A portrait of Kumar Gandharva

Pt Kumar Gandharva
| Photo Credit: Avinash Pasricha

Rajeev Vohra, Ashok Vajpeyi, Druv Shukla and Udayan Vajapeyi
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Va Ghar Sabse Nyara – Jeevan Charit: Pt. Kumar Gandharva,  the Hindi biography of Pt. Kumar Gandharva, written by poet and litterateur Dhruv Shukla (published jointly by Setu Prakashan and Raza Foundation) was released at the inauguration of ‘Kaljayee’, the year-long centenary celebrations of Pt. Kumar Gandharva, at the NCPA in Mumbai in April.

Raza Foundation and India International Centre recently organised an engaging evening of discussion featuring Dhruv Shukla, Ashok Vajpeyi, Rajiv Vohra, and Udayan Vajpeyi as part of the 84th edition of their Art Matters Series, at the IIC. The three brought out vivid glimpses of the maestro and his music.

It started with Dhruv Shukla sharing his side of the story, of how the idea of the book emerged initially, and how much research into the life journey of Kumarji and his music went into it. A lot has been already written about Pt. Kumar Gandharva including his exceptional childhood ability of faithfully reproducing the renderings of stalwarts such as Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, Pt Omkar Nath Thakur, and Ustad Faiyaz Khan, about his formal training under Prof. B. R. Deodhar, his ill health, his musical career, and exceptional creativity through which he transformed the Gwalior gayaki into a style of his own.

Classical and folk music

Dhruv Shukla has brought in his poetic sensibility taken when writing the book. The author has described how a musician is reborn every time he renders a raag.
The most interesting segment of the book is where Dhruv talks about Kumar Gandharva’s last wish. “I have a dream that there is the sound of just two finely tuned tanpuras. The Jhumara or Ek taal is visualised without its theka being played on the tabla, and the absence of the tabla is not even felt. If I achieve this kind of efficiency in singing, then only I can say that I have experienced the real secret of taal.”  
Rajiv Vohra remembered Kumarji’s comment that a raag gives roop or form and the taal gives chaal or gait to music. Rajiv reiterated the fact that riyaz or practice alone is not enough, music requires contemplation as well. Udayan recalled how once when he was travelling with Kumarji in a car, he would suddenly utter ‘wah’. I realised, it was his response to the music that was playing on his mind.
Dhruv also mentioned that Kumarji believed classical music has its roots in folk music. While researching for the book, he visited ‘Bhanukul’ and found that he had painstakingly collected not just the Malavi folk tunes, but also had a vast collection of folk music from all parts of India.
The discussion also touched upon topics such as swar-sadhana. It also included contemplation, spontaneity, and creativity of his music and many anecdotes that brought forth the humane side of Kumar Gandharva.