Babu's rababiya flourishes
SARVAMANGALA C.S.
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Buddhadev Dasgupta's life was rife with hurdles and pressures of a full-time engineering job. But nothing could put a stop to the musical journey he was to take
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Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
DISTINCTIVE Buddhadev Dasgupta prioritises melody over the characteristic percussive element of the rabab idiom of sarod
A Yorkshire man with a big cheroot in his mouth who knew only boilers, turbines and spanners and mugs of beer in his off-time - this description by Buddhadev Dasgupta of his colonial boss sums up the general indifference and apathy amidst which his music had to flourish.
"Typical Bengali cowardice" forbade him from making music his profession, especially during the post-Partition decades when music fetched "not even dry bread, let alone bread and butter". Buddhadev's journey has been one of hard work and skilful negotiation through his long engineering career with the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation and his music.
Buddha-da, the grand master of the rababiya tradition of sarod-playing enthralled Bangalore audience at a recital at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan recently, sponsored by The Embassy Group.
Combining streams
Intensive tutelage for thirty-eight years under the sarod maestro Radhika Mohan Moitra sharpened his understanding and playing of music. Buddhadev derives his style from Moitra who combined two major streams - Mohammed Ameer Khan's gharana which lent the rabab-style of sarod-playing and the Rampur-Senia gharana which he imbibed from Mohammed Dabir Khan. Buddhadev prioritises melody over the characteristic percussive element of the rabab idiom of sarod, and together with his intellect and individual creativity, his distinctive style is adorned by his sharp taankaari. The colourful range of bol-based taans which marks Buddhadev's style is traced to the vocal elements of the Agra gharana which Moitra introduced into sarod-playing.
With a strong musical basis and a delicate mastery over the sarod, Buddhadev offers a kaleidoscopic view of his rich music in ever-changing patterns and brilliant colours. A strong character, vital exposure as chief music critic of The Statesman for twenty years, extensive performances, lecture-demonstrations, quality recordings, educative projects like The Raga Guide, study of Rabindra Sangeet compositions, interface with Western classical music — such multiple dimensions make him a musician's musician.
The sarod caught his imagination at a tender age when he saw this rare instrument being played by Moitra. The visual and the music stayed with him and became a lifetime passion and relationship. Though a music enthusiast, his father Prafulla Dasgupta dissuaded Buddhadev's sarod-learning since he was no zamindar's son. With unbeatable zest Buddhadev had to prove his academic mettle time and again. Obstacles and melodramatic events profusely studded Buddhadev's musical path. He narrates with great amusement his first tryst with music — how as a three-and-a-half-year old, he had triggered severe embarrassment when he called out to one of the greatest Bengali musicians Jnanendra Prasad Goswami to "stop that shouting", when his concert was in progress!
Overriding passion
As a mechanical engineering student at the Bengal Engineering College, he was so swept away by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali's Jaijaivanti, Buddhadev ventured into playing Jaijaivanti in one of his radio programmes. He gave into the temptation though Moitra had refused to teach him such a complex raga at that stage. Moitra promptly directed the radio authorities to blacklist this young artist. His mother too took extraordinary objection. An apology followed and the guru-shishya bondage continued. But such incidents and misadventures enabled a fresh understanding of surrender — so essential to music-learning.
On account of the "essential service" nature of his job, Buddhadev had to forego many a prestigious programme and even an overseas tour invitation, knowing fully well that when he would finally be free to take up these offers, they would cease to come his way.
Bidding goodbye to his job finally at 55, Buddhadev went on to head the instrumental division of SRA which imparts training for sitar and sarod students.
Father-son duo
The recent performance in Bangalore was a sarod-duet that featured him with Anirban Dasgupta, his prodigious son and disciple, a refined inheritor of the traditional Ameerkhani baaj.
The father-son duo brought forth the kind of unpretentious soulful music that is not often heard in concerts these days. Raag Chaya, Maluha Kedar, Zila and Kafi — each raga promised a fine tunefulness and aesthetic joy of a rare quality. By Buddhadev's specific choice, our own Pandit Ravindra Yavagal accompanied them on the tabla, lending excellent support.
The music workshop that Buddhadev held for instrumental music students focussed mainly on the essential constituents of a raga and the process of creating taans. Beginning with a garland of notes, Buddhadev demonstrated with striking clarity how fragments could be joined in a mathematical, yet acutely aesthetic manner to create an array of stunning patterns.
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