Annapurna Devi: An Unheard Melody

Swapan Kumar Bondyopadhyay

Description

Baba Allauddin Khan's daughter, Pandit Ravi Shankar's first wife, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan's sister, representative of Maihar-Senia gharana - Annapurna Devi has an illustrious lineage. And she is a star in her own right - she is the only female surbahar player in the country. Yet, Annapurna's life is shrouded in mystery. Though she is a true guru to her hishyas, to others she is an eccentric recluse or simply too strong-minded. This first authorised biography offers a glimpse into her life, not to reveal or to shock, but to set the record straight - her turbulent years with Ravi Shankar, the death of her only son, her single-minded pursuit of music and a life in seclusion. Drawing on interviews with Annapurna Devi and her family members, admirers, critics and students, Swapan Kumar Bondyopadhyay offers an absorbing portrait of a brilliant individual, who shuns public erformances devoting her time instead to her music, her students and to keeping her father's legacy alive.

Sujets

• Musique
• Histoire de la musique
• Lettres et linguistique
• Biography
• Musical
• Classical
• Autobiography
• Ravi Shankar
• Surbahar
• Performance
• Music
• Indian
• Sitar

Informations

• Publié par: Roli Books
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9788174368553
• Langue: English

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Dedicated to the souls that shine in silence

Lotus Collection

© Swapan Kumar Bondyopadhyay 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This edition first published in 2005 The Lotus Collection An imprint of Roli Books Pvt. Ltd. M-75, G.K. II Market New Delhi 110 048 Phones: ++91 (011) 2921 2271, 2921 2782 2921 0886, Fax: ++91 (011) 2921 7185 E-mail: [e-mail]; Website: rolibooks.com Also at Bangalore, Varanasi and Jaipur

Cover design: Sneha Pamneja
Layout design: Kumar Raman
Cover images courtesy: Shelley Mazumdar, Vaidu Sanyal

ISBN: 81-7436-399-8

Contents
Foreword
Cast
Preface
w BOOK ONE
The Early Years in Maihar (1917-41)
Annapurna and Ravi Shankar (1938-42)
Annapurna and Ravi Shankar (1943-56)
w Book two
The Turbulent Years of Subho Shankar (1942-92)
The Death of Subho Shankar (1992)
w Book three
Annapurna Alone
w Book four
Annapurna as a Teacher
w Book five
Annapurna on Annapurna
w Book six
Rooshi and Annapurna
Searching for Annapurna
Interviews with Rooshi
Epilogue
List of Concerts
Chronology
Selected Reading
Glossary

Foreword
W hen you (Swapan) came to see me a few years back and talked to me, I did not know that you were serious about writing a book on me. To be honest, I have never thought that there is anything special about me to write on. I see myself only as a humble student of music who learnt from Baba (Allauddin Khan), my father and a great Guru to many besides myself. So I discouraged you and in all our subsequent meetings tried to dissuade you. However, I am amazed that you are still at it and that now you want to publish a book on me. As I found out, you also interviewed some of my senior students to collect information for the book. Although I think it is a waste of your valuable time, now I am resigned to the fact that you have finished writing the book and will publish it. I really admire your tenacity. My only request to you is not to exaggerate or romanticize … I will be most happy if your book makes the readers aware of Baba’s greatness, sacrifices, and his generous sharing of his divine musical gift with his disciples. As for my life there is not much to write ….
Annapurna Devi Mumbai 2005


Cast
A li Akbar Khan: Sarod maestro. Born on 14 April 1922 in Sibpur, erstwhile East Pakistan. Baba Allauddin Khan’s son. The torch bearer of Maihar-Senia Gharana. A music composer and brilliant performer. Founder of the Ali Akbar College of Music. Notable among the other teachers at the school were Bahadur Khan, Nikhil Banerjee and Mahapurush Mishra. Now settled in California, US, and has a college there. One of the very first instrumentalists to tour the West in 1955 at the invitation of Yehudi Menuhin and spread Hindustani classical music there.
Alice Boner: Sculptress and artist from Zurich. Wealthy sponsor of Uday Shankar’s dance experiments. She accompanied Uday Shankar to India and funded the exotic costumes and musical instruments to be collected from India for the troupe.
Annapurna Devi: Greatest surbahar players of India. Born in 1927 in Maihar. Baba Allauddin Khan’s youngest daughter. Married to Ravi Shankar on 15 May 1941, Almora, and later divorced him in October 1982. She had a son Subhendra Shankar from her first marriage. Later married Rooshikumar Pandya in Bombay on 9 December 1982.
Ashis Khan: Born in Maihar in 1939. He is the eldest son of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan from his first marriage with Zubeida Khatun. A talented sarod player, tutored by Baba Allauddin Khan, Annapurna and his father Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He now lives in Kolkata.
Atul Merchant: Sarod player. He is Annapurna Devi’s student.
Bappa alias Amit Bhattacharya: A promising sarod player of our times. Son of renowned sarod player Jotin Bhattacharya who was trained by Baba Allauddin Khan during his stay in Maihar in 1955. He was also groomed by Annapurna Devi. At present, he is based in Benaras.
Basant Kabra: A promising sarod player. Born in Jodhpur in 1959, son of D.L.Kabra, an eminent violinist, he was tutored by Annapurna Devi.
Biman Ghose: Close friend of Ravi Shankar’s. Worked for All India Radio, Delhi. Later joined HMV in Calcutta.
Baba Allauddin Khan: Sarod maestro, popularly and respectfully known as Baba. Born in Sibpur, Tripura District, erstwhile East Pakistan, in 1862. Left home in search of a guru and settled at the court of Maihar Maharajah, Brijnath Singh, in 1918, after being in elysium. He resumed his search for a guru in Calcutta and Rampur. He learnt under sarod-wizard Ustad Ahmad Ali Khan and Ustad Wazir Khan of Rampur. Founder of the Maihar-Senia Gharana of music, he is mentor of luminaries of Indian classical music like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Annapurna Devi, Nikhil Banerjee, Bahadur Khan, Jotin Bhattacharya and Pannalal Ghose. He died on 6 September 1972.
Brijnath Singh: Maharajah of Maihar and a patron of music. He learnt under Baba Allauddin Khan.
Daniel C. Bradley: One of Annapurna Devi’s students based in Holland.
Dhyanesh Khan: A promising sarod player. Born in Maihar in 1942. He is the second son of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He also taught at the Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta. He had an untimely death.
Hariprasad Chaurasia: Flautist of international renown. He was groomed by Annapurna Devi.
Hemangini Devi: Mother of Uday Shankar, Devendra Shankar, Rajendra Shankar and Ravi Shankar. She was called ratna garbha, a woman producing jewels, by Baba Allauddin Khan. She was a village girl from Nasratpur. Then she shifted to Benaras. She accompanied Uday Shankar’s troupe on their first trip to Europe. Though she stayed back in India when Uday Shankar left for the West the second time. She died in November 1936.
Jahan Ara: Annapurna Devi’s elder sister. She died a tragic death in Maihar a few years after her marriage into an orthodox Muslim family from Dhaka who opposed her attempts to pursue music.
Kaveri Shankar: Daughter of Subhendra Shankar and granddaughter of Annapurna Devi. A Bharat natyam exponent.
Krishna: Wife of Devendra Shankar.
Kulsum: Maidservant in Baba Allauddin Khan’s household in Maihar.
Maa Sharada Devi: Deity presiding over Maihar. In the Puranas she is referred to as the destroyer of the demon Moi.
Madina Begum alias Madan Manjari: Wife of Baba Allauddin Khan.
Matul Brajabehari: Maternal uncle of the Shankars. A very happy-go-lucky and practical person. Matul in Bengali means maternal uncle. He acted as the guardian angel of the family. He toured the West with the family and was also present in Almora.
Niharbindu Choudhury: A violin player. A disciple of Baba Allauddin Khan. He lived in Maihar to learn from Baba.
Nityanand Haldipur: Flautist of renown. He is Annapurna Devi’s student. He works for the All India Radio, Mumbai.
Nikhil Banerjee: A sitarist extraordinaire. Born in Calcutta on 14 October 1931. He stayed in Maihar to learn from Baba Allauddin Khan. He was groomed by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Annapurna Devi among others. He came to learn from Annapurna in Bombay till the very last stage of his life. He died in Calcutta prematurely on 27 January 1986.
Ravi Shankar: Bharat Ratna. Sitar maestro. Musical genius. Highly acclaimed composer. Creator of many ragas. Honoured and respected internationally as the cultural ambassador of India. Born in Benaras on 7 April 1920. After an initial stint as a sitar accompanist and dancer in elder brother Uday Shankar’s troupe in India and abroad, decided to take up sitar exclusively after meeting Baba Allauddin Khan in 1934. Came to Maihar to learn under Baba Allauddin Khan in July 1938. Married Annapurna, Baba’s daughter, in Almora, on 15 May 1941. Son Subhendra Shankar was born on 30 March 1941. After a distinguished career at All India Radio, Delhi, including as the Director, External Services Division, he took u