SOUVIK CHAKRABORTY
The King of
Benarasi Gharana , Pandit Rajan Mishra .
A retrospective .
The Benaras Gharana of Hindustani music had been long decorated by the greatness of Pandit Rajan Mishara and his brother , Sajan Mishra . The Benarasi Gharana is a cultural reservoir that includes various forms of classical music , through vocals , instruments , and dance forms . The Mishra brothers were known for their unparalleled contribution in popularizing and propagating the beauty of this versatile genre of music .
Benaras had also been the soundscape for many stalwarts like the great Pandit Ravishankarji . And , certainly , the Mishra brothers took it to a new level through the rendition of their gayaki , or singing style in Khayal .
From his early days in childhood , he had been blessed with the teachings of Bade Ramdas Mishra . He was pillared by great musicians , his father , his uncle , and his grandfather , al had contributed towards fine-tuning and sharpening the talents that this young boy had . Thanks to his great tutelage , by the age of 10 , he and his brother had already started singing for a live audience .
Rajan Mishra was known for his affinity towards the philosophies and the teachings of his gurus . He had his allegiance towards the likes of Osho and the Sadguru . He loved treading on the spiritual planes and it created a different euphoria in his music . Such thoughts and expressions percolated in his music too . So , instead of focussing on catering to his audience , he focussed on attaining inner peace through his music . Rajan Mishra composed his bandishes for devoting his commitment to the guru through his verse . The idea was to enjoy his creation himself so that the audience feels at one with the true qualities of his sounds .
Exploring the minute poignancy of music was a characteristic of his music , so instead of flaunting the murki or harkat . He focussed on the genuine emotions inherent in the melodies of the music . It is believed that he kept his audience so enthralled that they would often not disturb the trance-like air of a concert . At times , they would not even applause fearing it would break the spell of his music . Bhajan , tappa , tarana , thumri , and the much-celebrated khayal style of singing , shone through the two brothers . But , it was truly the intent behind the music that had appealed to his audience for generations .
The aura of a divine presence and an artistic statement on society and the world manifested wonderful concerts out of this duo . One such notable event would be the ‘ Bhairav se Bhairavi Tak ’, a marathon run of over 50 concerts in 13 countries . Through these , he believed that the world will come to a fulcrum of thought and reflection . He wanted his audience to take a pause and see the world within , away from the earthly pleasures of life . It is this passion that makes his music , so enthralling .
Despite his stellar career and the honors of the title like Padma Bhushan . Panditji ’ s last days were in pain and suffering . The coronavirus took him down and he soon needed intensive care . However , his family had complained about a lack of proper medical facilities and support , during his final hours .
Panditji ’ s demise is a great loss to the musical fraternity , he was a man who brought the classic to the contemporary with tremendous ease . Perhaps , such finesse would never be mastered by anyone .
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