Swapan Kumar Bondyopadhyay - Annapurna Devi: An Unheard Melody

Dedicated to the souls

that shine in silence

Lotus Collection

Swapan Kumar Bondyopadhyay 2005

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means,

without the prior permission of the publisher.

This edition first published in 2005

The Lotus Collection

An imprint of

Roli Books Pvt. Ltd.

M-75, G.K. II Market

New Delhi 110 048

Phones: ++91 (011) 2921 2271, 2921 2782

2921 0886, Fax: ++91 (011) 2921 7185

E-mail: roli@vsnl.com; Website: rolibooks.com

Also at

Bangalore, Varanasi and Jaipur

Cover design: Sneha Pamneja

Layout design: Kumar Raman

Cover images courtesy: Shelley Mazumdar, Vaidu Sanyal

ISBN: 81-7436-399-8

w BOOK ONE

w Book two

w Book three

w Book four

w Book five

w Book six

Foreword

When you (Swapan) came to see me a few years back and talked to me, I did not know that you were serious about writing a book on me. To be honest, I have never thought that there is anything special about me to write on. I see myself only as a humble student of music who learnt from Baba (Allauddin Khan), my father and a great Guru to many besides myself. So I discouraged you and in all our subsequent meetings tried to dissuade you. However, I am amazed that you are still at it and that now you want to publish a book on me. As I found out, you also interviewed some of my senior students to collect information for the book. Although I think it is a waste of your valuable time, now I am resigned to the fact that you have finished writing the book and will publish it. I really admire your tenacity. My only request to you is not to exaggerate or romanticize I will be most happy if your book makes the readers aware of Babas greatness, sacrifices, and his generous sharing of his divine musical gift with his disciples. As for my life there is not much to write .

Annapurna Devi

Mumbai 2005

Cast

Ali Akbar Khan: Sarod maestro. Born on 14 April 1922 in Sibpur, erstwhile East Pakistan. Baba Allauddin Khans son. The torch bearer of Maihar-Senia Gharana. A music composer and brilliant performer. Founder of the Ali Akbar College of Music. Notable among the other teachers at the school were Bahadur Khan, Nikhil Banerjee and Mahapurush Mishra. Now settled in California, US, and has a college there. One of the very first instrumentalists to tour the West in 1955 at the invitation of Yehudi Menuhin and spread Hindustani classical music there.

Alice Boner: Sculptress and artist from Zurich. Wealthy sponsor of Uday Shankars dance experiments. She accompanied Uday Shankar to India and funded the exotic costumes and musical instruments to be collected from India for the troupe.

Annapurna Devi: Greatest surbahar players of India. Born in 1927 in Maihar. Baba Allauddin Khans youngest daughter. Married to Ravi Shankar on 15 May 1941, Almora, and later divorced him in October 1982. She had a son Subhendra Shankar from her first marriage. Later married Rooshikumar Pandya in Bombay on 9 December 1982.

Ashis Khan: Born in Maihar in 1939. He is the eldest son of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan from his first marriage with Zubeida Khatun. A talented sarod player, tutored by Baba Allauddin Khan, Annapurna and his father Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He now lives in Kolkata.

Atul Merchant: Sarod player. He is Annapurna Devis student.

Bappa alias Amit Bhattacharya: A promising sarod player of our times. Son of renowned sarod player Jotin Bhattacharya who was trained by Baba Allauddin Khan during his stay in Maihar in 1955. He was also groomed by Annapurna Devi. At present, he is based in Benaras.

Basant Kabra: A promising sarod player. Born in Jodhpur in 1959, son of D.L.Kabra, an eminent violinist, he was tutored by Annapurna Devi.

Biman Ghose: Close friend of Ravi Shankars. Worked for All India Radio, Delhi. Later joined HMV in Calcutta.

Baba Allauddin Khan: Sarod maestro, popularly and respectfully known as Baba. Born in Sibpur, Tripura District, erstwhile East Pakistan, in 1862. Left home in search of a guru and settled at the court of Maihar Maharajah, Brijnath Singh, in 1918, after being in elysium. He resumed his search for a guru in Calcutta and Rampur. He learnt under sarod-wizard Ustad Ahmad Ali Khan and Ustad Wazir Khan of Rampur. Founder of the Maihar-Senia Gharana of music, he is mentor of luminaries of Indian classical music like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Annapurna Devi, Nikhil Banerjee, Bahadur Khan, Jotin Bhattacharya and Pannalal Ghose. He died on 6 September 1972.

Brijnath Singh: Maharajah of Maihar and a patron of music. He learnt under Baba Allauddin Khan.