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Beat Street

This week at Planet M

Bai Sunderabai

Sa Re Ga Ma, CD, Rs. 395

There are some uses to technology after all. If you had never imagined that you would have the good fortune of listening to singers of early 20th Century, here is some good news. Music company Sa Re Ga Ma, has revived 78 rpm records, making archival music available to music lovers. The five albums they have released are of Hindustani vocalists Bai Sunderabai, Kesarbai Kerkar, Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, Pt. Sawai Gandharva and Mogubai Kurdikar.

Launching the series, renowned Hindustani vocalists Rajan Mishra and Sajan Mishra sang praises of this endeavour. "They have retained the authentic recording, but improved the quality and packaged it beautifully," they announced. Also, this is a fine effort in preserving the memory of the great singers of yore. This finely produced album of Bai Sunderabai has her singing thumris and ghazals, like most singers of the period.

Thumris have largely been the domain of women and has always been looked upon with disdain in the world of Hindustani classical music. Of course, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan was a big (in more than one sense) exception. He has immortalised the thumris "Babul mora" and "Kaa karoo sajni" and there hasn't been another singer who can match his rendition. The form evolved in various parts of the country, but the best of thumris came from Benaras. From Siddeshwari Devi to Girija Devi of our times, Benaras has produced all time greats.

There aren't too many details available on the life and learning of Sunderabai, though in an essay on Gauhar Jan, the musician who had first rpm recording ever (in 1901), says Sunderabai did learn from her.

What strikes you in this album is that it's music is so distinctly different. It's untainted and is nothing like what one gets to hear these days. Sunderabai sings to the accompaniment of just harmonium and tabla, which you hear only when she is not singing. It is mellow and tempered, though they could be outstanding musicians in their own right. The harmonium, in fact, has some lovely graces.

Sunderabai's thumris appeal more than her ghazals. She is not only completely at home in her rendition of thumris, but also sounds like it is the form after her heart. Everything about her singing is so old-world, including her voice, a tone that is so natural and unaffected by market forces. With a distinct earthy appeal she sings the hori "Tum to karath bharjori". One couldn't help remembering Girija Devi's far more superior version of it. Girija Devi interprets the word "bharjori" to such detail, creating a myriad moods. If you don't feel satisfied with Sunderabai's version, it's probably the three-minute duration of each song on this compilation. When you're just trying to settle into the mood of the song, it's over.

For instance, "Piya gaye pardes" in Bhairav is beautiful, but too shortlived. Same is the case with the Pilu thumri. Thumri as a form has lent itself to influences from various forms. So, interestingly, you can see natyasangeet graces in some of them. Of the ghazals she sings, "Koi patthar se na maaro" is catchy.

It's worth buying this album to go back into a past which came riding a philosophy so entirely different from ours. A time when lived life and faith did not contradict each other.

DEEPA GANESH

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