There is an unmistakable serenity about Sharad Sathe. His sixth floor apartment off Pune’s Bhandarkar Road overlooks the wide expanse of the fast changing landscape of this city of his youth. Sathe’s spacious apartment embodies his trademark austerity — neatly arranged furniture and a functional kitchen. The vocalist’s experiments with calligraphy adorns the cupboards but no awards or citations, many of which this octogenarian must have received.
There is absolutely no attempt made to remind visitors of his pre-eminence as one of the seniormost exponents of the Gwalior Gharana. Sathe’s personal universe perhaps offers a glimpse into his robust Gwalior gayaki, shorn of gimmicks but known for sublime aesthetics and artistic brilliance. He tells me that he also forewarns students about his lack of popularity in the concert market and barely teaches a few these days. Needless to say that age has also slowed him down.
His long-time disciple, Mukul Kulkarni, who usually accompanies Sathe during his concerts, calls him a ‘strict disciplinarian,’ who adheres to the authentic structure of asthayee/antara of the Gwalior bandishes. Mukul adds: “The significant aspect of his gayaki is the ‘Bilampat.’ His khayal is appealing in terms of the rendering of authentic bandishes, thought and its development, ornamentations, projection of the structural beauty of bandishes, bols and chiselled taan patterns.” Musicologist and harmonium artiste Chaitanya Kunte, who has played many concerts with Sathe shares: “He hails from the old Gwalior school but his thoughts are constantly evolving. He is a representative of the important and forgotten tradition of the Gwalior gayaki. His command on laya, taal, taankari demonstrates his maturity as a musician.”
Sharad Sathe received his initial training from the iconic D. V. Paluskar, who was also a busy concert musician. He travelled with his guru extensively to observe him from close quarters during stage performances. After his demise in 1955, Sathe went to Mumbai to learn from Prof. B. R. Deodhar, a well-known musicologist and a repository of rare compositions. He was also instrumental in getting an Indian citizenship for Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Sathe remembers meeting the ustad on several occasions at Teen Batti near Malabar Hill in Mumbai. Prof. Deodhar taught him various compositions in several lesser-known ragas from different gharanas and created an access to an entirely new world of musical possibilities.
New identity
However, it was after 1966, when he became a disciple of Sharadchandra Arolkar that Sathe’s singing gained a new identity . “While learning tappa from him, I got the ingredients of khayal singing. He used to say: ‘catch your guru in his unaware moments, try to understand him when he is most unguarded,’” says Sathe.
Often labelled a purist, it is said that Sharad Sathe never compromised authenticity for popularity or to endear himself to the ‘music market.’ Musicologist and writer Kumar Prasad Mukherjee heard him many years ago while he was recording a Darbari for the Sangeet Research Academy Archives in Kolkata and spontaneously remarked, “This is classicism.” He is wary of these sobriquets though. “I find it very difficult to respond to such comments. I know that I have never deviated from what I learnt and tried to present that to the best of my abilities,” Sathe responds and takes a quick pause to narrate a story.
After a performance in Nasik, a disciple of Ustad Faiyaz Mohammed Khan walked up to him and praised his singing but also advised him to learn uccharan (pronunciation) from his then guru, Sharadchandra Arolkar. He closely studied both the original Gwalior and the Maharashtrian lineage of the gharana to comprehend the differences between the two.
Several compositions are different and renditions also vary widely. His gayaki is often seen as the best assimilation of both styles. Sathe is equally forthright about his various influences — Kesarbai, Faiyaz Khan and Ramkrishna bua Vaze to name a few. He also delighted in the atmosphere Amir Khan could create with his alap.
Noted vocalist Ulhas Kashalkar comments, “You must listen to Sharad ji to understand the traditional elements of Gwalior gharana singing. In Indian music, there have always been artistes who remained a delight for musicians and music composers because there is so much to learn from their singing but often the audiences are unable to fathom the depths of such music.”
His wife Sunetra Sathe, also a trained singer first heard him when he came to perform in her music class. She left the concert midway. Little did she know that this was the man she was destined to spend her life with. She says, “My love for his music has nothing to do with matrimony. I admire his maturity as a musician and he has some rare qualities. Perhaps people are beginning to appreciate him more now. I am really proud of him.”
There is however not an iota of malice in Sharad Sathe. He still maintains that he is a ‘commercial musician,’ who is not as well-known as some of his contemporaries. Vocalist Shubha Mudgal is a huge fan of his singing. She says, “Pt. Sharad Sathe ji’s music is a perfect illustration of the significance of taleem and silsila and the undeniable fact that neither need be restrictive in any way. In his music, I am able to hear both the discipline of the raagdari system as taught by his great gurus, and his own interpretation that is neither predictable nor stifled by adherence to the norms of the system.”
The writer teaches literary and cultural studies at FLAME University, Pune, and writes on art and culture
