Rajan Parrikar Music Archive

An Old Photo

I came across this photo in the book Maa…Siddheshwari by Savita Devi and Vibha S. Chauhan (Roli Books, 2000). Except for the names below, no other metadata (such as the name of the photographer, context, location, year) is recorded.

I thought the image was already somewhere on the web but a brief Google Image search drew a blank. Perhaps it is there and shows up with the right set of keywords. At any rate, I thought I would place it here.

PS: In the background are portraits of Abdul Karim Khan and (what looks like) Alladiya Khan.

Archival Photo

Front row (l-r): B.R. Deodhar, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Thirakhwa, Siddheshwari Devi, Bal Gandharva
Source: Maa…Siddheshwari by Savita Devi and Vibha S. Chauhan

Kishore Kumar – 30 Years On

I shall never forget the afternoon of October 13, 1987: AIR delivered the news flash that Kishore Kumar had passed away.

Popular music is intrinsically generational: every prevailing mode of the day is consigned to obscurity when a new fashion takes over. It is extremely rare for practitioners of popular music or their style to survive this cyclic churn.

Kishore‘s adbhuta artistry and voice, however, were “not of an age, but for all time.” Of his Indian contemporaries, he is the only one most likely to appeal to generations yet unborn.

Rajan Parrikar, Kishore Kumar

A Treasured Memory – Panjim, March 1986
Photo by: Gourish Nadkarni

From the unfinished/unreleased NEELA AASMAN (1959), composed and sung by Kishore Kumar:

 
 

Ramrang – 89th Anniversary

Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang” (Aug 11, 1928 – Jan 1, 2009)

Ramashreya Jha “Ramrang” (Aug 11, 1928 – Jan 1, 2009)

At my home in Panjim – August 03, 2007

 
 

Kishori Amonkar (1932-2017)

The passing of a great Goan.

Kishori Amonkar & Mogubai Kurdikar

Kishori and Mogubai at their temple in Curdi, Goa

Photographer unknown; Photo source: Wind of Fire – The Music and Musicians of Goa by Mário Cabral E Sá, Promilla & Co Publishers, 1997.

 
 

Veena Sahasrabuddhe Passes On

Smt. Sahasrabuddhe passed away on June 29 in Pune. She was 67.

We never met in person although I understand she frequently sojourned in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1995 I accompanied her brother Kashinath Bodas on the harmonium in a couple of baithaks; I clearly remember his fond references to his sister (two weeks after those concerts he died of a heart attack in Canada).

I once played for Ramrang her rendition of his composition beeta gaye ri in Raga Hemant. He noted right away that she had made tweaks to the bandish. Nevertheless he expressed approval of, what he termed, her “bibeka” (Ramrang was always receptive to fresh input) and remarked that she had remained true to the “aatma” of the composition.

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