Monday, November 13 2000
A Stroll in Ramrang's Garden
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on Classical Indian Music some of which have been archived on Sawf.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. |
Rajan P. Parrikar with Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" |
Namashkar.
The early decades of the 20th century were a period of social and
intellectual renaissance in Hindustani music with the two Vishnus, Paluskar and
Bhatkhande, at the helm of the movement. Bhatkhande had initiated and brought
to fruition his investigations of the shAstraic basis of our music, uniting it
with the practice of the day. He had also successfully assembled and documented
hundreds of traditional compositions from diverse sources. In him were joined a
powerful intellect and formidable musical talent, both of which he brought to
bear on his epochal work. The formalism he developed has become the touchstone
in our times informing all musical discourse in Hindustani music. Bhatkhande's
oeuvre - the volume and quality of its content - is a miracle. That it was
accomplished single-handedly is an inspiration and a revelation what a man
armed with resolve and fixity of noble purpose can achieve. At the conclusion
of his opus Bhatkhande made clear the scope of his work. He declared that he
had only laid the foundation and that it was the responsibility of the
generations following to extend and to improve upon him.
Bhatkhande's mantle was inherited by his primary disciple, Acharya S.N.
Ratanjankar. In his time, Ratanjankar was acknowledged as the most accomplished
student of Ragadari. He was also, like his mentor, an outstanding
vaggeyakara (pronounced "vAggeyakArA") and will long be remembered
for his superb 600+ compositions, notated and documented diligently by his
disciple K.G. Ginde.
Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" teaches Shubha Mudgal -->
Cut from the same cloth as Bhatkhande and Ratanjankar is Pandit Ramashreya
Jha "Ramrang" - Vidwan, Shastrakara, Vaggeyekara, Teacher and Performer.
Ramrang joins Ratanjankar as the two most significant Hindustani
vaggeyakaras of the past 50 years. To be sure, there have been well-known
performers who have composed and composed well. But none that matches the
combination of breadth and volume, intellectual gravitas and musicianship
manifested in these two.
Ramashreya Jha was born on August 11, 1928, near Darbhanga in the Mithila
region of Bihar. His father, Sukhdev Jha, and his uncle, Madhusudan Jha, were
his early mentors. But his final calling was nurtured and brought into
purposeful
focus in the 25 years he spent in Allahabad at the ashram of his guru,
Bholanath
Bhatt. Dhrupad, Dhamar, Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, Tappa - Ramrang mastered the
fundamentals of all these forms. He also had the benefit of instruction from
other vidwans such as B.N. Thakar of Allahabad and Habib Khan of Kirana. About
15 years of his youth spent with a drama company in Varanasi helped widen his
musical vistas and attune him to the pulse of the rustic antecedents of our Art
music. In 1968, he was appointed to the faculty of Allahabad University and
later
in 1980 elevated to the position of Head of the Music Department. This
singular
move by the University was in recognition of genuine merit for Ramrang holds no
formal degrees. He retired from active professorial duty in 1989.
<-- Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" celebrates Ganesh Chathurthi at the
author's home in Goa (Sept 2000)
Ramrang's composite personality unravels into four related strands. He is a
shastrakara of the highest class and the fruits of his lifelong
meditations into
the nature of Raga constitute the five published volumes of Abhinava Geetanjali.
These classics represent a signal contribution to Indian music, dazzling us
with
the keenness of their author's mind, laying bare his capacity for concentration
and reflection, his vast and agile imagination, and the calibre of his
scholarship.
They redound to his talents in formulating and conveying ideas elegantly and
simply.
The insights and critical analyses of Ragas together with hundreds of Ramrang's
own high-quality musical compositions purveyed impel us to the inescapable
verdict: Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" is the Bhatkhande of our times.
Ramrang is a peerless vaggeyakara, the likes of whom infrequently
grace
our musical firmament. The ancient Sanskrit term "vaggeyakara" is dwelt upon
by
Sarangdeva in his treatise Sangeet Ratnakara
(see the English
translation by R.K. Shringy and Prem Lata Sharma, Munshiram Manoharlal
Publishers, 1991) and
is a union of vaka+geya+kara, where "vaka is lit. speech and therefore by
context implies
the verbal text or the verbal structure of a musical composition; geyam is lit.
that which
is the object of singing, i.e. dhatu, the tonal rhythmic structure of melody."
Hence
"vaggeyakara, one who composes the verbal as well as the tonal-rhythmic
structure of the song."
Ramrang's astonishing retentiveness and quickness of mind, the prehensility
of
his intellect which enables him to apprehend the slightest hint of melody and
press it into service, are among the key strengths attending his creative urge.
Ramrang carries all the essential music in his head and it is always
at hand for instant recall. A key requirement of a quality bandish is that it
ought to represent the précis of a
Raga's melodic content. A typical Ramrang composition goes farther: each word,
swara and matra are tied together in a symbiotic melodic ecosystem of an
aesthetic
unity not usually found in your run-of-the-mill 'old' or 'traditional' bandish.
Verily, his compositions install him alongside the handful of supremely gifted
musical
minds in any generation to whom is vouchsafed the mantra of music. Among the
earliest
leading performers to appreciate Jha-sahab's deep scholarship and come under
the
spell of his compositions was Jitendra Abhisheki, who sang, popularized and
taught
many of Jha-sahab's bandishes. Over the years, Ramrang's compositions have
found their
way into the repertoire of several other well-known performing musicians such
as
Rasiklal Andharia, C.R. Vyas, Veena Sahasrabuddhe and the like.
As a performer, Ramrang's gayaki is best appreciated by those who know and
understand
the nuances of swara and Raga. One listens to Ramrang not for his vocal
gymnastics and
high velocity tans - to be sure, he is capable of neither - but to drink from
the
wellspring of Raganubhava. His is a lakshana-oriented approach. Even the
familiar,
well-worn Ragas when refracted through Ramrang's mental prism acquire a
distinct
conceptual body and flavour. Unlike most Hindustani renditions of the day,
Ramrang
does not believe in making short shrift of the text of the bandish. Instead,
with his
acute sense of the dramatic and the poetic, he reminds us of the values
embedded in the
older genre of Dhrupad, by marrying verse and swara with such felicity as to
make the
two seem inseparable. Ramrang's creative acumen lies not only in his
superbly-conceived
compositions but also in his manner of ucchAraNa accompanying the build-up of
the Raga
edifice (known as asthAi bharnA) from the elemental bandish.
The final cut of Ramrang's jib appertains to his role as a guru. He has
trained
and counseled several students over the years, many of whom have embarked on
productive
careers. His senior disciple, Dr. Geeta Banerjee, is an eminent author,
scholar
and musician who later succeeded him as Head of the Music Department at
Allahabad
University. Another pupil, Shubha Mudgal, has attained international
recognition.
Ramrang is an exceptional lecturer who brings to his subject the font of
knowledge,
clarity of exposition, and an inspirited delivery. His discourses have come to
be
highly valued as both didactic masterpieces and as vignettes of aesthetic
delight.
Today, as he has done for the past 6 decades, Ramrang spends his waking
moments
immersed in the contemplation and creation of music. True to his calling as
one of
the greatest vaggeyekaras of all time, Ramrang's intellectual wanderlust shows
no
sign of abating; every day turns in a new insight or a new asthAi. In this
context
he lends meaning to Einstein's memorable words: Only in Science and Art are
we
permitted to remain children all our lives.
Although Ramrang is known to devotees and students of music as the author of
the Abhinava Geetanjali
classics and as a composer extraordinaire, he has spent most of his musical
life in
relative isolation, away from the glare of public adulation, and on the fringes
of the
community of active performing musicians. This is entirely in keeping with his
character
and inner conviction that music is a lifelong sAdhanA of intellectual and
emotional
discipline, not a source of pelf.
In summing up the musical life of Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang," the understated
flourish
of Professor G.H. Hardy in his essay A Mathematician's
Apology comes
to mind:
Whatever we do may be small, but it has a certain character of permanence;
and to have produced
anything of the slightest permanent interest...is to have done something
utterly beyond the powers of
the vast majority of men.
In the current offering, we return to Ramrang's garden (see the earlier Ramrang
- A Bouquet of Compositions). This package of compositions has been put
together from postings made earlier in the Usenet newsgroup
rec.music.indian.classical (RMIC).
The opening sequence comprises four compositions in Raga Bhimpalasi.
Jha-sahab opens with his lovely vilambit Roopak bandish mandara kaba
Avegi and then quickly sketches three druta compositions, interjecting the
proceedings with pertinent comments.
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/bhimpalasi_vil.ram
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/bhimpalasi_druta1.ram
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/bhimpalasi_druta2.ram
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/bhimpalasi_tarana.ram
Raga Chhaya Bihag is a hybrid of two rAgas, namely, Chhaya and Bihag. The
primary marker of the Chhaya component is the P->R swoop. Ramrang's compositions here speak
of the episode of the baby Krishna wanting the moon for himself and Jashoda's
reaction to his intransigence.
bAri nihAri chhAyA chandra ki
dhoodhata puni-puni do'u kara
pAvata nA kheeje Hari chhina nirakhe nabha chandra ki shobha
chinna kara bAri phirAve
pAve nA urazhe Hari
Ramrang first explains the purport and the bhAva embedded in the
sAhitya...
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/chhayabihag_sahitya.ram
...and then sketches his vilambit composition (this was recorded in
September
2000 in Goa. Tabla: Shri Vaman Naik, formerly of AIR Panjim) -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/chhayabihag_vil.ram
Raga Savani of the Kalyan anga is rarely heard today. Jha-sahab sings a
traditional bandish that has come down to him from his guru, Bholanath Bhatt -
banata banA'ooN bana nahi Ave. Notice and feel the difference of
curvature and punctuation in the ucchAraNa of P->R in the preceding
Chhaya Bihag and in the upcoming Savani Kalyan. This beautiful cheez was
recorded at Satyasheel
Deshpande's house in Mumbai in the 1990s -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/savanikalyan.ram
Ramrang's Tarana in Raga Jaijaivanti set to Jhaptala shows
arresting
cross-play with the laya -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/jaijaivanti_tarana.ram
Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" at play -->
Some 30-35 years ago, a pupil of Omkarnath Thakur called on Ramrang and
sang his guru's beautiful Shyam Kalyan composition. A couple of days later he
dropped by again and was astonished to find that Jha-sahab had not only
remembered Omkarnath's bandish but had produced a near-identical match by
stitching new words onto the melody. We hear in Jha-sahab's own voice
Omkarnath's original composition and then his matching riposte. The words of
both the compositions are also provided.
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/shyamkalyan.ram
Raga: Shyam Kalyan
Composer: Omkarnath Thakur "Pranav"
jhoolata Gopala palanA
ghuNghari alake lalake kapola bhAla
bAla mukund Ananda kanda
puni puni malake kilake 'praNavesha' NandlAla Raga: Shyam Kalyan
Composer: Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang"
(adaptation of Omkarnath Thakur's bandish) khelata Angana NandlAla
chanchala chapala charaNa pare
behAla ho lalanA
Yashodananda Ananda sindhu
nita nita bihare hiyare
'Ramrang' nirakhi nehAla ho lalanA
Bhatkhande's monumental exegesis Hindustani Sangeet
Paddhati has a reference to the Carnatic import, Raga Pratapvarali (he
may well have been the one to introduce it in Hindustani music although, in
keeping with his self-effacing nature, he doesn't say so himself).
The sangatis in Pratapvarali are vakra, especially the ones around the
avarohi gandhAr. Durga (of
the Bilawal thAT) is kept at bay through special swara emphasis and
characteristic phrases (the alert reader will figure them out from the sound
clips). Other Ragas of similar persuasion are the Carnatic Ragas Arabhi,
Sama/Shyama and Devagandhari (incorrectly labeled on Abdul Karim Khan's HMV
tape as Devagandhar, a very different puppy).
There is an older composition in Pratapvarali due to Aman Ali Khan of
Bhendibazar. Ramrang's two compositions presented here were huge
favourites of Jitendra Abhisheki. In the vilambit bandish, Jha-sahab makes the
rAga look
deceptively easy. Notice how the key lakshaNA is captured in the mukhDA.
nAma anAmi bahunAmi tuma
Narayana Narasimha Hari
roopa naheeN tero bahuroopee tuma
Rama Krishna Bavana Vapu dharee
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/pratapvarali_vil.ram
The sparkling druta Ektala composition -
mAna manuvA morA re
taja de gumAna jhooThee jaga shAna, samajha nAdAna
Hari soN lagAvo lagana, 'Ramrang' ranga le tana
chhina meN kaTe bhava bandhana
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/pratapvarali_druta.ram
Moving along, we bring an magnificent monologue by Jha-sahab where he ranges
over Ragas Devgiri Bilawal, Yamani Bilawal and Sarparda Bilawal. The act
concludes with his reciting a traditional vilambit composition in Sarparda.
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/bilawalspeak.ram
<-- Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" at play
The traditional Devgiri composition, din gina de re bAmanA, is now
isolated from the above clip. The sAhitya is typical of several old
compositions. The nAyikA, longing for her beloved, asks the 'bAmanA' (brahman -
jyotishi, in this context) to read the charts and foretell her union. What
distinguishes an outstanding cheez from the run-of-the-mill is the extent and
efficiency of capture of the rAga lakshaNAs -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/devgiribilawal_druta1.ram
Next on the menu, a course of five delightful compositions, two in Raga
Bhoopali and three in Shuddha Kalyan.
Ramrang sings of Lord Shiva in Har Har Mahadeva in Raga Bhoopali -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/bhoopali_druta1.ram
Another cheez in Bhoopali, set to Ektala: mAna leeje sundarwA -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/bhoopali_druta2.ram
Shuddha Kalyan co-opts elements of Bhoopali, padding them with vital
additional
tonal artifacts. Jha-sahab first sings a traditional composition, mandara
bAjo
re: mandara bAjo re
ata sukha ho jiyaravA
Aja humAre Aye piyaravA
rooma-rooma hulasilA
sarasa bheda paranana upajA'i
yA vidha piyA ko manavA rijhA'i
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/shuddhakalyan_druta1.ram
The next two are his own compositions. Satyasheel Deshpande provides
both 'daad' and vocal support. bairana bha'i ri -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/shuddhakalyan_druta2.ram
neeNdariyA tu kAhe nA -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/shuddhakalyan_druta3.ram
The Yaman flowers are in full bloom in the next patch. A full suite of four
delectable compositions is ours to 'pluck and play.' Ramrang expands on his
vilambit bandish devana deva. This
has to be among the most sublime Yaman ever conceived. Although an abbreviated
excerpt, the clip furnishes an illuminating demonstration of the procedure
known as
"asthA'i bharnA" (lit. filling up of the asthA'i). Jha-sahab's impromptu
remarks interject the proceedings.
devana deva Mahadeva hara kara trishoola Damaru pinAkadhara
garala kanTha dhara jaTA ganga dhara vyAla mAla aradhangi 'Ramrang'
tripurAri tanga hara
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/yaman_vil1.ram
This cheez has been posted earlier but the recording
quality here is superior. In the final lap Ramrang talks about some features of
the composition and ends with a dramatic flourish.
ranga de ranga de rangarejawA
mori chunariyA ranga saNwariyA
guna mAnoo tore more mitwA
pAyana paruN tore rangarejA
'Ramrang' ranga de hamari angiyA ko more mitwA
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/yaman_druta1.ram
Another cheez in Yaman, a different design and flavour. Ramrang has composed
close to 50 bandishes in Yaman/Yaman Kalyan spread over roughly 5 decades,
ploughing through every conceivable inch of the Raganga territory.
tumhari Asa lAgi Aja
deenAnAtha dayAnidhi deenana bandhu
Terata nAma tero pata rakha leeje mero
'Ramrang' maiN to taja Aa'i jaga ko neha nAtA
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/yaman_druta2.ram
This Khayalnuma is set to Teentala -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/yaman_tarana.ram
The nonchalent touch and location of the shuddha madhyam in this Yaman
Kalyan composition register pleasingly on both the heart and mind -
sangata keenhe guniyana ki
guna Ave pAve guniyana meN mAna pAna
woh kahAve guni guniyana meN
bheda pAve so'i jina jAne guniyana ki gurutA
'Ramrang' jo Ave dhyAve charanana meN
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/yamankalyan_druta1.ram
We make a nodding acquaintance with a prakAr of Nat known as Nat Nagari. It
has
its moorings in Chhayanat but a chalan bheda imparts to it an
independent swaroopa. Notice the Kukubh-like prayoga of the rishab. The text
addresses a prasanga in the life of Bhartrhari. At the conclusion
of his sanyAsa he returns to his unfaithful wife and asks for alms, as enjoined
by his guru. The penitent wife now responds: kAhe alakha jagAyo jogi tum
mere prANa adhAra -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/natanagari_vil.ram
Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" in Goa -->
Ramrang's activities in ancillary forms such as Thumri, Hori and Dadra
must find mention in any survey of his work. While primarily wedded to
classicism, his deep knowledge of these auxillary genres is a result of his
long
association with his guru, Bholanath Bhatt who was an expert of the
Thumri with a large traditional repertoire at his command (vide B.R. Deodhar -
Pillars of Hindustani Music). Of Lucknowi
extraction, these Thumris fall to the older lot known as 'bandish-ki-thumri'
and are
characterized by a faster laya and a taut wrap around the Tala.
Jha-sahab's first clip is a full rendition of a traditional Thumri he
received from Bholanath Bhatt. This superb composition, an objet d'art really,
is rendered equally well - the inflections and enunciation of syllables are
points of note. Raga Tilak Bihari in which it is set uses Tilak Kamod for its
base, renders
its rishab deergha, and borrows elements from Khamaj: ho maharAjA kevaDiyA
khole,
rasa ki boonda paRe -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/tilakbihari_thumri.ram
A traditional Dadra -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/dadra.ram
Ramrang himself has composed several exquisite Thumris and Tappas. Two
samplers follow. A bandish-ki-thumri in Khamaj, set to Ektala -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/khamaj_thumri.ram
A Tappa in Kafi -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/kafi_tappa.ram
The next offering is a composition in Raga Bhankhari (not to be confused
with Raga Bhankar). This composite rAga is formed from the strands of Bibhas
(of
the Marwa thAT), Jait, Deshkar and Marwa. The deergha bahutva role accorded the
dhaivat is noticeable. Vocal accompaniment to Ramrang is provided by Satyasheel
Deshpande: sanga nA keejiye manuvA, durjana soN doora
haTiye -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/bhankhari_druta.ram
Three aprachalita prakArs of Malhar follow. First, a traditional composition
in Raga Nat Malhar - gagana garaja garaja garaja barse badaravA
hooma hooma Aa'i ghaTA chahuN ora te sajani
eka to ghana garaje dooje dAmini si kauNda teeje papihA karata shor
piyu piyu piyu piyu more mana bhAvana so jiyarA thara thara laraja
laraja
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/natmalhar_druta.ram
Raga Jhanj Malhar: the rAga is obtained by administering a small dose of the
Kanada anga to the uttarAnga of Miyan Malhar -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/jhanjmalhar_druta.ram
Raga Chanchalsas Malhar: elements of Megh, Desh and Shahana are woven into
the Malhar fabric -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/chanchalsasmalhar_druta.ram
Our promenade of Ramrang's garden concludes with a Raga that shall remain
unnamed. Ramrang keeps us guessing (I am on the Harmonium and Tulsidas Navelkar
on the Tabla). Around 3 minutes into the clip its identity is suggested by
moi. At any rate, it is much more interesting figuring out the 5 constituent
rAgas
of this hybrid -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/ramrang/patmanjari.ram
Glossary
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