Articles Written by Pandit Chandra Nath Shastri ©
My GuruJi Pandit Anokhelal Mishra
Journey Started: Expert Marble Ball Playing Child to Tabla Samrat:
When he was just a young little boy, Once Pandit Bhairav Mishra saw him. He observed that while playing marbles, the little boy was very accurate to hit small marble balls with another marble ball using his fingers. Shri Bhairav Mishra thought that if the boy can be taught to play Tabla, with teaching him to utilizing his unique fingers to concentrate on it, he must become a great Tabla player. Thus he approached his mother to allow him to stay with him and to learn Tabla playing. In this way AnokhelalJi became a disciple of Bhairav Mishra and started learning Tabla rendering since his childhood and used to practice for several hours daily. It was totally Gurukul style training that made AnokhelalJi soo fine Tabla player.
GuruJi and His Simplicity:
He was very simple livelihood. He knew only Sadhana (practise) of rendering Tabla. Once his first son was seriously ill but he was deeply engaged with his music. When he was informed about the death of his son he replied ‘It was gifted by god and also taken by him, so let me practise now.’ After finishing his practise when he realised what he lost he was shocked and broke into tears and could not touch Tabla for a long period of time.
GuruJi's Concentration Level and The Start of My Tabla Journey:
Once he went to dentist (fortunately my father Dr. Mouli Nath Shastri) for erection of a tooth. He was very much nervous. He asked whether there will be any trouble or danger. To overcome the nervousness, my father asked him to wait for some time and compose a ‘Parahn’ in some different style than the usuals. He started composing the Parahn and was self-absorbed in the process. In the mean time the tooth was extracted and he had not felt any pain. That was due to diversion of his mind from the operation towards his 'Sadhana'. After that my father asked him to tell him the bol that he composed right there. He told the bol then asked - when the tooth will be extracted. My father replied him that the extraction of the tooth is over. Actually he diverted his mind so much towards the thinking of creation of the bol that he overcame the feeling of pain in the process. Then he replied as ‘Doctor Sahab, your fingers are so good, I could not even feel any pain. With these unique fingers. If you play Tabla your Tabla playing will be better than any Tabla player’. My father replied him that he used to play Tabla in his early life and teaching table playing to his two sons. Hearing this Pandt Ji requested my father to permit him to teach Tabla playing to us two brothers. My Father gladly accepted his request. Thus we came in touch with Pandit Ji and became affectionate disciples.
His Respect for His Seniors:
At our childhood in Banaras Tinu Kabiraj was famous for conducting classical music concerts and stage shows in his house. His father and ancestors were used to do the same that he too continued in his time. Once Guruji was asked to play Tabla solo in Tinu Kabiraj’s home concert. He went there and when the time came for his performance he went towards the stage but suddenly instead of sitting on the dais he sat on the floor in front of the stage. Audiences were absolutely clueless of why he was doing that! So someone from the front asked him why he was sitting on the floor rather sitting on the stage they decorated for him. He gently replied with a very generous smile ‘My seniors and great Tabla Artists had played here many times, how can I take the same seat ? '. Thus he made all the audiences astonished that day with his simplicity and his respect for his seniors.
Devotion Towards His Practice:
Once GuruJi performed in a concert. The concert was a whole night concert. I came early at night from that concert as I had to get back home early. The concert continued till 4am. At about 5am I woke up by sound of some instance Tabla playing that I can hear from my house. I assumed that it is coming from the Hanuman Mandir (Temple), that was near our house. From the Tabla playing style I was sure it was GuruJi playing. But why so early in the morning? So with a doubt I went there to see whether he is GuruJi or someone just playing like that. I went there and making myself right I saw him playing. After he was done I asked him why he was again playing there after playing a lot in that big concert ending late night. He told me ‘Why disturb family going home at so early morning? So when I was going back to home I saw them having a program and thought of starting today’s practise here.’
About Tabla Player Dr. Kedar Nath Bhowmick
Kedar Da : Mistery Man with Rare Tabla Playing Skills, a True Story:
If anyone asks me to tell an interesting fact on Banaras gharana, Dr. Kedar Nath Bhowmick will be the one of the names that will come to my mind for sure. He was disciple of Pandit Bansdeo Maharaj (Mishra). Dr. Kedar Nath was not just another disciple of Bansdeo Maharaj beside Pt. Lachchu Mishra (son of Bansdeo Maharaj), he also learned and carried the mestirious techniques of Tabla playing from his guruji. Pandit Bandeo Maharaj used to play rare bols and kaydas those were unkown to many of banaras gharana Tabla players. Lachchu Mishra and Dr. Kedar Nath were few of those disciples who actually learned those and were famous for that. Their playing style was little diffrent and the compositions that they used to play was unique in Banaras gharana. Dr. Bhowmick was basically belonged from a bramhin (Pandit) family. Besides playing Tabla, Dr. Kedar Nath was very good mathematician. He was appointed as lecturer at Banaras Hindu University, later promoted to professor rank.
He was close person to me. He used to live at stone throwing distance from my house at Hararbag in Varanasi. We sometimes used to practise Tabla together. We performed together in many places. Also I used to learn Mathematics from him for some period. He used to practice Tabla playing not regularly when he was into job, but when he used to sit with Tabla he used to practice about 6-7 hours continuously.
I remember some incident about him. One is worth of mentioning. Once he was invited to play at my house. At those days it was common to play on request in house of classical music lover in front of lots of audience. As my father was lover of classical music we used to host events like that many times each year. So it was Pandit Mahadev Prasad Mishra Ji on Vocal and Kedar Da on Tabla. At the starting of his performance Pandit Mahadev Prasad Mishra Ji requested Kedar Da to show a trick. The trick was to tear off the 'Puri' (the upper lather portion) of Bayan at the end of the performance at 'Som' (at 1st beat of a taal). It means destroying a bayan. It was a famous trick that we used to just hear from others, that only Pandit Bansdeo Maharaj could do. I was looking forward for that to happen. Atlast when Pandit Mahadev Prasad Mishra Ji’s singing was at last seconds, to end it Kedar Da performed that. He torned off the puri leaving all the audience stunned.
....more articles coming soon.....
1) The Meet with 'The Beatles'
2) Guruji's Last Days
3) How Ram Sahai Created Banaras Gharana
4) Magical facts on Banaras Gharana Musicians
5) Talk with Ustad Keramatullah Khan about my Guruji
6) About Pandit Maulvi Ram Mishra
7) About Pandit Mahadev Prasad Mishra
1) The Meet with 'The Beatles'
2) Guruji's Last Days
3) How Ram Sahai Created Banaras Gharana
4) Magical facts on Banaras Gharana Musicians
5) Talk with Ustad Keramatullah Khan about my Guruji
6) About Pandit Maulvi Ram Mishra
7) About Pandit Mahadev Prasad Mishra