as a a kid, and this site rekindled my interest and became the Dhruv Tara or the North Star. There is no refrence to time on this page or site, so it is hard for me to see if you have indeed quit or still involved.
Lage Raho.
Raksha Shetty comments : i jus wanna say thank u.. im a classical music student and u hv no idea how much this has benefitted me.. to know the same raag being rendered with different styles yet the soul remains the same.. jus keep it up..
Deepak Raja comments : Roshanara was the illegitimate daughter of Abdul Haq, a sarangi-playing brother of Abdul Kareem Khan, and a Calcutta-based courtesan. The source of this information is Michael Kinnear's biography of Abdul Kareem Khan. The author responds: Yes, I found out about it quite some time back but have not gotten around to emending the article. Kumar Prasad Mukherji also corroborates this in his book, if I recall correctly. This and minor edits in other features have long been pending. Rajan P. Parrikar
Like you, though only in a fractional manner, I have been trying to gather, assimilate, and disseminate knowledge on Hindustani music. You might like to Google me out for credentials. For several years, it has been my desire to establish contact with you. Every email ID I discovered on the "Net failed to establish contact. Would you mind helping?
By the way, Roshanara Begum's parentage is most authoritatively documented in Michael Kinnear's biography of Ustad Abdul Kareem Khan.
Regards. Deepak Raja
Rupinder comments : Hi rajan jee, just wanted to know, what are the lyrics to the bandish that ustad amir khan is singing in multani? And could u maybe give a translation if possible? Thanks Rupinder
