Nikhil Banerjee

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Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (Bangla) (14 October 1931 – 27 January 1986) was one of India's most prominent Sitar masters of the 20th Century.

Contents

[edit] Beginnings

Nikhil Banerjee was born in Calcutta into a Brahmin family, where music as a profession was discouraged, although his father, Jitendranath Banerjee, who was a Sitarist by his hobby, taught him on the instrument. Young Nikhil grew into a child prodigy, won an All-Bengal Sitar Competition at the age of 9 and soon was playing for All India Radio. At the time, his sister was a student of khyal great Amir Khan, who became a life-long influence. Jitendranath approached Mushtaq Ali Khan to take the boy as a student, and Banerjee learned with him for his initial training. In 1947 Banerjee met Allauddin Khan, who was to become his main guru along with his son Ali Akbar Khan. Both were sarod players. Banerjee went to Allaudin Khan's concerts and followed him around, and in the end even went so far as to threaten to kill himself if he was not accepted as a disciple. Allauddin Khan did not want to take on more students, but changed his mind after listening to one of Banerjee's radio broadcasts. After a short period of time spent with Allauddin Khan in Maihar, Banerjee went to study with his son Ali Akbar Khan for the rest of his training.

[edit] Maihar gharana

The discipline under Allauddin Khan was legendary. For years, Nikhil's practice would start at four in the morning, and with few breaks continue to eleven o'clock – at night[1] – a schedule which was naturally hard on his fingers. Among others, Allauddin also taught his son, Ali Akbar Khan, grandson Aashish Khan, and nephew Bahadur Khan on the sarod; Ravi Shankar on the sitar; his daughter, Annapurna Devi on the surbahar, Pannalal Ghosh on the flute, Indranil Bhattacharya the sitar and Vasant Rai the sarod

Allauddin Khan was passing on not only playing technique but the musical knowledge and approach of the Maihar gharana (school); yet there was a definite trend in his teaching to infuse the sitar and sarod with the been-baj aesthetic of the Rudra veena, surbahar and sursringar – long, elaborate alap (unaccompanied improvisation) built on intricate meend work (bending of the note). He was also well known for complimenting his teaching for his particular students strengths and weaknesses. Consequently, under his teaching, Shankar and Banerjee developed different sitar styles.

[edit] Career and legacy

After Maihar, Banerjee embarked on a concert career that was to take him to all corners of the world and last right up to his death. All through his life he kept taking lessons from Allauddin and his children, Ali Akbar and Annapurna Devi. Perhaps reflecting his early upbringing, he always remained a humble musician, and was content with much less limelight than a player of his stature could have vied for. For him, music-making was a spiritual rather than a worldly path.[2] Even so, in 1968, he was decorated with the Padma Shri and posthumously received also the Padma Bhushan; at the time of his death by heart attack, he was a faculty member at the Ali Akbar College of Music in Calcutta. Nikhil Banerjee disliked teaching, and hence does not have any significant students. There are a few sitar players who are presently performing around the world who claim to be his students or disciples; they are not 'disciples' in the true sense. According to many sources close to Banerjee, he might give a lesson here or there to a dedicated student, but that was all. And considering the rigors of the guru-shishiya (master-disciple) relationship, one cannot say that Banerjee had any 'students'. Although he recorded extensively, the studio environment made Banerjee nervous. Not so the concert hall; his live albums, many of which were brought out around the turn of the 21st Century by Raga Records in New York, are widely considered to be the finest documents of his playing. Today, he is regarded as one of the greatest traditional sitarists of the 20th century.

His interpretation of ragas was usually traditional although he would some times take liberties with the raga in a moment of inspiration. Some people say he created a raga Manomanjari of his own, mixing ideas from Kalavati and Marwa, while other attribute it to Allaudin Khan.

[edit] Partial discography

The following is a summary of some recent CD issues.

For a more complete discography see http://four.fsphost.com/ragamala/Nikhil%20Banerjee%20discography.htm

  • Afternoon Ragas (1970)
  • Live: Misra Kafi (1982)
  • The Hundred-Minute Raga: Purabi Kalyan (live) (1982)
  • Immortal Sitar of Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Ragas: Purabi Kalyan, Zila-Kafi, Kirwa (1986)
  • Lyrical Sitar (1991)
  • Live at De Kosmos: Amsterdam 1972 (1995)
  • The KPFA Tapes: Berkeley 1968 (1995)
  • Rag Hemant (1995)
  • Le Sitar Du Pandit (1996)
  • Raga Patdeep (1996)
  • Live in Amsterdam 1984 (1997)
  • Genius of Pandit Nikhil (live) (1998)
  • Berkeley 1968 (1998)
  • Live Concert, Vol. 2: India's Maestro of Melody (1999)
  • Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (live) (1999)
  • Total Absorption (2000)
  • Banerjee Live in Munich 1980 (2000)
  • Morning Ragas: Bombay Complete Concert 1965 (live) (2000)
  • Musician's Musician (2001)
  • India's Maestro of Melody: Live Concert, Vol. 5 (2002)
  • Alltime Classic, Vol. 1: Raag Bageshree (live) (2004)

[edit] Notes

^ (Interview by Ira Landgarten, printed in the booklet for The Hundred-Minute Raga: Purabi Kalyan, Raga Records Raga-207)

^ Interestingly, Banerjee made a sharp distinction between religion and spirituality in this context:

Indian music is based on spiritualism; that is the first word, you must keep it in your mind. Many people misunderstand and think it's got something to do with religion – no, absolutely no! Nothing to do with religion, but spiritualism – Indian music was practiced and learned to know the Supreme Truth. Mirabai, Thyagaraja from the South, Haridas Swami, Baiju – all these great composers and musicians were wandering saints; they never came into society, nor performed in society. (Interview by Ira Landgarten, printed in the booklet for The Hundred-Minute Raga: Purabi Kalyan, Raga Records Raga-207)

^ Allauddin claimed he was teaching Banerjee the sitar "style of Nawab Kutubudaulla Bahadur of Lucknow", a player not otherwise remembered. (My Maestro As I Saw Him, essay by Banerjee printed in the booklet for Afternoon Ragas, Raga Records Raga-211)

^ San Francisco Chronicle:

Banerjee's technique is a phenomenon, faster than cheetahs, more secure than the dollar. But he does not lean on that as most players do. It is there, at the ready, a strength to be called on when needed. It is his gentle playing that is so singular. The ease of it, highlighted by atypical (for Indian music) bits of literal reiteration create a kind of euphoric effect. The result is remarkably individual. One could spot a Banerjee performance on a radio broadcast or tape, a thing of great difficulty among Oriental musicians.

[edit] Further reading

  • Swapan Bandyopadhyay: "The Strings Broke Long Ago", Ananda Publishers, Kolkata

[edit] External links


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