Forgotten voice
Biju Govind
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Music Sharatchandra Marathe, who was once an authority on Hindustani music, is today a pale shadow of his former self.
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Hindustani music always had a good audience and was appreciated in Kerala.
Echoes of the past: Sharatchandra Marathe Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup
HE HAS scores of disciples and once held large audiences spellbound with his music. But that was in his heydays when Sharatchandra Marathe reigned as the undisputed authority on Hindustani music in Kozhikode.
Today, Marathe has almost faded out of the music scene. . "Hindustani music always had a good audience and was appreciated in Kerala. It is now getting even more prominence in Malayalam films," says the unsung musician sitting in front of the harmonium in a shabby house at Chinthavalap in Kozhikode.
Composer
Time was when Marathe ruled the roost in Hindustani music for almost five decades in Kerala. He had then composed the music for `Avivahitharude Swargam,' `Mayuravarnnagal,' `Chanchattom' and `Uppu.' However, only `Uppu,' directed by Pavithran, was released. "Those were the times when his fame was at its pinnacle, and he had lots of students and programmes. And, he was a well-known artiste of All India Radio. Some of his celebrated students were director Aravindan, musician A.T. Ummer, singer Usha Ravi and gazhal singer Anil Das," adds his wife, Maneesha.
Born in a Maharashtrian family, Marathe was just 10 months old, when his father, Regunath Vithal Marathe, also a reputed singer, died. In the midst of a hand-to-mouth existence, Marathe studied under various teachers right from the age of 10. Manaharji Barva and Vinayakrao Patwardhan were his gurus. Marathe moved to Kerala in the early 1950s, when Manaharji requested him to teach Poomully Raman Nampoodiripad Hindustani music. Although the contract was for just three months, the training continued for 12 months. Marathe had planned to return to Mumbai when his contract ended. But when Govinda Rao, a trader, asked him to teach his children music he postponed his trip to Maharashtra. In 1970, Marathe decided to settle in Kozhikode. Later, he married Maneesha, who belonged to a Maharashtrian family that had settled in Mattancherry. But busy with music and friends, the Marathes forgot to build a house of their own.
Eight years ago, when he fell ill, the Coimbatore Arya Vaidya Pharmacy came to his aid with medicines and money. "They give us Rs.1,000 every month," Maneesha says.
Now, the Marathes have only a dream - a roof over their head.
Recently, the State Government directed the District Collector to allot a five-cent plot for the Marathes in Kozhikode. It is more than three months now. "But even when the land is allotted, we will have to depend on our well-wishers to build a house," says Maneesha.
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