Monday, October 2, 2000
Jaipurwales - The Lost Treasure
Rajan P. ParrikarRajan P. Parrikar is a
recognized expert on Indian Classical music and shares his knowledge freely
with those interested in the subject.
He has written a series of
articles on Classical Indian Music some of which have been archived on Sawf.
Click here to
read Rajan's earlier articles. |
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Rajan P. Parrikar and Asha Bhonsle (1995).
Namashkar.
Laxmanprasad Jaipurwale (1915-1977) is an unknown entity today. He was a
superlative musician - a vocalist and a composer of a very high calibre, a
representative of what is known as the 'Kunwar Shyam' tradition. The
progenitor of this lyrical and layakAri-laden gAyaki was Goswami Lalji
Maharaj ('Kunwar Shyam').
 <-- Laxmanprasad Jaipurwale
A recluse who sang only within the precincts of Delhi's Radha-Govind temple,
the saint-musician-composer Kunwar Shyam (died c. 1911) has left behind a rich
fund of delicious compositions. We have earlier encountered his exquisite
creation -
recall the Chhaya Malhar renditions of Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" and Bhimsen
Joshi ("A
Tale of Two
Malhars") - and here we shall acquaint ourselves with some more through
the good offices of Laxmanprasad Jaipurwale.
Laxmanprasad's recordings are today hard to come by. He lived, what we,
in these times, may view as an existence uncontaminated and unburdened by
financialand self-marketing savvy. His eldest son, Govindprasad Jaipurwale
(1944-1988), excelled as a vocalist but was snatched away before his
time. Between the two of them they gave tAleem to scores of professional
musicians. Some names that come to mind are: Rajdulari Khan (second wife of
Ali Akbar Khan), Sudha Malhotra, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Ronu Majumdar, Meenu
Purshottam, Aarti Mukherjee, Manhar, Ajit Kadkade, Chandrasekhar Gadgil and
several other not-so-well-known but competent musicians.
Laxmanprasad's only surviving son, Girdharprasad, today struggles to
collect and put together the shards of his father's oeuvre. Girdharprasad
specializes in the tabla but is also skilled in the melodic department.
Despite considerable odds he has brought to light two volumes of
Sangeet Gyan Prakash detailing the compositions
of Laxmanprasad Jaipurwale and Kunwar Shyam in notation.
Girdharprasad recently made available to me his father's recordings, most
of them unpublished and a couple from an old Polydor LP. In addition, we also
have at handsome recordings of Govindprasad.
Laxmanprasad's preferred accompanists for the tabla were Taranath Rao and
Habibuddin Khan, and for the harmonium, Manohar Chimote and Madan Prakash -
all specialists in their respective domains. The clips lined up throw open a
window to the rich artistry of an unusually gifted man, today all butforgotten.
We kick off with a snapshot of a vilambit kHayAl in Raga Bhatiyar
followed by a druta rendition, both compositions of Laxmanprasad himself -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/lpj_bhatiyar.ram
Next, a Gunakree (Gunakali) cheez set to roopaka, again LPJ's own -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/lpj_gunkali.ram
Raga Kafi, a Laxmanprasad composition -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/lpj_kafi.ram
Kunwar Shyam's yen for the varieties of Malhars finds a foil in
Laxmanprasad. A couple of attractive bandishes in the aprachalita Raga
Suha Malhar, an amalgam of rAgas Suha and Soor Malhar (this rendition
should be more appropriately called Sughrai Malhar) -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/lpj_suhamalhar1.ram
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/lpj_suhamalhar2.ram
A Pooriya Kalyan bandish receives deft treatment -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/lpj_pooriyakalyan.ram
The Laxmanprasad segment concludes with an elegant Mishra Khamaj thumri
which, in the latter half of the clip, morphs into a rAgamAla -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/lpj_khamaj_ragamala.ram
The second segment of the Jaipurwale trove contains snatches of the late
Govindprasad. He was particularly proficient in the lighter forms such as
Ghazal and Thumri. Afficionados of Vividh Bharati will perhaps recall
his renditions in the 1970s.
Govindprasad Jaipurwale -->
Govindprasad begins with an invocation to Saraswati in Raga
Hamsadhwani. The composer is his father. hamsavAhini girA mAtA Saraswati
deeje mohe bhakti vidyA
aur jaga meN shubha gati mati
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/gpj_hamsadhwani.ram
Next, a Ghazal -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/gpj_ghazal.ram
Our brief musical excursion concludes with a Thumri,
placing Govindprasad's felicity in the 'light' forms
in perspective: muraliwAle Shyam -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/lpj/gpj_thumri.ram
Glossary
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