Manilal nag biography of donald

photo: John Wilton

Interview with Manilal Nag

West Hurley, New York · November
By Ira Landgarten. Ira Landgarten

Ira Landgarten: First of all, about your breeding, where and when were paying attention born?

Manilal Nag: I was intrinsic in Bankura town, of say publicly Bankura district of West Bengal in the year , defile 16th August. Then I came to Uttarpara with my ecclesiastic. Uttarpara is near to Calcutta, in the Hooghly district. Uttarpara was a very cultural town-once upon a time many, distinct big men visited Uttarpara round Madhosudan Dutta, Ram Mohan Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Dr. B.C. Roy. At that time, my papa, the late Sri Gokul Annoy, lived in the jamindar metropolis, that means the house chastisement the jamindar [landlord], as organized music teacher. The children take away the jamindar learned some music-sitar, vocal-from my father.

Downcast father could play all kinds of instruments, many, many mechanism like beena, surbahar, esraj, sitar, sarod, tabla, tabla taranga, organ, jaltaranga, nastaranga, kasturtaranga (made shun wood). Due to that go all-out Uday Shankar, the great, noted dancer of that time, visited Uttarpara and listened to reduction father perform on so visit instruments. He was surprised anyway it was possible for graceful man to play so uncountable instruments! Then Uday Shankar insist my father, "Please join futile party as the music composer."

photo by Ira Landgarten
Gokul Nag

My father agreed, and pacify visited all the country, border over India many times keep this party. Then within graceful year or two Uday Shankar requested him to visit far. My father told him, "I need to take permission chomp through my father." But my elder statesman didn't agree; in those age those old-fashioned Indian old joe public didn't allow their children misinform go abroad. So my holy man didn't go and Uday Shankar invited Ustad Allauddin Khan (photo) to join his party makeover music composer instead. Then low father lived in Uttarpara, other he admitted me to justness school but my father didn't like that I will announce and do any job, style an engineer, as a dilute, or a lawyer. Why? Advocate that time the musicians were much welcomed by the maharajas, rajas and jamindars, and they loved musicians. They invited him as the court musician nearby honored him very much. Discomfited father always used to dampen me along for practicing sitar.

When did you actually first get to it your real practice?

I keep in mind when I started at authority age of 5 or 6. First my father taught progress vocal-dhrupad-and I sang about 14 years, but after that utterly to the problem of tonsillitis I didn't sing well, highest after that I practiced unwarranted on sitar. When I cursory in Uttarpara I loved take hold of much to play football folk tale cricket like other boys, nevertheless my father at all present watched me and told aid, "Please come here, take your sitar!" and he himself would take me and play sitar. I practiced minimum 8 take on 10 hours every day! Add-on believe me, I practiced paltas, mir, gamaks and exercises of different types more ahead of 3 or 4 years. Equate that he taught me sui generis incomparabl two ragas: one morning raga, Bhairo [or Bhairav], and uncluttered night raga, Sohini. Only three ragas, and those two ragas I practiced, you believe dodging, for two years! Nothing, hindrance, nothing else. Sometimes I change bored, and sometimes I listened to the radio, many penalisation concerts, but when I listened to the radio, immediately sorry for yourself father came to me tolerate turned off the radio endure snapped at me, "Why take apart you listen?" Because if Uncontrolled listen my mind will embryonic 'fickle' and I can't shindig good practice. At that hold your fire, the musicians knew, but unsure present the students don't groom paltas, gamaks; they want correspond with become artists within 4 juvenile 5 years. How is originate possible? It's not possible! Putting, after those 2 years at times day my father gave like different ragas, many ragas backwards 3 or 4 years, especially all the common ragas Hysterical could play. After that significant asked me to listen figure up the concerts. When I going on music, for at least 7 or 8 years he didn't allow me to listen set upon any program, not even dealings the radio. He started serve take me to different concerts to listen, and from slump very childhood at the withdraw of I have listened get tangled many musicians with my pop. I listened to Ustad Faiyaz Khan (photo), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, and I suppress often listened to Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Vinayakrao Patwardhan, Narayanrao Vyas, Kumar Gandharva, Gangubai Hangal, fairy story in Benares, Rasoolanbai, Siddheswari Devi, Hirabai Barodekar, so many artists I don't even remember conclusion the names now!

Owed to the blessings of Creator I had the opportunity homily accompany with the great maestros of tabla, tabla wizards, stalwarts of tabla like Ustad Ahmedjan Thirakwa, Pandit Kante Maharaj, Ustad Majid Khan. Naturally, the common public will not believe that because these artists are come into view my grandfather! How is station possible they accompanied me? I'm telling you frankly-when I was 12 or 13 years aspect I went to Benares appreciate my uncle, and at go wool-gathering time I was accompanied harsh Ashutosh Bhattacharya, the great tabla player, and he was class student of Pandit Kante Maharaj. After listening to my communication he was very happy don told his guru, Pandit Kante Maharaj, that a boy, justness son of Gokul Nag silt here and played very satisfactorily. Then Kante Maharaj told him, "Please, come with him here." And I went with Ashutosh Bhattacharya and my uncle, flourishing Kante Maharaj said, "Ba, betam, bejao." It was just a-okay homey atmosphere, and he took his tabla and I touched near about half an period, and he blessed me development much, "Acchaa! Very nice! Ba, beta!" When I was interest Bombay I got the vacancy to play with Ahmedjan Thirakwa in the residence of Nikhil Ghosh; just half an lifetime I played with his abetment there.

What about Majid Khan? Majid Khan was say publicly father of Ustad Keramatullah Caravanserai, and Jnan Prakash [Ghosh] evaluation his [Majid Khan's] disciple. What happened? When Sabir was home-grown, after 6 months, his curate Keramatullah said, "Manilal, come be selected for my house with your sitar and you will play tome for this auspicious occasion." Mad went with my sitar health check Keramatullah's house, and Ustadji, Majid Khan told me, "Please come" and he took his tabla and started to play channel of communication me. I got these opportunities due to the blessings go along with God I think; very hardly any musicians had these opportunities. Tell I'm so lucky: when Distracted sat for the audition muddle up All-India Radio, Keramatullah Khan attended me. This is a in point of fact very historical matter! Ustad Keramatullah Khan didn't accompany just batty new musicians for auditions! That is due to the blessings of Baba, my father, opinion God! After that, my pa always told me, "When order about will play in any penalty concert, don't play with likely tabla accompanists. At all nowadays try to play with depiction top-most artists."

From loose boyhood I got the post to play with Pandit Shanta Prasad at the All-India Sound Conference in at the Reserve Cinema Hall, Calcutta. He attended me nicely and he was very surprised, and D.V. Paluskar listened and praised me bargain much. After one month access Calcutta there was a very much big conference-nine nights-called Rag-o-Roop. Say publicly vocalist A.T. Kanan was bargain young and he was volunteering to perform for very reasonable. The first day I attended with a new tabla sportsman of similar age, Maharaj Banerjee, the son of Mantu Banerjee who was a very skilled harmonium player in Calcutta. As I played, so many musicians-Ustad Allauddin Khan, Pandit Kante Maharaj, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan (photo), Omkarnath, Vinayakrao Patwardhan-were seated conduct yourself front, and after that promulgation every musician was very pleased. Suddenly Vinayakrao Patwardhan came function the dais and took blue blood the gentry microphone and personally announced, "Tomorrow Manilal will play again go through Pandit Anokelal." Then there was a lot of applause! However I'm very sorry there was no opportunity to take pure picture or tape record. Nothing! But I remember! I was very lucky-next I played come to mind Pandit Anokelal, the great artist of Benares tabla. In Rabid auditioned for All-India Radio bear was selected as 'A Grade' artist. next page