Journalism of Courage
The prestigious accolades that he has been conferred with speak volumes about him. The Sangeet Shiromani Award,Sangeet Natak Academy Award,Tansen Award,Smithsonian Award and Thumri Samrat are just some of the awards received by Padmabhushan Pandit Chhannulal Mishra during his six-decade-long career. Whether he is singing Sakhi sawan aayo in raag Mian Malhar or a kajri called Barsan lagi badariya rum jhum ke or even Kaun si dor kheeche for Prakash Jhas Aarakshan (2011),the blend of purity,simplicity and spirituality he renders to every note,is hard to miss.
This artiste from Varanasi is one of the very few senior classical vocalists in India who can sing pure classical as well as light classical music quite effortlessly,blending Banaras gayaki and Punjab gayaki. As a part of the Barkha Ritu Festival 2013,he will be performing in Pune on July 27 at Yashwantrao Chavan Sabhagruha. Other artistes performing at the festival include Ganesh Rajaopalan,Debashish Bhattacharya and Talvin Singh.
The 77-year-old was introduced to classical music at the age of eight by his father Pandit Badri Prasad Mishra. He shares that music was in the family even before that since his grandfather Gudai Maharaj Shanta Prasad was also a famous tabla player.
After learning from his father,he was trained under Ustad Abdul Ghani Khan of Kirana gharana,followed by lessons from Thakur Jaidev Singh for four years. In the past six decades,he has travelled extensively and has performed at various musical conferences and concerts both in the country as well as abroad. In the late 90s,he toured across the US including Washington DC,New York and Chicago,during which he presented a concert at the Smithsonian in the Air and Space Museum,Washington DC.
According to Mishra,its the versatility that he incorporates in his performances,that has kept his popularity intact. Raag utni hi der tak gao jab tak wo shrota ko anurag de (One should sing the raga till it pleases the audience). Beyond that,it will bore them. In my performance,I keep switching between kajari,thumri,dadra,hori,chaiti and more,so that the audiences interest doesnt break, he explains,adding that there is a need to simplify classical music in order to cater to the larger public. The audience should not be compelled to think about the nuances of ragas. They should be simply able to enjoy the performance, he says.
Two years ago,on his suggestion to the VC of the famous Benaras Hindu University (BHU),a course in thumri was introduced at the institute. The thumri of Varanasi is famous worldwide. I told the VC that it would be incorrect if BHU itself will not offer a course in it. They started the course that year itself, said Mishra. But he is displeased with the outlook of learners of classical music these days. Hindustani music needs immense dedication,time and effort. But,students nowadays,aim to give a performance on stage merely after a month-long training, he says.
Among other things,the vocalist is also very particular about the depth in the lyrics of every piece. That is one of the reasons,he says,he hasnt sung many Bollywood numbers. The words should have seriousness and depth. When I was approached for Kaun si dor kheeche for Aarakshan,I liked Prasoon Joshis lyrics,so I accepted the offer, he recalls.
