Kishori Amonkar - A personal journey with Ganasaraswati

It was in 1990s that I got interested in Hindustani music. Till then film, carnatic, rock and especially blues, were my staple diet. Those were the days of newsgroups and I joined the famous rmic and rmim newsgroups. In rmic, a lot of Hindustani music discussions happened. My interest in Hindustani music was kindled then. The best way to get introduced to a musical form is to hear the masters of that form. So I started buying tapes of Hindustani masters. One of the earliest tapes I bought was that of Kishori Amonkar in which she had sung 'Bhoop' and 'Bageshree'.

Sometimes without your knowledge, you hit gold. This was one such serendipitous occurrence. What I didn't know at that time was that the Bhoop that Kishori Amonkar sang was what Zakhir Hussain would later comment on as, "Some creations will last forever. Kishori Tai's Bhoop is one such creation". It was easy to be charmed by this raga because it is the Mohanam of the north. The familiarity drew me in instantly and then there was the magic of Kishori's voice. I kept playing this in the car daily for a long time. The Bageshree on the other side was equally good. This was my first introduction to Kishori's music and it would develop into an everlasting love for her music. Rajan Parikkar wrote about Kishori's Bhoop thus: "Kishori Amonkar‘s artistry stands as tall as the Himalayas, and in Bhoopali is realised its summit. Upon her 'sahela re' no human hand can improve."  http://www.parrikar.org/hindustani/bhoopali/ 



Kishori's Bageshree, of which Rajan Parrikar says, "Kishori Amonkar matches Amir Khan swara-for-swara."  And I can't agree more http://www.parrikar.org/music/bageshree/kishori_bageshree.mp3

The next set of Kishori Amonkar tapes that I bought were dedicated to the Malhars and I was particularly smitten by Gaud Malhar. She was singing the standard, 'Man na kariye'. It was a different khayal, 'Kuo yako Barsat Nahin'. It evoked the dreamy cloudy season and was the perfect companion when I drove to western ghats during the monsoon time. Driving in the pale light with the dark cloud blocking out the sun, a powder thin drizzle, curving ghat roads, lush green paddy fields and dark forest areas with Kishori singing Gaud Malhar is as close to heaven that you can get.

http://www.parrikar.org/music/malhar/kishori_gaudm.mp3

I couldn't find that Khayal in youtube. Youtube has 'maan na khariye', another wonderful khayal



Till this time I had just bought whatever Kishori tapes I could lay hands on, I never searched for anything specific. Kishori's Binna Shadja tape was the first one which I went searching for specifically because Rajan had said this on her Binna Shadja. "We open with the finest Bhinna Shadaj there is. No man or woman, compos mentis, can escape the force of Kishori Amonkar‘s genius on display here. Notice the occasional rishab in the upper register."  http://www.parrikar.org/hindustani/bhinnashadaj/ It was an excellent rendition indeed. Got it on a tape which had a live performance of Bhoop with the Binna Shadja towards the end. The raga also goes under the name of Kaishik Dhwani. There are other renditions of 'ud ja re kaga' including a Hridayanath tuned one which Lata had sung. Yet it is Kishori's Binna Shadja that attracts me the most. Binna Shaja would later become the title of the documentary that Amol Palekar made on Kishori. More about that later.



I had read in Rajan Parrikar's article that Rageshree of Hindustani was the counterpart of Carnatic Natakurunji. Sufficiently intrigued, I bought a tape of Kishori sing Rageshree. Well, it was nowhere close to Natakurunji but that did not stop me enjoying the raga. Kishori does a leisurely job with Raheshree and I have heard it many times since I bought that tape. To my Hindustani untrained ears, it sounds more like a modified Bageshree.



I have always been fascinated by the classical musicians singing Abhangs, Kabir, Bhajans and so on. I love Bhimsen Joshi's rendition of Purandaradasa Devarnamas. So when I found a CD of Kishori singing Abhangs I picked it up. I played it at home one day. The CD was playing 'bholava vittala'. My wife, who had never heard Kishori sing till then, asked me, "Who is this? She has such a nice voice". This Abhang does highlight her captivating voice. Carnatic fans may have heard this abhang sung by Ranjani and Gayathri. Here it is in Kishori's voice.



When I saw the DVD titled 'Bhinna Shadja' with Kishori's photo on the cover, there was no way I was coming out of the shop without buying it. The documentary made by Amol Palekar gave a glimpse into Kishori life and her philosophy. She was always in search of the perfect swar and she believed music to be something which helps you transcend beyond mere existence. For her music was not just about fame but was a personal journey, a dialogue with her maker. The documentary is now available on youtube. Your time will be well spent watching this documentary.



She always took her music seriously for it was something very personal to her. If you hear this jugalbandhi with Balamurali you will realise it. Balamurali, ever the showman, tries to infuse some fun into the proceedings but Kishori never lets her hair down. It is a sort of study in contrasts. You need to hear the Bhimsen Balamurali jugalbandhi and then hear this one to realise the difference. Bhimsen and Balamurali try to outdo each other in their showmanship but in the case of Kishori, though she makes some concessions for the jugalbandhi format, she predominantly sticks to her path. The singing of the greats is in keeping with their respective philosophies.



Kishori also gave music to the movie 'Dhristi'. I have this tape with me. I had read an interview in which she was very unhappy with the placement of a song in the movie. It was used as background to a love making scene and that her mother, the great Mogubai was so upset by it that she didn't speak with Kisori for a few days. Here is a song from that movie, 'megha jhar jhar barsat re'



Finally,  a raga which my carnatic friends know and love, Bhimplasi. An piece of which Rajan Parikkar says, "Kishori Amonkar‘s unpublished Bhimpalasi is one for the gods, almost certainly the greatest exposition of that raga on tape." (http://www.parrikar.org/hindustani/bhimpalasi/ ). Here is the link to the piece http://www.parrikar.org/music/bhimpalasi/kishori_bhimpalasi.mp3

Here is an elaborate Bhimplasi on youtube:



Along with Kesarbai, Mansur and Amir Khan, Kishori Tai is one that I hear often amongst the Hindustani singers. She has given so much music and we are lucky that a lot of her recordings are available for us to enjoy. (Unlike Kesarbai's music which has very few recordings).

Kishori's music will always be close to my heart. I am sure she is now one with the nadabrahmam. Om Shanthi.