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Pandit Devendra Murdeshwar [This article has been extracted from the SMC Platinum Jubilee Souvenir (Year 2012)] Pandit Devendra Murdeshwar By: Vasant K. Nayampalli On the eve of the centenary year of the late Pt. Pannalal Ghosh who was a legend and pioneer in playing Bamboo Flute (Basuri) in India. It is time to remember his son-in-law, the most devoted disciple and renowned Basuri player the late Pt. Devendra Murdeshwar who carried forward his legacy Devendra’s upbringing at Murdeshwar home at MASUR (in North Kanara District) was more than congenial to his musical sensibilities. His father was a keen connoisseur of music and also played on the Violin, the Flute and the Tabla as a joyous hobby. All this made a deep impression on the mind of the impressionable young Devendra. Schoolgoing Devendra also learnt to play on the Flute and the Tabla. He showed a flair for singing stage songs and playing Banjo (Bulbul Tarang) and Harmonica. Curiously however, his interest in music remained relatively dormant till he came to Mumbai in 1941. His sojourn in the Metropolis brought many opportunities to hear the great musical stalwarts of the time like Pt. Omkarnath Thakur, Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan, Ustad Aman Ali Khan, Pt. D. V. Paluskar, Pt. Ratanjankar, Surashree Kesarbhai Kerkar, Pt. Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and many others. Even while he worked as Sales Representative he found time to learn the Tabla from the late Percusssion Meastro Ustad Amir Hussain Khan. He also received guidance in vocal music from Master Navrang. At this time he came in close contact with another great vocalist Pt. S. C. R. Bhatt a disciple of Pt. Ratanjankar. He used to have long and regular discussions with Pt. S. C. R. Bhatt on nuances of various ragas. The great moment in his quest for music came when Devendra Murdeswar chanced to hear the inimitable Flute maestro Pannalal Ghosh a disciple of Baba Allauddin Khan of Maihar in 1947 while he was still learning under Ustad Amir Hussain Khan and was known as an accomplished Tabla player. So abiding was the impact of Pannababu’s music on his mind that he decided to learn the Flute under the guidance of the great master and it was his great Ustad, Tabla maestro Amir Hussain Khan who put a word for Devendra to Pannalal Ghosh and thus he was accepted as disciple. Devendra Murdeshwar practiced day and night with exemplary diligence and it was not long before he became a prime disciple and a well known Flautist. Devendra Murdeshwar joind the staff of All India Radio in 1950 as a Flutist in the National Orchestra under Pt. Ravi Shankar. It was his quest for knowledge that brought him very close to Pt. Ravi Shankar and he became his trusted Lieutenant. It was these associations with Pt. Ravi Shankar that made him learn in detail the many aspects of different styles in various Gharanas of classical music. In his service with A.I.R. in Delhi, he also came in close contact with many other maestros in the field of music like Ustad Hafeez Ali Khan, legendary Ustad Baba Allauddin Khan Saheb, Bade Gulam Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Pt. Beherebuwa, Pt. Ratanjankar, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansoor and many others. Devendra’s yearning for knowledge would make him discuss intricacies of various new ragas and its technicalities with these stalwarts. This added to his vast repertoire. He became famous not only as a most versatile Flute player but also as one of the most knowledgeable musician amongst his contemporaries. He became known for his strict adherence to the purity of the raga and intelligent and aesthetically melodious renditions. In fact Pannababu played on the Basuris made by Pt. Devendra Murdeshwar. He was one of the finest makers of the Basuri, Marvels of workmenship, intonation and feel, workmanship was so good that Pannababu used to get Bamboo pieces from Kolkata for Devendra to make Flutes (Basuri). He enjoyed painting and portrait sketching which was his inborn talent and he further learned his skills in commercial arts. A number of Indian and foreign youngsters and also his son Anand received guidance from him. He encouraged Mrs. Lalita Kalambi his cousin an A.I.R. artist those days to take up B.Mus. (Bachelor of Music) which made her one of the leading Vocalists who was given Programme in Goa & a National Programme in Delhi. Late Mr. Anand Murdeshwar, Mr. Nityanand Haldipur and Mr. Lyon Leifer stand out as the most illustrious students of late Pandit Devendra Murdeshwar, the senior most disciple and son-in- law of late Pandit Pannalal Ghosh. Devendra Murdeshwar participated in all important music conferences in various parts of India including national programmes of music and Aakashwani Sangeet Samelans. He ranked high among India’s eminent Flautists. His art at once revealed the master’s touch. Recognition came his way when he represented the Govt. of India as member of official cultural delegations and had occasions to perform before vast audiences in Nepal, Afghanistan, Russia, East Germany, Yogoslavia, Bulgaria, the French Islands, Mauritious, Ala Re-Union Madagascar & Seychelles. He toured Canada and U.S.A. where he received grand applause. While in Delhi he performed at the residence of U. S. Ambassador to India, Mr. Chester Bowles and many other Consulates in Delhi. He also toured U. S. for the chain of concerts. He was honoured with Sangeet Natak Academy Award and given Gaurav Puraskar by Govt. of Maharashtra. Mr. Lyon Leifer, a U. S. citizen, stayed in India for a long time to take training in Basuri under him. After intensive training under Pt. Devendra Murdeshwar, he wrote a book “How to play Basuri”, a manual of self instruction based on the teachings of late Pt. Devendra Murdeshwar. In appreciation Mr. Lyon Leifer had to say, “My Guru, Devendra Murdeshwar, was kind enough to accept me as his student in 1965, when I first went to India on a Fulbright Grant. The principal disciple and son– in-law of Pannalal Ghosh, Murdeshwarji creatively developed Mr. Ghosh’s approach to bansuri and to raga music, adding still another facet to the many splendors of the Allaudin Khan gharana. He upheld the highest standards of musicianship and virtuosity, adding compositions of his own to the repertory and adapting a number of vocal compositions not previously played on bansuri. He had an illustrious career as performer, flutemaker, teacher, adjudicator, broadcaster, and producer of classical music at All India Radio. He toured the United States, Canada, the former Soviet Union and the former East Germany and won acclaim for his brilliant performances. Playing solo recitals for 3 hours was no great deal for him; he could keep audiences enthralled in their seats throughout. Few living flautists in any music culture can make that claim. I am extremely indebted to him. Most of the Indian music I know, I learned directly from him. Whatever else I learned was basically because, with him as my Guru, I have been accorded entry into the homes and studios of many a prominent musicians who also shared knowledge with me freely about my Guruji that he was the finest maker of Bansuris on the planet. Pannalal Ghosh played on instruments made by him. All the best Bansuris I play on were made by him. His instruments are marvels of workmanship intonation, response coloration and feel. No other maker has come even close to matching their quality. Furthermore, he has brought innovation to Bansuri making adapting a number of ideas from Boehm’s and Westerner’s work, showing immense interest in every possibility of further enhancing the capabilities of this deceptively simple-looking instrument.’ “Devendra Murdeshwar was a great teacher. He concerns himself with the entire individual, insisting only that the student commit passionately to the work of learning. Regarding my experience in India, I can only say that my Guru made me feel like a part of his family, helped me immensely in my own “discovery of India”, opened doors for me in the music world and made me feel at home in every possible way. My guru’s wife Sudha who unfortunately passed away at a very early age, was also extremely kind to me. Her unfailing good cheer and devotion to Music which she knew extremely well are an unextinguishable part of her memory to all who knew her.” Devendra Murdeshwar’s teaching methods were demanding, effective and designed to promote the development of creative musicians. Guruji always encouraged the student to find his or her own way in the music, refusing to allow the student to simply memorize passages, long or short. Instead, he continued to provide inspired examples of each type of playing, and encouraged one to catch on through practicing hard and taxing the brain (as he liked to say). So one must strive to remember in practice at home what he has shown in the lesson. In this method, if you can’t remember exactly what you have been shown, you must try to create something as close as possible to what you remember. This forces you to grasp the “structuring principle” of the different types of improvisation you are shown. Another facet of his teaching included the personal inculcation of music history and theory in the course of expansive informal discussion. The result of all his devoted teaching is that he had produced a number of highly capable and creative players whose recitals also hold the interest of the Audience. And last, but not the least, his son late Anand Murdeshwar said, “My father was a man who could understand his Guru as a Musician the most and tried to cultivate the same principle of Guru Shishya parampara, which was practiced by Pannababu himself.
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