As Hindustani vocal and Kirana Gharana expert Jayateerth Mevundi makes his debut at the 23rd edition of the Parampara Series, he talks about how the lack of patience among youth is drawing them away from Indian classical music. By Team Viva
There have been endless debates around the origin of the Kirana Gharana and its founder. While some call Veena player Ustad Bande Ali Khan, who hailed from a village near Ambala in Haryana, whereas, others mention the Dhannu and Dhondu brothers, who were great devotees of Lord Krishna and are said to have asked him to grant their voice the same beauty as his melodious flute. It’s also said that the foundation was laid by Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and his cousin Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan during the early 1870s as their singing styles bear many similarities with the Carnatic music.
While the debate may go on till eternity, vocalist Jayateerth Mevundi, who has expertise in the Kirana Gharana, is very clear about the art form and his undying passion for it. The artist, who is all set to perform for the first time at the 23rd edition of the Parampara Series, says that it was due to Raja Reddy “ji”, whom he has known for many years, that he is performing at the show.
Talking about Ustad Karim’s Carnatic influence in the gharana, he tells us that Khan saab’s (Ustad Karim) singing style was very different from what is popularly known about him today. He says, “It was in the then Baroda (now Vadodara) that he was introduced to Carnatic music. Those days, many Carnatic musicians would come to perform in the king’s court. And he got deeply influenced by the music form. He later went to Mysuru to learn it further. Thus, his music has an influence of the Carnatic style in elements of music like aalaap, khatka or murki.”
Hailing from Dharwad near Hubli in Karnataka, he says that his growing-up years highly influenced his music and formed his inclination towards the Kirana Gharana. His initial training began under his mother’s guidance, who despite not being trained professionally, had a strong inclination towards the music form. He used to visit Kundgol, a village near Hubli with his parents which was home of Pt Sawai Gandharva under whom Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal had also received training. “My first tryst with classical singing was through my mother. There were no such musicians in my family who would have trained me although they would listen to songs on radio and identify ragas and notes.”
His childhood was replete with memories of music and learnings from a culture that revolved around rich, classical art forms. However, there is a difference between how those traditions have been passed on to future generations and how they are actually treated today. With the advent of social media and the growing Western influence on the young generation, isn’t classical art losing its charm among the youth? Mevundi says, “It hasn’t lost its charm. It’s just not being followed very religiously. Western music influence has been great. It has made them more inclined towards other genres, through which they think that they would get more of international exposure. Today’s youth just wants to get famous instantly. And gaining expertise in classical music is a long process. It takes years of practice to master the art, which is also why they lose interest mid way, look for other options and leave it in between. Not all understand classical. We have also seen parents becoming impatient about the need for their children to ‘become someone’. But we need to realise that it takes time to gain recognition in this field.”
However, for Kirana and other classical music forms, he feels they need to grow since they connect to people emotionally. “They can easily get in a meditative state through it. It’s like meditating loudly. Classical music is divine. Melody, deep emotions and gentleness are the most important elements in this singing,” he says. Indeed, this is why many describe this Gharana as that of romantic singing as well.
(The series will start from August 30 and go on till September 1.)