by Rajan P. Parrikar
First published on SAWF on November 13, 2000
[Update: Pandit Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang” passed away on January 1, 2009. He was 80 years old.]
The early decades of the 20th century heralded a renaissance in Hindustani music, driven by the visionary leadership of the two Vishnus, Paluskar and Bhatkhande.
Bhatkhande’s monumental investigations bridged the theoretical underpinnings of our music with contemporary practice. His painstaking documentation of hundreds of traditional compositions across diverse sources stands as a testament to his brilliance. In Bhatkhande, a formidable intellect converged with musical prowess and unyielding resolve, producing an oeuvre that remains the cornerstone of Hindustani shastra. His achievements are nothing short of miraculous, a singular lifetime devoted to an extraordinary body of work. At the conclusion of his magnum opus, Bhatkhande humbly acknowledged that he had only laid the groundwork, urging future generations to build upon and refine his foundation.
Bhatkhande’s legacy was entrusted to his foremost disciple, Acharya S.N. Ratanjankar, universally acknowledged as an unmatched scholar of ragadari. Like his mentor, Ratanjankar was also a prolific vaggeyakara, and his legacy includes over 600 compositions, meticulously documented by his disciple K.G. Ginde.
In this distinguished lineage stands Pandit Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang” — Vidwan, Shastrakara, Vaggeyakara, Teacher, and Performer. Alongside Ratanjankar, Ramrang represents the pinnacle of Hindustani vaggeyakara artistry in the past half-century. While many great performers have composed brilliantly, few embody the combination of vast breadth, substantial output, and profound musicianship seen in these two luminaries.
Sangeetacharya Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang” was born on August 11, 1928, in Darbhanga, located in the Mithila region of Bihar, a once-flourishing centre of dhrupad music. His early musical education came from his father, Sukhdev Jha, and his uncle, Madhusudan Jha. However, the true flowering of his genius occurred during the 25 years he spent at the ashram of his esteemed guru Bholanath Bhatt in Allahabad, which became his lifelong karmabhoomi.
Ramrang also received guidance from other eminent vidwans, such as B.N. Thakar of Allahabad and Habib Khan of Kirana. His youth included 15 formative years with a drama company in Varanasi, an experience that expanded his musical horizons and deepened his understanding of the rustic roots of Indian Art music. In 1968, he joined the faculty of Allahabad University, and in 1980, he was appointed Head of the Music Department. This recognition by the University was a rare acknowledgment of pure merit, as Ramrang held no formal degrees. He retired from academic life in 1989.
Ramrang’s composite musical personality unfolds into four interwoven strands, briefly touched upon below:
(a) He is a shastrakara of the highest calibre, and the fruits of his lifelong meditation on the nature of raga are enshrined in the five published volumes of Abhinava Geetanjali. These masterworks represent a landmark contribution to Indian music, dazzling with the sharpness of his intellect, the breadth of his knowledge, and the clarity of his scholarship. The volumes display a rare gift for expounding complex ideas with elegance and simplicity. Together, the profound insights and incisive analyses of ragas, along with hundreds of Ramrang’s own meticulously crafted compositions, leave us with this inescapable conclusion: Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang” is the Bhatkhande of our era.
(b) As a preeminent vageyakara, Ramrang’s creativity is fuelled by a fertile imagination, exceptional recall, and an agile mind. His mastery allows him to summon music from within, fully formed and ever ready. A high-quality bandish must encapsulate the essence of a raga (lakshanas). Ramrang’s compositions go further, binding each word, swara, and matra into a cohesive melodic ecosystem that achieves an aesthetic unity rarely encountered in “traditional” bandishes. Among the first to recognise and propagate his compositions was the legendary Jitendra Abhisheki, who performed, popularised, and passed them on to his students. Over the years, these gems have enriched the repertoire of several leading vocalists.
(c) As a performer, Ramrang’s gayaki appeals to connoisseurs who relish the subtleties of swara and raga. His renditions are not for those seeking vocal pyrotechnics or high-speed tans; indeed, he eschews both. Instead, his music invites the listener to delve into the deep wellspring of raganubhava. His approach is rooted in lakshana-centric exploration, where even familiar ragas, when filtered through his creative prism, acquire a fresh conceptual depth and flavour. Unlike the superficial renderings common today, Ramrang honours the text of the bandish, using his poetic sensibility to seamlessly fuse verse and melody. His genius extends beyond composition to his uccharana — the nuanced articulation that animates the skeletal framework of the raga (asthaai bharnaa) into a fully realised melodic edifice.
(d) Ramrang’s legacy as a teacher is equally significant. Over decades, he has mentored and inspired numerous students. His senior disciple, Dr. Geeta Banerjee, a distinguished author, scholar, and musician, succeeded him as Head of the Music Department at Allahabad University. Another of his protégés, Shubha Mudgal, has earned global acclaim. This website hosts many examples of Ramrang’s teaching brilliance, where his expositions combine pedagogical rigour with aesthetic delight. (Update: In 2005, the President of India recognised his contributions by bestowing upon him the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.)
Ramashreya Jha receives the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from Indian President Abdul Kalam in 2005.
Today, as he has done for the past six decades, Ramrang devotes his waking hours to the contemplation and creation of music. True to his calling, his intellectual curiosity remains insatiable; each day unveils a fresh insight or a newly minted asthai. In this spirit, we might invoke Einstein, who observed: “Only in Science and Art are we permitted to remain children all our lives.”
Ramrang has spent much of his musical journey in relative seclusion, distanced from the clamor of public adulation and the mainstream community of performing musicians. This solitude aligns with his ethos — a deep conviction that music is a lifelong sadhana, demanding self-discipline and introspection. Reflecting on Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang’s” singular contributions, one is reminded of the understated wisdom of Professor G.H. Hardy: “Whatever we do may be small, but it has a certain character of permanence; and to have produced anything of the slightest permanent interest…is to have done something utterly beyond the powers of the vast majority of men.” (A Mathematician’s Apology).
In the present essay, we return to Ramrang’s garden (see the earlier Ramrang – A Bouquet of Compositions). This package has been put together from postings made earlier in the Usenet newsgroup rec.music.indian.classical (RMIC).
The opening sequence comprises four compositions in Raga Bhimpalasi. Jha-sahab opens with his lovely vilambit Roopak bandish and then quickly sketches three druta compositions, interjecting the proceedings with pertinent comments.
Raga Chhaya Bihag is a hybrid of two ragas, namely, Chhaya and Bihag. The primary marker of the Chhaya component is the P->R swoop. Ramrang’s compositions here speak of the episode of the baby Krishna wanting the moon for himself and Jashoda’s reaction to his intransigence.
He first explains the sahitya.
…and then sketches his vilambit composition. (Recorded in September 2000 in Goa. Tabla: Shri Vaman Naik, formerly of AIR Panjim.)
Raga Savani of the Kalyan anga is rarely heard today. Jha-sahab sings a traditional bandish that has come down to him from his guru, Bholanath Bhatt: banata bana’oon bana nahi aave.
Ramrang’s tarana in Raga Jaijaivanti set to Jhaptala shows arresting cross-play with the laya.
Some 30-35 years ago, a pupil of Omkarnath Thakur called on Ramrang and sang his guru’s beautiful Shyam Kalyan composition. A couple of days later he dropped by again and was astonished to find that Jha-sahab had not only remembered Omkarnath’s bandish but had produced a near-identical match by stitching new words onto the melody. We hear in Jha-sahab’s own voice Omkarnath’s original composition and then his matching riposte.
Bhatkhande‘s monumental exegesis Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati has a reference to the Carnatic import, Raga Pratapvarali (he may well have been the one to introduce it in Hindustani music although, in keeping with his self-effacing nature, he doesn’t claim credit).
The sangatis in Pratapvarali are vakra, especially the ones around the avarohi gandhar. Durga (of the Bilawal that) is kept at bay through special phrases (the alert reader will figure them out). Other ragas of similar persuasion are the Carnatic Arabhi, Sama/Shyama and Devagandhari (incorrectly labeled on Abdul Karim Khan‘s HMV tape as Devagandhar, a very different puppy).
There is an older composition in Pratapvarali courtesy Aman Ali Khan of Bhendibazar. Ramrang’s two compositions presented here were huge favourites of Jitendra Abhisheki.
In the vilambit bandish, Jha-sahab makes the raga look deceptively easy. Notice how the key lakshana is captured in the mukhda.
Moving along, we bring an magnificent monologue in which Jha-sahab ranges over Ragas Devgiri Bilawal, Yamani Bilawal and Sarparda Bilawal. The act concludes with his reciting a traditional vilambit composition in Sarparda.
Next on the menu, a course of five delightful compositions, two in Raga Bhoopali and three in Shuddha Kalyan.
Ramrang sings of Lord Shiva in Har Har Mahadeva in Raga Bhoopali.
Another cheez in Bhoopali, set to Ektala: mana leeje sundarwa.
Shuddha Kalyan co-opts elements of Bhoopali, padding them with vital additional tonal artifacts. Jha-sahab first sings a traditional composition, mandara bajo re.
The next two are his own compositions. Satyasheel Deshpande provides both ‘daad’ and vocal support.
Shuddha Kalyan: bairana bha’i ri.
Shuddha Kalyan: neendariya tu kahe na.
The Yaman flowers are in full bloom in the next patch. A full suite of four delectable compositions is ours to ‘pluck and play.’
Ramrang expands on his vilambit bandish, devana deva. This has to be among the most sublime Yaman ever conceived. Although an abbreviated excerpt, the clip furnishes a master class in the procedure known as “astha’i bharna” (lit. filling up of the astha’i). Jha-sahab’s impromptu remarks dot the proceedings.
In the final lap of this clip, Ramrang talks about some features of the composition and ends with a dramatic flourish: ranga de ranga de rangarejawa.
Another cheez in Yaman, a different design and flavour. Ramrang has composed close to 50 bandishes in Yaman/Yaman Kalyan spread over roughly 5 decades, mining every conceivable inch of the raganga territory: tumhari aasa lagi aaja.
This khayalnuma in Yaman is set to Teentala.
The nonchalent touch of shuddha madhyam in this Yaman Kalyan composition register pleasingly on both the heart and mind: sangata keenhe guniyana ki guna.
We make a nodding acquaintance with a prakar of Nat known as Nat Nagari. This is a creation of Ramrang, and with moorings in Chhayanat. A deft chalan bheda imparts to it an independent swaroopa. Notice the Kukubh-like prayoga of the rishab. The text addresses a prasanga in the life of Bhartrhari. At the conclusion of his sanyasa he returns to his unfaithful wife and asks for alms, as enjoined by his guru. The penitent wife now responds: kahe alakha jagayo jogi tum mere prana adhara.
Ramrang’s activities in ancillary forms such as thumri, hori and dadra must find mention in any survey of his work. While primarily wedded to classicism, his facility in these auxillary genres is a result of his long association with his guru, Bholanath Bhatt who was an expert of the thumri (vide B.R. Deodhar – Pillars of Hindustani Music). Of Lucknowi extraction, these thumris fall to the older lot known as ‘bandish-ki-thumri‘ characterized by a faster laya and a taut wrap around the tala.
Jha-sahab’s first clip is a full rendition of a traditional thumri he received from Bholanath Bhatt. This objet d’art based in Raga Tilak Bihari uses Tilak Kamod for its base, renders its rishab deergha, and borrows elements from Khamaj: ho maharaja kevadiya khole, rasa ki boonda pare.
A traditional dadra.
Ramrang himself has composed several exquisite thumris and tappas. Two samplers follow.
A bandish-ki-thumri in Khamaj, set to Ektala.
A tappa in Kafi.
The next offering is a composition in Raga Bhankhari (not to be confused with Raga Bhankar). This composite raga is formed from strands of Bibhas (of the Marwa that), Jait, Deshkar and Marwa. The deergha bahutva role accorded to dhaivat is noticeable. Vocal accompaniment is provided by Satyasheel Deshpande: sanga na keejiye manuva.
Three aprachalita prakars of Malhar follow.
First, a traditional composition in Raga Nat Malhar.
Raga Jhanj Malhar: the raga is obtained by administering a small dose of the Kanada anga to the uttaranga of Miyan Malhar.
Raga Chanchalsas Malhar: elements of Megh, Desh and Shahana are woven into the Malhar fabric.
Our promenade of Ramrang’s garden concludes with a type of Raga Patmanjari. I leave it to the reader to figure out the 5 constituent ragas of this hybrid.