In 1992,legendary Hindustani classical khayal-style vocalist Padma Vibhushan Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur was diagnosed with cancer. While doctors gave him 48 hours,he lived for another 15 days,in which he packed two concerts. He became one with his art and the last concert,which marked an end to a career spanning over six decades,was aired on the radio. Pandit Mansur sang in Raag Malhaar for his final performance. To commemorate his death anniversary,sarod player Pandit Biswajit Roy Choudhury and vocalist Priyadarshini Kulkarni will perform at Rang Malhaar,an annual tribute concert being held today in the city. The concert is being organised by The New Age Foundation. I would undoubtedly rank him among the top five vocalists of all time, says Roy Choudhury,who trained with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan,and then became associated with Mansur until the latters demise. Recounting his first encounter with Mansur,Roy Choudhury says,I was training under Ustad Khan in Delhi. In 1981,Mansur came to Delhi for a concert and my guru asked me to take care of Mansurs hospitality. I had gone to receive him at the station and on our way back,I asked him a few questions about music. Gregarious as he was,he engaged in an insightful conversation and made me feel as though we were on the same plane of knowledge and consciousness. He could simplify the most complicated things. Roy Chowdhury adds,Mansur had a similar effect on music. He sang ragas that were rarely touched. Ragas such as Sakh and Bhaduri Todi,which are an amalgamation of ragas,were the kind of sounds Mansur dabbled with. He sang the signature ragas of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and made them sound simple. Kulkarni says that the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana,to which Mansur belonged,is known for intellectual singing. He adds,Though the singing is intellectual,because of the complexity,it is aesthetic. Mansur simplified notes by singing them effortlessly. I became witness to his mastery when during a concert,he lingered on a higher octave of sa,and the sound that rose from his mouth was one with the note being played on the tanpura. Once could barely tell the difference. Roy Choudhury attributes Mansurs mastery to his perseverance and practice. Mansur received training from two gharanas. He started very young and trained with the Gwalior gharana for 15 years,after which,he trained with the Jaipur-Atrauli for another 35 years. During these 50 years,he had learned from two generations of splendid musicians. He also recorded commercially for over 60 years,starting in 1928 with HMV. Todays show will have the musicians perform some of Mansurs trademark tunes in Raag Malhaar. The concert will be followed by a video montage of Mansurs tryst with the theme raga. Rang Malhaar will be held at Karnataka High School,Kothrud, starting 6.30 pm onwards
