In this world of ours, people come and people go but those who leave their indelible footsteps on the sands of time are remembered for time immemorial. The world never tires worshiping them. They come like everyone and go like everyone of us but what makes them unforgettable is the immortal energy they leave behind them which is a source of inspiration for thousands of inquisitive fools like me and you. For an artist, it's his art that makes him look stupendous in the midst of comparable human beings.
As far as year 2011 is concerned, it's not been a good year for the world of music. Time took away from us many of the great voices. Death is the ultimate truth. Inevitable. No one is an exception. But the magic created by these voices carried with them a divine energy, a charismatic vibration of positivity, because of which they are still being reverberated in our ears, mind and heart. There have been various great maestros, Ustad, Pandit or Vidwan, whatever you call them, all of whom gave birth to a revolution through their voices by inspiring millions and millions of people all over the world. My music teacher once told me that,"To be a successful musician, you need to work on how are you going to convey your music to a layman. When you achieve in making a layman understand what your music is trying to pass on, then you can say that you have done your job quite well as a musician". Three of such singers by whom I have derived immense inspiration\ are
- Pt Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi
- Pt Jagjit Amar Singh.
- The voice of north east, Dr. Bhupen Nilkantha Hazarika.
When the dreams get equipped with wings, nothing can stop the person. He can even sacrifice his family, friends, house, everything in the search of the destination which he has dreamt of. Pt Bhimsen Joshi ji is the finest example of being such a person. Just imagine, a boy 11 year old, flying out itno this massive world, leaving behind him his each and every belonging, in the persuit of excellence and a world of his own, built by his power of imagination. The rest we know about him is a history. Not only has he given a new dimension to the world of Indian Classical Music but also has contributed immensely to bring about a change in the Dasa Sahitya, The Bhakti Movement literature, light music, Bollywood music and Natya Sangeet. He became the voice of saints like Kabeer das, Purandara dasa, Meera Bai, Soor Das and various other great poets. Pandit ji is the first musician to introduce the Abhanga style into Kannada dasa sahitya. Getting up in the early morning listening to pandit ji's "teerth vithal kshetra vital" has become a tradition in Maharashtra from several years now. Most appreciable thing about pandit ji is that he never confined himself only to a particular kind of music. He went on experimenting with various styles and always stood on the top, creating an enduring mark of his own. His determination and quest to take good from all, made him a genius!! His ability to sing in all the five octaves with a great ease is yet a mission impossible for various people!!. Even though pandit joshi ji isn't with us today, he has left behind his immortal voice, spreading the spirituality of the dasa kirtan, rendering the innocent prayers to the muraliwala, jagatguru shri krishna and inspiring millions of masses who are sinking into darkness. My salute to the classical king with majestic voice, from Dharwad.
"Yeh daulat bhi lelo, yeh shaurat bhi lelo bhale chheen lo mujhse meri jawani, magar mujhko lauta do bachpan ka sawan, wo kagaz ki kashti wo barish ka pani".
Pleading his fate to return his youthful and fruitful childhood days, is the voice of The Shehenshah-e-ghazal, Pandit Jagjit Singh. Time is the most powerful thing in the world and has left no one as an exception to its rules. What would you do if all of a sudden, one fine morning, you lose your loved ones? what if your marriage doesn't go well?. Won't you think of ending everything forever!? Won't you cut off yourself from the society and sink into the ocean of sorrow?. What else can be worse than losing your one and only beloved son? Yes, life has shown this malevolent face of its to Jagjit sahab. But our "Punjab da sher" stood firm with his music and raised above all the darkness marched towards eternal light, taking the Ghazal style of singing to a level where nobody had thought it would be at!. Most of us fail to overcome such situations and succumb to them too early. Dear friends, come close to music and you will sense what an elixir it is. Surrender yourself to it and you will be left in a state of bliss forever. Honestly speaking, if the music part of Jagjit sahab's life is taken away, rest what is left is too hard to imagine. The pain in Jagjit sa'ab's voice reflects the ultimate grief of his life, hidden under the vault of his heart. Not only I have derived immense motivation from Jagjt ji as a student of music, but also as a human being. The legacy this person has left behind, is definitely a guiding spirit for all of us. A great person, A great soul and a great singer with a great voice. "Jag hi jeet liya Jagjit ne to"!!!
I always feel like praying god not to "lauta do bachpan ka sawan" but to give back Jagjit Singh sahab himself.
What to say about "Hazaron me ek Hazarika". 9th Nov 2011, the demise of this grand personality, marked the end of another legend. People from entire parts of the nation went to pay their tribute to this great man on his funeral. His death rituals were postponed almost for a week because of the rush of his fans to pay homage to the legend. What more need I say about his popularity. Hazarika's songs are like eye openers for listeners. His voice asks the world that why is it moving in the path of destruction, war and hatred? It makes them contemplate on the fact that why are we changing. It shows the world its standards and requests it to come back to the lane of truth, peace and brotherhood. That is what Hazarika ji has tried to do all of his life. His song "Oh Ganga tum behti ho kyu", never fails to give me goosebumps every time I listen to it. Hazarika ji, being a son of soil, has given a folk touch to all his songs, be it filmy or non-filmy. Hazarika ji always stood by humanity and now, in his absence, his voice is playing his role and encouraging people to put forth their effort in noble causes. This post graduate in Political Science, showed some interest in politics during 2004, but he was unable to keep himself away from the music as his dil would always "hoom hoom kare for music".
My floral tributes to Sri C Ashwath and Ustad Sultan Khan, the other two musicians whom the time has engulped during 2011.
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