Pandit Mallikarjun Mansoor, one of the last titans of the Hindustani music, was among the most sought after vocalists of his time. He continued singing on stage with the same verve, grace and vigour till his last days, when he passed away at the age of 81. Someone once asked him “how does it feel receiving standing ovations in such jam-packed halls?” He hushed it up, saying, “This is a recent phenomenon that happened only after I attained the age of 68. Otherwise, the hall used to get empty when my name was announced. And it would make no difference to me ‘Mera kaam hai gaana aur unka kaam hai sunana.’ I do my job whether they listen to it or not!”
This incident rang loud in my mind, when I encountered an extraordinary young talent from Kolkata recently. There were many musical events in the Capital scheduled for this past week but what touched my heart most was a melodious sitar recital by an unfamiliar artiste, Kalyan Majumdar, playing at the literally “empty” Epicentre Gurgaon, with utmost sincerity and deep involvement. This auditorium is known for thin attendance for classical music concerts, but that evening there was not a single soul present there, when I reached.
Unfazed by nil audience, the 19-year-old Kalyan was totally absorbed in delving deep into the “Mandra-Vistar” of the most timely evening raga yaman. The unhurried meditative aalap in the lower octave with long tuneful meends pulling the string till four, five notes; went further to madhya and taar saptak erecting architectonic beauty of the raga, gradually caressing each and every note tenderly.
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The emotive throb of the sensitive artiste could be felt in jod sequence too. The hour-long aalap was followed by two compositions in Jhaptala and Teentala, where one could witness his rhythmic virtuosity also during his crystal clear taans. The sitar recital of this gifted youngster was simply a blend of innate grace and complete command over ‘Layakari’.
Kalyan opened up about himself and his music after the conclusion of the concert.
On not a single soul turning up, Kalyan said: “I did feel disappointed for a while, but then I realised that it was my duty to perform because I was officially invited for this purpose. I offered pranam to my Guru and opened with raga Yaman. Once I started playing, I just had the raga in my mind and nothing else.
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Kalyan was lucky to be born in a musical family of Kolkata. A child prodigy, he could recognise ragas and promptly say the notations of any tune at the age of three. He formally started learning sitar at the same age, from his father the distinguished sitar player Pandit Subhajit Majumdar of Senia Maihar Gharana. Later he came under the tutelage of Pandit Saumitra Lahiri of Vishnupur Gharana for the past ten years.
One can experience a beautiful blend of Vishnupur and Maihar gharanas in his playing style with an echo of Pandit Nikhil Banerji also at times.
His recital that evening proved that he maintains the purity of the raga in his soulful and systematic aalap, but how did he get the kind of command he showcased on tala and laya, the rhythm.
He got it all from both his Gurus. He remembers how his father would insist on his regular riyaaz every morning. No wonder a stalwart like Pandit Buddhadeb Dasgupta highly praised him for his sound musical approach and command over the instrument.
As far as achievements are concerned, Kalyan won the President’s Award at the All India Radio competition for which he was also honoured by the International Foundation for Fine Arts at the NCPA Mumbai. A regular broadcaster at AIR, Kolkata, he is presently studying computer science, and plans to do his post graduation also in the same subject. But he is absolutely sure about his future as a professional musician, and he is working sincerely towards his goal with full dedication.