To me, Annapurna Devi epitomises a rare artiste who remained diffident about public recognition of her art which might be difficult for many to comprehend in our current PR-obsessed milieu. There are many conjectures about her personal life — turbulent relationship with Pt. Ravi Shankar, the death of their son Shubhendra, her refusal to play public concerts, marriage to Rooshikumar Pandya and complete withdrawal into her apartment in Breach Candy where she met few. I am not attempting a romantic portrayal of the artiste as a recluse but rather trying to understand what does a life of silence mean for an artiste and how does that silence then manifest in her music or musical thoughts? There aren’t any easy answers and Annapurna Devi will perhaps always remain an enigma.
Daughter and disciple of the legendary Ustad Alauddin Khan, Annapurna was born in 1927 as Roshanara in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh and trained in the surbahar. Her students include the likes of Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia and Pt. Basant Kabra amongst others. Pt. Chaurasia reminisces, “Baba Alauddin Khan wanted to take me to Maihar when I was only eight years old. I told him that my father will not permit me to leave but I also expressed my desire to travel to Maihar and learn from him when I grow up. He said he may not be around by then but I could learn from his daughter, Annapurna.” Pt. Chaurasia remembered that all along. When he arrived in Mumbai to work with AIR, he went to meet her and it took him two-three years to convince her to teach him. He further adds, “I don’t think she has gone anywhere. She is with me here in my Vrindaban Gurukul (his music institution in Mumbai) and will always guide and inspire us.”
A disciple’s account
Another of her foremost disciples and noted flautist, Pt. Nityanand Haldipur remained by her side till the end. He recalls their first meeting courtesy his then guru, Pt. Devendra Murdeshwar who introduced her as the rishi (saint) of Maihar gharana. Pt. Murdeshwar also told him if he ever hit a wall in his practice, he should unhesitatingly approach Annapurna ji because only she could show him the way forward. “It took me 13 years to convince her to teach me. She would start teaching in the evening and the sessions would often conclude in the wee hours of the morning. While teaching, she would always sing first and explain the aaroh avroh of the raga. She was very particular about the presentation of a raga. Malkauns was her favourite. In fact, Baba Alauddin had to tell her to stop playing Malkauns,” he adds. Sarod virtuoso and another prominent disciple, Pt. Basant Kabra recounts his last meeting with Annapurna Devi in August on the occasion of Guru Purnima where he also played for her. He says, “Many people wanted to meet and learn from her but she had to protect her time to think about her music. She was a perfectionist in whatever she did and laid great emphasis on riyaaz.”
Annapurna’s nephew and son of sarod legend Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Alam Khan was left distraught by the news of his pishima’s (aunt in Bengali) death. He met her during his last concert tour in India some years agoand spent a lovely evening trying to make her laugh by telling some jokes. Says Alam: “My father encouraged me to take lessons from her when I was in India, which I was fortunate enough to do a few times. I remember getting so nervous playing before her but she was always supportive in her guidance and teaching. I will cherish those memories and forever be grateful.”
Sitar player and disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar, Shubhendra Rao had the opportunity to meet Annapurna Devi when he was barely 12. She said in her beautiful voice, “Beta, you are just like Shubho (her son, Shubhendra after whom my parents named me).” While I was there, her disciple Basant Kabra was practising raga Yaman and she kept correcting him in between our conversation. I still remember the beautiful vilambit teen taal bandish she was teaching him that day.” Shubhendra Rao observes that his guru and Annapurna Devi had tremendous respect for each other as fellow musicians. In the meeting mentioned above, Annapurna also referred to Ravi Shankar as ‘an ocean of music’. Rao clarifies, “Guru ji always spoke about her with the highest respect. Only two people knew what transpired in their lives and sadly, they are both gone. Let’s remember and celebrate Annapurna ji for her music.”
