Hats off- to the musicians of yesteryears

hi guys!!

long time , i haven't written anything. Was busy travelling for my concerts and by the time i would decide to sit and write, i would have to travel for the next destination in my concert tour. Travelling within India is a wonderful experience in itself, i dunno how many of you actually agree with this.. Nowadays, yes it is indeed an experience to travel if, if and only if you decide to enjoy the experience, come what may!! Just studying different faces among the crowd gives you so much of impetus and energy in life. The innumerable emotions on different faces teach you the different facets of human beings and their feelings towards themselves and one another.

The new India has given us- the frequent travellers, options galore like sleeper coach buses, A/C buses, hi-speed trains, and of course a huge selection of flights. Almost all of our major cities are well-connected by one of these means-of-transports. And travelling now has become much more comfortable than ever before.

You might be wondering the connection between the title of this blog and the travelling options in India. Yeah! there is a wonderful connection. Have you ever imagined how Pandit Ravishankarji would have travelled 40 years back with his sitar say from Mumbai to Trichur? Or for that matter, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi with his entire entourage of accompanists travelling from Kolkatta to Patiala for an all-night music mehfil, the following day? Take your time... think... imagine... The roads, the bus-stations, the railway stations, the toilets, the hotels, the distances, lack of proper connectivity between cities, telegram/trunk-call being the only fastest means of communication, delays in all services... OH MY GOD..!! Just these thoughts suffice for an entire blog- no words are needed to be written.

Yet, my dear friends i will continue to write a few more lines because i have to salute these maestros- for their music, for their knowledge, for their innovations, for their hard-work and most of all, for their perseverance and patience - with the entire system of yesteryear.

These musicians not only travelled these great distances in all possible ways of transport (including a bullock-cart or a tonga ride), but also managed to perform and give their best in each and every concert, time and again. I remember one such occasion when Pandit Bhimsen Joshi arrived in Dharwar, my hometown, in his car, that morning of the concert, performed in the evening for more than 3 1/2 hours non-stop, and then decided to drive back to Poona in his own car-all alone. The way he travelled, none of us might be able to do it. OK ok ok, i hear voices of dissent, well, you might be able to travel like he did if you take it as a challenge or something, I agree, BUT will you be able to perform like him? After all that travelling? Driving yourself? Eating at road-side Dhabas etc etc.

Panditji loved driving. With mostly mud roads all-over India, i wonder how he managed to drive and then perform like the way he did? His car would consist of 2 huge tanpuras, a harmonium, a set tablas and the wonderful accompanists (minimum of 4) who played these instruments. Nowadays, you see a vocalist just carrying an electronic tanpura over his shoulder and a small bag of kurtas and often complaining about his stiff neck or the A/C in the train or plane. And he wouldn't accept the concert without a plane ticket to the nearest city.

Uff!! Incredible were those maestros! Not only for their music but for their will to travel from this corner to that corner with a mission! To propagate their form of art, to propagate peace and inner beauty of music, And to propagate the idea of preserving our culture, our rich heritage, And to make sure it is passed onto the next generation safely! The very way they received it from their Gurus.

I bow my head in gratitude, HATS OFF SIRJI!!!

Now, do we hear anymore complaints about travelling in India, especially musicians? I have stopped complaining and started enjoying my journeys, as i said at the very outset of this article, because i am indeed indebted to these maestros. A small way of continuing the hard work that they undertook as their cultural responsibility.

So, Join me !! HATS OFF MAESTROS, HATS OFF!!

musically yours

pravin godkhindi

www.pravingodkhindi.in