Pt. C.R. Vyas | Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement
The centenary celebrations of two great singers of Maharashtra – Pandit Ram Marathe and Pandit CR Vyas – were recently held at the India International Centre in Delhi. Surprisingly, both were at the same stage of their lives, disciples of the inimitable Pandit Jagannath Bhua Purohit (1904-1968), popularly called ‘Gunidas’, who had learnt from many gurus, notable among them being Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan of the Agra gharana.
Pandit Ram Marathe was one of the most popular actors and theatre music singers of his time, apart from being a classical singer and tabla player. Known as the master of ‘Jor Raag’, Pandit Ram Marathe performed in more than 7,000 theatre shows. Known for his tireless energy, Pandit Ram Marathe would sometimes give a four-hour concert after performing in two plays. Although he died in 1989 at the age of 65, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1988. His family includes 18 singers. Four of them include his grandsons Bhagyesh Marathe and Prajakta, cousin Swarangi Marathe and Pallavi Pote. His great-grandson Advait Keskar is currently learning from Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar.
Pandit CR Vyas held a white-collar job, yet was considered a learned singer. Like Pandit Ram Marathe, he engaged in a constant pursuit of musical knowledge and learned from many gurus. Humble, he pursued music for his own enjoyment. Today, two of his three sons are musicians – singer Suhas Vyas and santoor player Satish Vyas. His more famous disciples include Prabhakar Karekar, Sanjeev Chimmalgi and Ganapati Bhatt. Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki also learned from him. In 1977, Pandit Vyas started the annual Gunidas Utsav to pay tribute to his guru, which is still organised by his culture-protector son Satish.
Pandit Ram Marathe | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At the ICC event, two singers paid musical tribute to these two maestros, who incidentally were also good friends. Shaswati Mandal sang the rare Raag Swanandi. She had learnt it from Suhas Vyas and Sanjeev Chimmalgi. The second bandish in a taal after the vilambit khayal had an interesting reference – apparently one day while travelling from Matunga in Mumbai, Pandit Vyas fell asleep and dreamt of this raga composed by his guru. When he suddenly woke up, he found that he had missed his stop and the musical dream came to an abrupt end. In sadness, he created the composition that Shaswati sang, where the soulful lyrics narrate this journey: ‘Chaturai ki thi mose, sapna mohe dars deke.
of eternity piece de resistance It was a unique Punjabi composition ‘Dildar Mustafa’ taught by Sumati Mutatkar of the Agra gharana to her guru Pandit Madhup Mudgal in Raga Shahana. Shaswati’s intricate notes were awe-inspiring. Accompanying her husband Mausam on harmonium and Ustad Akram Khan on tabla.
The next concert was by Bhagyesh Marathe. Bhagyesh has a very powerful and soulful voice. His singing reflects his talent. TrainingHe sang a charming Raag Bihag. The vilambit composition was his own, in honour of his grandfather’s most popular role as Shiva. There was no need for an antara as the sthayi covered the entire saptak. He concluded with Raag Sohni, ‘Pyara menda, nazar nahi aayega’, another popular bandish in Punjabi taught to him by Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan. Apart from Braj, Hindi and Urdu, there are many khayals in Punjabi, proving that the region was once the home of Hindustani music.
Bhagyesh was accompanied on harmonium by Paromita Mukherjee, a fine instrumentalist trained under Pandit VG Jog and Ustad Ashish Khan. Her passionate musical responses won the audience’s appreciation. The tabla was accompanied by the wonderful Vinod Lele of the Banaras Gharana.
