Punjab's classical music Aruna Chandaraju Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected] Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected] Inside the lesser known tradition of Punjab's classical music, from Harballabh music festival to the Patiala gharana The widespread public misconception that Punjab has not much to offer in classical art traditions is so far from the truth. A robust and flourishing classical music scene is part of this state’s past and present. Aruna Chandaraju February 26, 2022 Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected] Satguru Jagit Singh and Satguru Uday Singh Listening to the mellifluous strains of Ronu Majumdar’s flute at Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan, I was enchanted. His renditions of Bageshwari Kanada, Khamaj Thumri, and Heer were an exquiste exploration of the melodies with the finer essence and beauty in full evidence. Vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty enthralled with her Jog Kauns and Pahari Thumri, and rich creativity. However, I was also a trifle dejected. Like so many music lovers, I had to make do with a YouTube livestream instead of attending the festival in person, as I have done several times in the past. Of course, virtual concerts are the norm now, but the pleasure and privilege of attending Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected] India’s oldest Hindustani classical music festival is altogether different. Founder Baba Harivallabh began it in 1875 as a Sangeet Mela in memory of his guru, Baba Tulja Giri, on the latter’s first death anniversary. The Harballabh aka Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan was declared ‘Oldest Music Festival of India’ by Limca Book of Records in National Record – 2013. The Government of India has recognised it as a National Festival. The Sammelan is organised annually by Baba Harballabh Sangeet Mahasabha. Also, every time I have attended this Harballabh festival, listened to concerts by representatives of the great Patiala Gharana, which was birthed in Punjab, and recalled my visit to the amazing Sri Bhaini Sahib [in Ludhiana], a village where almost every child is taught classical music, I have marvelled at the great classical music traditions of Punjab. Sri Bhaini Sahib is the headquarters of the Namdhari sect of Sikhism. However, here, every student, Namdhari or non-Namdhari, is taught music free of cost. Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected] The widespread public misconception that Punjab has not much by way to offer in such classical art traditions is so far from the truth. A robust and flourishing classical music scene is part of this state’s past and present. Take the annual Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, in Jalandhar, which just celebrated its 146th edition. So far, hundreds of classical musicians — living legends and upcoming artistes — have performed at this prestigious festival. These include Vishnu Digamber, Omkarnath Thakur, Vinayak Rao Patwardhan, Maula Baksh, Krishna Rao Shankar, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Salaamat Ali Khan, and Nazaakat Ali Khan. Post-Independence, the stalwarts featured include Bismillah Khan, Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, Bhimsen Joshi, Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Gangubai Hangal, Parveen Sultana, Amjad Ali Khan, Krishan Maharaj, Ram Narain, Begum Akhtar besides Rajan-Sajan Mishra, Debu Chaudhury, Ashwani Bhide-Deshpande, Uday Bhawalkar, Rashid Khan, etc. Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected] The attendees list includes Mahatma Gandhi [1919], governors, chief ministers, central ministers to MPs and MLAs from Punjab and adjoining states. For all its high- profile nature, laudably, this festival has given free entry to all! Visitors are also offered free langar seva. Moreover, younger talents also receive a platform. The Mahasabha President, Purnima Beri, and Festival Director SS Ajimal told us they hold an annual music competition, in four categories, for under-25 musicians, prior to the Sammelan. The winners perform on the Harballabh stage the following year. The organisers add that, earlier, it was only music lovers and industrialists of the region who helped in organising the festival. Later, government departments like North Zone Cultural Centre and Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board also extended help and now, so does the local administration. The tradition of a three-day Sammelan in December has been unbroken, except for 1985 to 1989 [years of violence/unrest in Punjab], when symbolic performances were held during daytime for one day only. Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected] Kaushiki Chakraborty [vocalist] with her accompanists Ishaan Ghosh [Tabla] and Milind Kulkarni [Harmonium] Then there is the Patiala Gharana, a revered school of music which has produced a long line of illustrious exponents. The Patiala-Kasur gharana traces its foundations to the mid to late 19th century. The founder was musician Mian Kallu, who had trained under the last Mughal court musician Mir Qutub Baksh aka Tanras Khan of Delhi Gharana. Later, Mian Kallu became court musician to the Maharaja of Patiala, hence the gharana name. This gharana was later popularised by his son Ali Baksh and Baksh's close friend Fateh Ali Khan: the famous musician-duo Ali-a-Fattu. Their efforts popularised the gharana throughout the Indian subcontinent. Ustad Kale Khan was another outstanding Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected] representative. However, its most famous was Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, a towering figure in Indian classical music. We asked a representative of this gharana, Iman Das, a widely acclaimed vocalist and A-grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan, about the gharana's characteristics. Das has been recently acknowledged by WNYR New York radio in the ‘World's Top Emerging Artists’ category, and a documentary on him by a National Award-winning production house, titled Omkar: The Sound of the Soul is set to release in 2022. He explains: "Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab took many elements from Gwalior, Agra, Delhi, and even from Dhrupad styles of the Dagars and blended these beautifully with the Patiala gharana essence to make it a formidable style of singing. The features of the gharana are long meends, heavy gamaks, electrifying taans, shuddha aakar, bol-banavat, and some elements of Punjabi folk interspersed with surprise elements like murkis and harkats. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali used to say about the art of music: 'Yeh tho hawa ke saath khelna hai. Hawa kisiki kabu mein nahi rahta'. It was as if he was painting a beautiful picture with his singing." Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected] Iman adds that despite the icon's great efforts and exquisite raga renditions, what continues to be "a stamp of the gharana is its exquisite bouquet of thumris. Ustadji and his brother Ustad Barkat Ali Khan gave birth to some evergreen thumris, and subsequently, the modern ghazal style of singing through their legendary disciples like Ghulam Ali and Akhtari Bai, who used to accompany the Ustads on the harmonium." The Patiala Gharana exponent Iman goes on to say that "among contemporary musicians, no one can deny that they have been influenced by the Patiala gayaki of thumris, and this is evident from the fact that 'Yaad Piye ke Aye' and 'Aye Na Balam' have almost become anthems for classical musicians currently as a mode of popular presentation after a raga presentation from any gharana!" Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary [email protected]