Great Goan
Pt. jitendra abhisheki Hindustani Classical Maestro
A legend of our times A true exponent of his art, his aim was to teach his students to look inwards and think about music, instead of blindly following in his footsteps
O
ne of the most gifted Hindustani classical vocalists Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki was also an accomplished composer. Born on September 21, 1929, Jitendra Abhisheki hailed from a priestly family traditionally attached to the shrine of Lord Mangesh at the Mangeshi temple. His father, Balwantrao aka Bikambhat, was the temple priest. He initiated his son into the world of classical as well as devotional music, from a tender age itself. He also systematically taught young Jitendra both, Sanskrit and Marathi. Proficiency in these two languages helped Jitendra immensely in his career as a musician and composer. Pandit Abhisheki passed the matriculation examination in 1949 and went on to study for a degree in Sanskrit literature. He then joined the All India Radio at Bombay for a brief but successful period. His stint with radio not only brought him in contact with several musicians, but also gave him the opportunity to harness his own 24
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musical talents by composing several pieces for various radio programmes. It was around this time that he started his training under the renowned maestro Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan. He later secured a scholarship from the Government of India for advanced training in Hindustani classical music. Before long, Pandit Abhisheki was composing music for Marathi plays. This meant setting to music, songs in Marathi Sangeet Nataks as well as background scores for what maybe described as ‘prose plays’. All in all, he composed music for as many as 25 Marathi plays, many of which are still being staged using those same compositions. In the late 60s, he received the coveted Homi Bhabha fellowship, from which he taught music at the music school in the US run by the renowned sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar. Pandit Abhisheki had a remarkably wide ranging repertoire. He was a classicist by nature, but he also had a deep understanding of the semiclassical devotional and folk traditions in the glorious musical heritage of India. In addition to Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan, Jitendra learned from other great teachers like Girijabai Kelkar, Jagannathbuwa Purohit and Gulubhai Jasdanwala. He also learned some rare ragas from Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan. In the process, he absorbed the gayaki of several gharanas and evolved his own distinctive style. His outstanding contributions to music brought him many honours and awards, including the Padmashri and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards. Pandit Abhisheki had very clear ideas about the nature of his art. He believed that the essence of Hindustani Classical music was the capacity of a raga to develop and expand by way
of alaap rather than sargam. He also believed that no one could be forced to pursue an art, as the urge to learn and seek answers has to arise from within. Because of this conviction, he did not force his children to learn music, though his son Shaunak, of his own free will became his disciple and is today recognized as a leading vocalist in his own right, carrying forward his father’s musical heritage. Pandit Abhisheki spent his last years in Pune where he taught a number of disciples. This distinguished artist passed away at the age of 65 on November 7, 1998. Needless to say, his multifaceted achievements in the fields of classical music, as well as Marathi Natya Sangeet, will always be remembered by lovers of Indian music. One of the exemplary qualities of Pandit Abhisheki was the way in which he trained his disciples. Similar to the ancient ‘Guru-Shishya’ tradition, he loved to have his students with him round the clock. He provided them food and shelter along with his vast fund of musical knowledge. He had to suffer a lot in his youth, to receive musical education. He did not want his disciples to share the same fate. He thought, they should be free to apply their minds to music without having to care for the victuals. He treated all of them like family members. He taught them to sing each Bandish with the utmost perfection, but he did not want them to be blind followers. Hence, he taught them to look inwards and think about music. He did all this, without the expectation of a single paisa from his disciples. Many of whom are leading vocalists of the present musical scenario namely Prabhakar Karekar, Raja Kale, Ajit Kadkade, Hemant Pendse, Devki Pandit, Shubha Mudgal and his son, Shounak Abhisheki