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Kumar Gandharva |
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Info: Biography, Pictures, Discography of all CDs & DVDs |
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| January 12, 1992) was a famous Hindustani classical singer, famous for his unique vocal style, refusal to be bound by the tradition of any gharana, and his innovative genius.The name "Kumar Gandharva" is a title given to him when he was a child prodigy; Gandharva is the god of music in Hindu mythology.Soon after his move to Madhya Pradesh, he was stricken with tuberculosis in his 20s, and some sources claim he was left with only one functioning lung but this claim is disputed.Bhanumati Kans, who was learning music first under Deodhar and later under Kumar Gandharva himself, nursed him through his illness.His first mehfil after recovery from illness took place in 1953.He may not have reached the same heights of popularity as contemporaries like Bhimsen Joshi, but he always enjoyed the love and support of dedicated and connoisseur enthusiasts.His singing was also true to the Indian Classical Music tradition of dialogue with the listeners, of impromptu creation and interactivity.Mukul Shivaputra Komkali, born around 1955, is Kumar Gandharva's first son.Vasundharabai formed a memorable duo with him in Bhajan singing.She also provided vocal support to his classical renditions quite often.Kumarji also experimented with other forms of singing such as Nirguni Bhajans (Devotional songs), folk songs, and with both ragas and presentation, often going from fast to slow compositions in the same raga, something rarely done by any other North Indian musician.One of the most inventive singers in recent years, he is remembered for his great legacy of innovation, questioning tradition without rejecting it wholesale, resulting in music in touch with the roots of Indian culture.His style of singing attracted considerable controversy from novices as well as initiates.Veteran singer Mogubai Kurdikar did not consider his vilambit (slow tempo) singing interesting and his own teacher Deodhar criticised some aspects of Kumar's singing but their relationship was strained from 1940s when Kumar Gandharva married Bhanumati.According to Pandharinath Kolhapure's book on Kumar Gandharva, Deodhar was against the match.He is remembered as an utterly original singer and an incredibly innovative composer.This page was last modified 23:02, 15 September 2007.See Copyrights for details.Music and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the USA or other countries and eMusic Remote is a trademark of eMusic.The latter, the 'artist novel'
represents the growth of an artist from childhood into the stage of
maturity that signalizes the recognition of the protagonist's
artistic destiny and mastery of an artistic craft.This paper tries to trace the sojourn of
the man born Shivaputra Komkali to the iconic Kumar Gandharva:
the crisis of identity and the development of the artist from the
prosaic to the poetic, from the mundane to the spiritual.At the outset it may be noted that the present attempt is not an
exercise in voice analysis as much as to understand why is it that
Kumar Gandharva's voice stands out on the firmament of Indian music in its
rendition of Kabir, while numerous others sing the poet saint,
equally well, if not better?Why is it that generations of people
seem touched to their inner core by his singing more than that of any
other musician of the tradition (of classical music) or training?What is it, that makes Kumar Gandharva a mystery and an enigma that
reaches a peak during his Kabir bhajans?It relies on the observations of some people
who had learned with Kumar himself, reading about him, working on
Kabir in my own musical journey and interacting with a number of
people who associated with Kabir's thought and philosophy and Kumar Gandharva,
people who had heard Kumar Gandharva in person, people who learned his music with
his students, critics and admirers, his own students and followers.Kumar Gandharva is an enigma that not only haunts but also continues to grow right
in front of us.Kumar Gandharva
today looms larger on the scene of the human spirit than he did in
his own lifetime.Kumar belongs to the class of artists whose echoes linger on in the
aural memories of millions all over India, a formidable legacy for
anyone to carry forward and a giant task to comprehend.If Kabir
was a weaver who simply and irreverently composed verses that shook
the frame of all tradition and authority, Kumar Gandharva equally
powerfully shook the tradition of music and stepped aside from the
main current of
being 'certified' by any one gharan ( school of music).Sunta hai guru gyani, gagan mein awaaj ho rahi jhini jhini...Kabir sung
by Kumar Gandharva.This song alone can be an initiation for one into the world
of both Kabir and Kumar and numerous listeners venture
unsuspectingly near Kumar Gandharva and Kabir, coming with the quest for enquiry
aflame in their minds about the nature of everything and perhaps the
most significant being WHO AM I?Though Kumar is a subject worthy of
many studies that have been carried out and no doubt will be carried
out in future too, I will restrict this presentation to the
psychological aspects alone and the process of 'individuation'
within the theoretical framework developed by C.Literature abounds about Kumar Gandharva telling us about his genius and the fact
that how while he was just a little boy he had become the cynosure of
all eyes, a crowd puller and a musician par excellence.For that he was not prepared.How would he have
dealt with all the adulation or to that extent not only him, how do
all 'celebrity' children handle an invasion into their lives by
effusive adults who they do not understand?Like a small boat that is tossed in the
giant sea of careless waves Kumar's ego had been laid bare for the
world to examine, study, wonder about and comment upon.Psychologically, all children
who are in the 'public eye' undergo this phenomenon of 'premature
exposure' without having the ego strength to deal with the impact
of it and someday face the possibility of a neurosis or hopelessness.When the ego is sufficiently developed it can handle success and
failure, criticism and appreciation with a fair degree of equanimity.It
teaches us that we must be open to being stimulated and to
experiencing our lives without inhibition.As a singer, it is
imperative to be a spiritual master (p.Every human being needs a 'voice'.Voice is the fundamental aspect of a singer.In such a
state, it becomes urgent and necessary for the child to search
himself out, for it is evident that he is not being celebrated for
himself but because he can be somebody else.Struggle is what
keeps a child from feeling his hopelessness.It lies in being the
performer...It is the time when he
begins to discover that he is not loved for what he is and will not
be (p.Kumar Gandharva was not known to be neurotic as a child or as an adult but one is
wont to believe that precocity had its internal roots in a troubled
spirit.He
merely puzzled over these issues inwardly...The problem was what to do, (p.At a later point in his life when he came in touch with Anjani Bai
Malpekar, who took him into the realm of the science of sound, or
Nada Yoga, did he for the first time have a real glimpse of what he
had sought all along?Raghava Menon (2001,
p64).How the human
encounters and deals with the process, assimilates the change and
transforms himself and his destiny is the essence of transpersonal
experiences.One can also encounter experiences of fear,
loneliness, insanity, or death during transpersonal sequences
originating from collective or universal domains.The transpersonal
realms contain both light and dark elements, and both the 'positive'
and the 'negative' can inspire fear...When the artist began to question the environment around him it
became imperative for him to understand who he was himself, what was
the singing that he needed to do and what was the way ahead of him?Kumar Gandharva was a musician first and he, had already examined the
structures of the gharanas while still a child, so now the need was
to find his own voice, his own identity from within the musical
tapestry he had seen, studied and examined all his young days.Kumar
was designated to teach all those students who did not have too clear
a picture of what style they wanted most to follow.He was troubled and
occasionally happy.Because we were unified human beings, the real self will
constantly press to surface and make those mental connections.The
unreal self is the barrier, the enemy which must finally be destroyed
(p.When a young man seeks himself from all the haze that
surrounds him, in some voices he finds a resonance of his own inner
calling.Break from Tradition
From the child who apes every audible sound in its environment to its
nearest degree possible to becoming an artiste par excellence was a
singular journey.Kumar was among one of the few people
who dared to challenge this fixity.He subordinated the Raga to the
Bandish, never letting the Raga take priority over the Bandish.This was the cause of the passion and intensity
with which Kumar invested his performance.His Raga Vistara took on
the lineaments of the Bandish on account of which the Raga has come
to exist.There is
one significant point in the biography of Kumar Gandharva, which many ascribe as
the reason for maturity of his musical thought.Mauna Sadhana, which irrigates and
fertilizes the unconscious mind of the Sadhak (Menon, 2001, p.Though Kumar had reached heights in his musicianship early enough,
this period of forced withdrawl and a near brush with death, deepened
his insights into the world of the
'swara'.Illness and Transformation
A life of seeking becomes a life of pain, questions and uncertainty.Dewas was a singing country....They are telling things to each other
and this speech sounds like song....Raga,
what it has are the seeds of feeling....In finding out this simple truth maybe Kumar Gandharva found himself
out.This is not an unknown phenomenon for the Grofs' having
experienced an entire gamut of transpersonal experiences share, for
example, someone who returns to a familiar situation may find the
culture and the individuals within it unreceptive to his or her new
capacities.Because of the magnitude of their
transformative experiences...Placing the poetry into the rustic countryside ambience it
had grown out of, his songs acquired a new root, never before seen in
bhajan singing.Kabir's poetry is an ocean of spiritual philosophy.Concluding Comments
Kumar Gandharva brings to life his words with new meanings, because
for the first time a singer explores the swara in the same
objectivity as the poet who utters the syllables.In other words the
soul of the artist becomes the voice of the man.He used his own music to heal himself out of a near death situation
and gave succour to innumerable others after that.Thus Kumar,
demonstrated in his own lifetime the power of healing that music
offers, opened out new avenues.Kabir
for the times we live in.Journal of the National Academy of Psychology, India, in 2005.Much later as the whole
world now witnesses a lot of his childhood pain surfaces in the form of
abnormalities which showed up in adult life, to the confusion and surprise of
the world.References
Gandhy, Rashna Imhasly (2001).The psychology of love: Wisdom of Indian mythology.The musical journey of Kumar Gandharva.Van der Post, Laurens (1975).Jung and the story of our time.New York: Vintage Books.On
8th April 1924 a shining star of Indian classical music was born.On the same date in
1974, Kumar Gandharva completed his 50th year.One
should be grateful to God for helping this gifted singer to fight against formidable odds
and to emerge victorious and dedicate himself solely to the study and advancement of
music.About 30 years ago, Kumar had to undergo very complicated lung surgery, and
consequently had to suspend his extremely promising career as a singer for a few years.This lapse into obscurity actually proved to be a blessing in disguise because, even
though he had to discontinue his singing riyaz, Kumar spent his temporary forced
retirement in introspective, contemplative and meditative concentration on the study of
music.This helped him to emerge from the ordeal a much matured and seasoned artist with
newly sharpened creative faculties.Today he has evolved a particular style of singing,
entirely his own, which does not unduly tax his health and voice.He has rebuilt his
audience all over the country with his ever new and fascinating art.Correctly
judging the talents of the young boy, Professor B.Deodhar took him under his wing.He
carefully groomed him and steered his talents into the proper channels.Kumar studied very closely the folk music of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Malwa, etc.There are some who viewed these experiments with derision a few years ago,
but the same critics have now come to appreciate him greatly.Sometimes this instrument is as whimsical as the artist and
refuses to stay steady.The strings resist attempts to blend them into a homogeneous
unity, but a formidable musician like Kumar or Bhimsen can force them into submission.After a lot of hard work and practice Kumar has mastered the
technique of tuning this wonder instrument.Apart from the two tanpuras, one on either
side.Kumar's
concert is therefore absolutely free from unnecessary gimmickry and acrobatics.When Kumar starts his methodical exposition of a raga picture, he puts before the
audience the many mysterious and beauteous facets of the raga.Taar saptak to the Mandra saptak.Before the advent of microgroove recordings I recorded Kumar's voice
on a number of 78 R.Bal
Gandharva in his own voice had already been released it was a commercial risk to make, so
soon after, a record of the same songs sung by Kumar.Apart
from this, the contribution of ragas of his own creation is very substantial.Among the
new ragas which have already received public approbation are Sanjari, Malavati, Bihad
Bhairava, Saheli Todi.Kumar, who was born in Karnataka
and spent his childhood there, came to Maharashtra, where he spent some years of his youth
with Professor Deodhar.Kannada,
Marathi and Hindi.His Marathi pronunciation, though faulty, has a peculiar twang which
listeners have found irresistible.As a result, his renderings of Marathi bhavgeets have become very popular.For
instance, in his record of the late poet Anil's poem Ajuni rusun ahe, he has pronounced
the word dhusfusalo in a rather jarring manner but his fans consider it as the beauty spot
of the record.His creation of new ragas, peculiar songs
attributed to different seasons, devotional compositions, and compositions of thumri,
tappa and tarana are ample proof of this.When he came to our studios for recording I always found him
prepared to the last detail with what was to be recorded.Therefore recording him was
never a long drawn, tedious affair.Instead he succeeds, with great confidence.That is why younger audiences, even
though they may not be very knowledgeable, are enthralled by tne magic of his artistry.Though Kumar studied the rudiments of music in the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, he did not
allow his art to be dominated by any particular style.One observes sometimes a very
strong resemblance to the late Omkarnath's style, while at other times one has tantalizing
glimpses of the Gwalior and Agra Gharanas.Though Kumar has successfully explored and created fresh
wonders in music, I do not feel that a 'Kumar Gandharva' gharana will become a reality,
because there is and will always be one and only one Kumar.Already a legend in his own lifetime,
Kumar Gandharva seems to grow in stature posthumously.He did three simple things with
complex consequences.First, he refused to accept that tradition in music meant merely
continuation and repetition: he deconstructed it thus laying it open to new experiments
and bold innovations.New Life
Hindustani classical music, while it allows the individual talent to flower and mature,
also simultaneously offers stubborn resistance to any attempt of the individual to leave a
stamp on it.Kumar Gandharva boldly asserted the right of the individual talent to
appropriate from tradition and mould it to one's own intrinsic vision.Raga is always bare and it is only the musician who clothes it''.In his own
handling of the Raga music, Kumar Gandharva followed the grammar scrupulously and yet the
Raga almost always attained an unexpected profile.It would appear that a Raga in the
voice of Kumar Gandharva became a pretext for the text which was the singer himself.Kumar Gandharva more often than not sang
himself through the Raga.One was not so much listening to a Raga as to Kumar Gandharva.Disabled in his youth by the loss of a lung, Kumar Gandharva found a new life in
his music.Hill of Devi' (the novelist
E M Forster was a tutor in the princely house of Dewas), he started collecting hymns,
verses and compositions of Nath yogis and fakirs who used to wander around the colonies in
the morning asking for alms.Out of this grew his immensely rich repertoire of Nirgunia
music which he further expanded to include Sagun Bhakti music as well as the folk music of
the Malwa region.From utter humility to regal presence, from joyful celebration to
utter loneliness, his music could evoke and enact, with great subtlety and precision a
wide variety of moods and emotions.Having lived on the edge of life and close to death, as it were, Kumar Gandharva converted
his music, with all its fragility and perishability, into a genre of struggle against
mortality.And yet it does not fail to interrogate the given meanings
of life.An extremely lyrical and romantic mode of Khayal music in Kumar Gandharva attains
an unusual level of enquiry and quest imbuing it with an epic dimension.Ragas, the notes and the beats was
essentially sensuous.There
are moments, central and significant, which are radiant with a glow of wonder.It is not only a
music of contraries, it is also a music which is spiritual and existential.Polish
poet, Czeslaw Milosz.On the
current of a black river?Kumar Gandharva evoked the timeless within the realm of
time.Profile
Born in 1924 in Dharwad,Shivaputra Siddramayya Kamkali, known to musical world as Pt Kuamr
Gandharva, revealed prodigious talents even as a child.Later his talents were guided and groomed by
Prof B R Deodhar.This continued to be the keynote of his career all through his life.Malwa and the region around Dewas which he had made his home.In the middle of his illustrious life he was afflicted with health problems because
of which one of his lungs had to be removed.Kumar Gandharva recovered to continue
his musical quest and developed a very unique style of his own.Pandit Kumar Gandharva was born Shivaputra Siddharamaiyya Komkali in 1924.Northern Karnataka in South India, he was renamed Kumar Gandharva by the spiritual leader of a sect of staunch Shiva worshippers; Kumar refers to a son of the deity Shiva, while Gandharva is a reference to the demigods who are considered as the first performers of cosmic music.Gandharva was destined to become one of the more intellectually inclined Hindustani vocalists, which may partly explain why he never reached the popularity of singers like Mallikarjun Mansur.Selecting the poetry of this sage, who according to tradition lived from 1398 to 1518 (!With his mystical poetry Kabir had namely tried to break down the barriers between Hinduism and Islam.This again dovetails nicely with Kumar Gandharva's strong beliefs about folk music.He was convinced that all "classical" music is an outgrowth of folk music, where the most basic elements of life and nature are expressed in musical form.The vocal renditions on this album are all excellent samples of Kumar Gandharva's characteristic performance.Like all traditional Indian music, the constant undercurrent of the naada brahma ("first note"), also known as "Om" or first sound of the universe, is not lacking on these recordings.But this primordial drone is contrasted by Gandharva's thin tenor voice.Never in the best of health, Pandit Kumar Gandharva succumbed in 1992, some two months after the ailing artist had given his last concert in the Nehru Center.PANDIT KUMAR GANDHARVA
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