Banaras is known for its rich musical heritage, particularly the Banaras Tabla Gharana. Maestros Pt. Ram Kumar Mishra and his son Rahul Kumar Mishra shared their journeys and the legacy of this unique tradition, says MANISHA GAWADE
It is said that one drop of amrit during the Samudra Manthan gave birth to the city of Banaras hence called so — Bana-Ras, the melody and rhythm that dwells and resides in the very air and breath of its people. It is from here that we met two of the very important rhythmic maestros, reliving their journeys with us, Pt. Ram Kumar Mishra and his son Rahul Kumar Mishra narrating the tales from history and the contemporary world of the tabla traditions.
Old Hindu scriptures mention that the first beat of tabla was played by Lord Ganesha himself while he overpowered the demon Mahishasur with his own intelligence. From the first Hindu mythological references looking back at the some not so ancient ones, about two centuries ago, the instrument finds itself being divided into Gharanas or styles.
The word ‘gharana’ comes from the style of music and not where one is born. The birth of the Banaras Tabla Gharana took place over two centuries by Pandit Ram Sahai when he moved from Lucknow to Banaras. Although, Tabla has six gharanas and Banaras Gharana was the last one to be added, the second last one was the Lucknow gharana where Kathak left an indelible mark and to keep pace with this energetic dance form as they both needed to find an equally powerful style of musical rhythm which could captivate its audience.
It is said that after making this gharana they never felt the need to create the seventh Gharana as a sense of completion was achieved. Veer Ras predominates all the nine rasas in the variety of all its tunes and rhythmic variations of its beat which are brought about with this impeccable style of music.
To get a deeper insight we met two great tabla maestros who not only invented their own beats and styles but carry the legacy and the history of tabla on their shoulders. The bols of na dhin dhin na played by one finger, a specialty played by the legend Pt.Anokhe Lal Mishra suitably followed suit by the family -Pt. Ram Kumar Mishra and Rahul Kumar Mishra.
Rahul Kumar Mishra the young and inspiring tabla Maestro and the son Pt. Ram Kumar Mishra had an interesting take on the Gharana system, although stylistically he plays the tabla originating from the Banaras Gharana but doesn’t believe in the Gharana system as he says it’s made by humans which he likes to play what his audience likes. When we look back at Lord Krishna playing the flute or GoddessSaraswati playing the Veena or even Lord Ganesh who is said to be the inventor of tabla itself had no Gharanas so why do we stress on it so much.
Indian classical music which cannot be completed without the resounding echoes of the Tabla, since ‘laya’and the ‘swar’ will lack its soul without it. For instance, classical music played even during state mourning is often played without the tabla since it is the tabla which brings ‘laya’ representing life itself.
who is the sixth generation of this treasured gharana exchanged some interesting details from his life and journey. Music maestros have been in their family for over 250 years. He recalls that his grandfather Pandit Badri Prasad Mishra brought the tabla tradition to his family and his own father Pandit Channulal Mishra (Padma Vibhushan Awardee), who has been a world-renowned Vocalist. This tabla maestro, started his life with working as a professor at the Banaras Hindu University and later decided to quit the secure job then to play tabla full time, hopping to many famous music festivals, concerts and performances the world over. He shares with us that although it is always important to know the skill of playing it which by itself is like ‘sadhna’ (meditation) but this would enhance it further if one has the knowledge of vocal music. He learnt vocal music from his own father at a nascent age of three onwards like bhajans or kajri to achieve perfection to even tune histabla.
It would be appropriate to mention here that Pt. Ram Kumar’s, father Channulal Mishra, known internationally for Khayal style of Hindustani Classical music, specifically Banaras and Kirana Gharana who was a disciple of Ustad Abdul Ghani Khan and Thakur Jaidev Singh (Padma Bhushan Awardee), imbibed spirituality through his vocal musical excellence.
Pandit Ram Kumar Mishra, recalls that during his early years as a child when he would be playing turning empty milk plastic boxes upside down to play while listening to his favourite Kishore Kumar’s songs on the radio when his mother and daughter of Pandit Anokhe Lal Mishra (one of the legendary tabla maestros), realised that he had an extra extraordinary sense of rhythm in his beats and took the initiative to train him in this fine craft. She had learnt from one of the best herself and understood the nuances and intricacies well. Pt. Ram Kumar became India’s only such tabla maestro who was taught tabla by his mother.
He fondly remembers his first solo performance in the year 1975, when he was eleven at the Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh and also played as an accompanist for his father Pandit Channulal Mishra, he was encouraged and inspired by the sound of the applauds of the audience.
When asked about his thoughts on the guru-shishya parampara he said, “without the guru- shishya Parampara the intensity of music and the dedication of sadhana is lost. Music is God gifted, we can have maybe 200 or 400 students but unless there is perfection and dedication in music which is a gift from Saraswati the students cannot make a big name. it is a combination of this special God’s gift and learning which makes music perfect.”
He says,” to become a successful tabla player one should focus not only on playing it as a solo instrument but also have to be a good accompanist and being an accompanist can be quite a challenging task.”
Pt. Ram Kumar ji said that ironically there are six or more international channels dedicated to the animal kingdom and not even one single channel dedicated to Hindustani classical music or even classical Dance. He also added that if big Bollywood stars or important celebrities come forward and even talk about it in public, classical music and dance will go a long way to make it more popular amongst the masses. Just like yoga and Sanskrit, Indian music abroad also has a great fan following while finding a smaller fan base in its own country of origin.
I asked Rahul Kumar Mishra about his take on nepotism in Music when I compared it with Bollywood to which he said, “the audience is very intelligent and they can judge the talent easily. Yes, sometimes we might get an advantage to get an opportunity but if the next generation lacks the talent it won’t work. If you ask me personally, no matter how well I play, I am always compared to my father who has many more years of experience. There are so many kids of big legends whose kids are not as talented then the same audience gives them a deaf ear. As the 7th generation of such big legends, I feel pressured to perform well and carry this huge responsibility on my shoulders.” The young maestro has been a pioneering cultural ambassador in South Korea where the audience simply adored his performance. He had the honour of giving his performance on Independence Day and Republic Day more than seven times at Parliament House consecutively. He feels that he is very well received as a cultural ambassador abroad and looks forward to his forthcoming tabla solo in Germany, Paris, Holland, Italy in Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand.
Rahul urges the government that if a greater number of young talents are promoted and given the right stage to perform, there is a hope that it can become a jewelled crown of our country just like the Bollywood. The Hindustani Classical music and dance belong to the very roots of our nation and for each of us Indians, it must fill our hearts with pride.
Manisha Gawade is an internationally acclaimed Curator, Artist and Journalist and has contributed widely to television, radio and print media. Email: mail.manishagawade@gmail.com
