05 Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur - Raga Khat - 1 October 1986 - Naralkar Residence, Pune

Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur (31 December 1910 - 12 September 1992) hailed from Dharwad, Karnataka, and was an exponent of khayal gayaki, having been trained in the Gwalior and Atrauli gharana traditions. He learnt from Pandit Nilakanthbua Alurmath of Miraj, who had, in turn, received ta’lim from Pandit Balakrishnabua Ichalkaranjikar. Subsequently, Mansur ji became the gandabandh shagird of Ustad Badruddin ‘Manjhi’ Khan sahib, the son of Ustad Ghulam Ahmed 'Allahdiya' Khan sahib, one of the progenitors of the Atrauli gharana tradition. Following the untimely demise of Ustad Manjhi Khan sahib, Mansur ji subsequently learnt from Ustad Shamsuddin ‘Bhurji’ Khan sahib, the younger son of Ustad Allahdiya Khan sahib. Through his eclectic ta’lim and meticulous riyaz, Mansur ji was able to craft a gayaki which was instrumental in popularising the Atrauli gharana repertoire, along with several other representatives of the gharana tradition.
Among the numerous recitals that Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur gave in Pune, the mehfil at the residence of Shri Nanda Naralkar on 1 October 1986 stands out for several reasons. Regardless of the quality of the video recording in terms of contemporary tastes, it is incredible to be able to “see” an entire mehfil of Mansur ji in an intimate setting. For students of Indian classical music, this gives a rare insight into Mansur ji’s gestural movements, use of practically all parts of the mouth for voice production and projection, as well as the way in which he has interacted with his close friends present at the mehfil. The repertoire Mansur ji chose gives a deep insight into the best of the Atrauli gharana tradition, with the following ragas presented during the mehfil:
1. Raga Bhankar: • 01 Pandit Mallikarjun ...
2. Raga Gandhari: • 02 Pandit Mallikarjun ...
3. Raga Sarparda Bilawal: • 03 Pandit Mallikarjun ...
4. Raga Bilawali: • 04 Pandit Mallikarjun ...
5. Raga Khat: • 05 Pandit Mallikarjun ...
6. Raga Shuddha Sarang: • 06 Pandit Mallikarjun ...
7. Raga Jogiya Asawari: • 07 Pandit Mallikarjun ...
8. Raga Bhairavi: • 08 Pandit Mallikarjun ...
Here is a link to the complete playlist: • 01 Pandit Mallikarjun ...
Among those who were present at the mehfil are Mansur ji’s dear friend Shri Pu. La. Deshpande, Rasikagrani Dattopant Deshpande, Pandit S. G. Devasthali, Pandit Pramod Marathe, and several other admirers of Mansur ji from Pune and Mumbai. The impact of the mehfil was such that it is still remembered fondly by those who had been present, including Dr. Urmila Bhirdikar and Mrs. Anuradha Naralkar.
The accompanying musicians deserve special mention for the way in which they have elevated Mansur ji’s mood and created an opportunity for evermore improvisations, especially in taankari, which was an important cornerstone of his gayaki. Mansur ji’s interactions with Pandit Balkrishna Iyer and Vidushi (Smt.) Veena Sahasrabuddhe are noteworthy, and special attention needs to be paid to way in which the young Veena Tai is engaging, following, and absorbing Mansur ji’s gayaki, with rapt attention. The full credits are as follows:
Tabla: Pandit Balkrishna Iyer
Harmonium: Dr. Arawind Thatte
Tanpuras & Vocal Support: Vidushi (Smt.) Veena Sahasrabuddhe & Shri Suhas Datar
I believe it was Prof. Rajeev Patke who had digitised this important recording as a friend of the Naralkar family. In so doing, he has done us all connoisseurs, admirers, and fans of Mansur ji a huge favour and we are all indebted to him for his efforts.
Recording Courtesy: The Naralkar Family, Pune

[@jayantapanigrahi4920]

My God!!!!! This Raga just shreds your souls to bits. Extremely poignant raaaga and when you have Mallikarjun ji sing it ….it just transports you to a completely different realm

[@IrfanZuberi1980]

@@jayantapanigrahi4920 Precisely!!! Glad you used the phrase about shredding the soul to bits… so deeply a Sufi concept and this bandish is just laden with layers & layers of meaning like all Bhakti poetry is! 😊

[@jayantapanigrahi4920]

@@IrfanZuberi1980 thanks for letting us enjoy this epic of a composition

[@77supa]

What an epic concert ! With Veenaji & Pu La, it only enhances the magic that Mansoor was 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@IrfanZuberi1980]

Totally! The setting, the accompanying artists, the audience... all contributed richly to making this such a memorable mehfil which people talk about till today! In fact, I know a few people who were present at this mehfil and they still talk about what a memorable experience it was! 🙂

[@jayantapanigrahi4920]

Damn!!!! That’s Veena Sahastrabuddhe ji on tanpura 😳😳😳

[@IrfanZuberi1980]

@@jayantapanigrahi4920 Yes!!!!!! 😊

[@chidambardeshpande1716]

He sings continuously without much interuption, may be God gift or hard practice.

[@IrfanZuberi1980]

Both, as well as a sign of his own personality… as well as certain principles of Lingayatism as well, as has emerged in the many conversations I’ve had around this and other aspects of his personality. 😊

[@madhavdhekney8653]

किती सुंदर रचत आहेत,किती सुंदर गळ्यात गळा घालत आहेत वेग वेगवेगळे राग.हे mixiing नाही,हे blending. हे तालमी चे गाणे.व्याकरण वैगरे गोष्टी मागे पडल्या.एक एकजिनसी रचना समोर अली.किती गुण वर्णन करू ह्या महान तपस्वी गायकाचे.छान.जीव तृप्त झाला.

[@IrfanZuberi1980]

Absolutely! There's no way that one can focus on the grammatical blending of 6 ragas in this kind of seamless rendition... so whole, so composite, so aesthetic and so effortless - most certainly among the high points of Mansur ji's creative genius! 🙂

[@dhananjaynaniwadekar3048]

Irfan Zuberi Jee : Please add a link to the playlist in the description. Mallikarjun Mansur Concert, October 1986, Pune Info about accompanists, etc, in the description section below the clip Playlist for the concert : kzbin.info/aero/PLAmsAU2DOhq6Smn3Fc95TDyBukxEjT2Nq 1. Raga Bhankar : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZbVqoFui9eDjbs 2. Raga Gandhari : kzbin.info/www/bejne/npmpkJtvppuFnrM 3. Raga Sarparda Bilawal - Link to all these recitals in the playlist 4. Raga Bilawali 5. Raga Khat -- (you are here) 6. Raga Shuddha Sarang 7. Raga Jogiya Asawari 8. Raga Bhairavi Accompanist Suhas Datar is Bhaskar-buwa Bakhale's daugher's son. His sister-in-law Shaila Datar has written a biography of Bakhale.

[@IrfanZuberi1980]

I have added a detailed description below each piece as well as with the playlist itself. 😊

[@dhananjaynaniwadekar3048]

@@IrfanZuberi1980 Yes, the description is detailed, but I could not figure out easily how to go from one raag in this concert to another. I don't think generally in terms of playlists, but found yours by chance. And once playlists pile up, they get buried deep down the home page for the channel. A link to this concert's playlist in the description would be helpful.

[@IrfanZuberi1980]

@@dhananjaynaniwadekar3048 Noted, with thanks. I'll edit the playlist description to include the same across the various playlists I've created. 🙂

[@hemantghayal7709]

Vidyadhar Guniyan...only he can sing. And perhaps Kishoritai.

[@IrfanZuberi1980]

Hmmm, not sure I would agree entirely! I have really enjoyed listening to the same bandish in Khat by Ginde ji, Padmavati Tai & Kausalya Tai... in more recent times, there are erudite renditions by Shruti Tai & Ulhas ji as well!

[@ArchismanMozumder]

@@IrfanZuberi1980 I have been fortunate to listen to an astonishing rendition of this raag by Pt. Babanrao Haldankar, in Mumbai. The fact that he was well-versed with the gayaki of Jaipur-Atrauli & Agra made his recital even more riveting. The application of the 'shruti-s' of the komal dhaivat in both the aaroha & avaroha was done so skillfully that actually do not remember what other raag-s he had rendered on that day. It was a concert at Suburban - Juhu or Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan - Girgaum in the late 90-s. I feel like kicking myself for not taking notes of that concert. :)

[@IrfanZuberi1980]

@@ArchismanMozumder Arre wah, you are indeed fortunate to have heard this recital by Pandit Babanrao Haldankar ji… sounds like it was a good one! I heard him a few times but sadly his voice and/or mood didn’t inspire him on any of those occasions… Agra & Jaipur are both strands of the wider Atrauli tradition, with intermarriages between the various lineages… in a wider sense, this set includes Hapur, Khurja & Sikandara as well, finally going upwards to unite within the umbrella of the Qawwal Bachche consolidated tradition. 😊

[@ArchismanMozumder]

@@IrfanZuberi1980 He was in fine fettle in the 90-s... surely for the concert that I had the good luck to attend. Thank you for the insights about the different Gharana-s with similarities.

[@akakirde9452]

​@@ArchismanMozumderhe has a fabulous dhamar in miyan ki malhar