«» FR1DAYREV1EW SPOTLIGHT FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2019 ft **3C In 1974, he formed the group Traya with his sons Nayan and Druba (a sarangi player), and per­ formed and conducted lec-dems at universities across the globe. "During his extensive travels, he developed a close rapport with iconic musicians such as Ye- hudi Menuhin, Benjamin Britten, Larry Adler, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dave Bru- beck," says Nayan. Wide perspective More than "My father would make us (sister Tulika is a trained vocalist) listen to Beethoven, Bach and Ameri­ can Country music. He hated just a tabla building boundaries around art. He would say open-mindedness is the way forward in life. Some­ one who believed in wholesome wizard development of personality, he didn't let us give up academics because we were into music. He Pt Nikhil Ghosh was a even encouraged us to pursue arati, originally known as Arun gan on December 11 with the in­ er's versatility. Known more as a sports. He was an athlete, while vocalist, percussionist, Sangeetalaya, was established in imitable Ustad Zakir Hussain's sitar and tabla exponent, Nayan my uncle (Pannalal Ghosh) was a educator, author and 1956. Twelve years later, it moved Taalanjali at the Nehru Centre in Ghosh is an equally skilled vocal­ researcher. The maestro's to the present premises. Mumbai, followed by Kathak ace ist, who also plays the surbahar Last week (January 17 to 20), Pt. Birju Maharaj's performance. and pakhawaj. Nayan's son Ish- musician-son Nayan Ghosh Sangeet Mahabharati bustled Born in Barisal in East Bengal aan is also a tabla artiste. recalls his father's with artistes, music-lovers and (now Bangladesh), Pt. Nikhil's Pt. Nikhil kept enriching his Nikhilbabu's admirers, who had musical journey took him from music owing to his close associa­ pioneering efforts gathered for 'Shat Pranam', an his calm riverside village to the tion with stalwarts such as Ustad busy, narrow streets of Bombay. | event organised by his musician- Fayyaz Khan, Pt. Omkarnath CHITRA SWAMINATHAN son Nayan Ghosh to pay tribute Like his sitarist-father Akshay Ku­ Thakur, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali to the maestro on his birth cen­ mar Ghosh and dhrupadia- khan and Ustad Abdul Wahid he camera zooms in on the tenary. The performance arena- grandfather Hara Kumar Ghosh Khan. He trained under Ustad marble plaque that reads, was as surreal as Pt. Nikhil he took to music, but his brother, Amir Hussain Khan, Guru Gyan boxing champion and an archer." 'Sangeet Mahabharati, Ghosh's music - the stage was the celebrated flautist Pannalal Prakash Ghosh and Ustad Ahmed At the peak of his career, Pt. T Ghosh, had a huge influence on foundation stone laici oy ustad erected under a huge banyan Jan Thirakwa. Nikhil decided to devote much of him and played a major role in (From top) Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, on Octob­ tree, there was an amphitheatre­ "These legends had a deep im­ his time to teaching. He was eag­ his musical choices. Pt. Nikhil er 20,1969.' It then takes you in­ like seating with the cool evening pact on his mind and music. He er to share with young enthu­ Ghosh, Pt. side a room that has photographs breeze wafting across. was a keen observer and learner. siasts the treasure he had assimi­ Pannalal of Swami Vivekananda and Ra- "The response from artistes Versatile master Also, whichever part of the world lated. He developed a teaching Ghosh, bindranath Tagore. From behind and art-lovers has been over­ "My father was not only a bril­ he was, he never skipped his dai­ method and improved upon the Nayan a row of vertically-arranged sitars whelming. It is at such moments, liant tabla player, but an amazing ly riyaaz" recalls Nayan. notation system established by Ghosh, Pt. you see Pt. Nikhil Ghosh instruct­ more than ever, that I realise how vocalist too. He was a master of But, the one thing he found Pt. V.D. Paluskar and Pt. V.N. Nikhil ing a student. These visuals are my father lives in so many hearts. both melody and rhythm. A tra­ difficult was to choose between Bhatkhande by using Roman let­ performing from an episode of the Great Because, apart from being an ac­ ditionalist with a progressive out­ being a singer and a tabla artiste. ters and symbols. His efforts re­ with Ustad Masters series, made by Mumbai complished musician, he was a look, his expansive repertoire Finally, in 1945, Pt. Nikhil decid­ sulted in the book Fundamentals Vilayat Khan Doordarshan on the tabla legend fine human being," says Nayan drew from the stylistic features of ed in favour of the latter with the ofRaga and Tala with a New Sys* and Ustad and the landmark institution of Ghosh, who heads the Ajrada, Farukhabad, Lucknow tern of Notation in 1968. He fol­ Bismillah help of his guru Ustad Thirakwa. music and research he set up in institution. and Punjab gharanas," says the lowed it up with a Manuscript Khan • PHOTOS: "And then, he was unstoppable, NAYAN GHOSH the metropolis. Sangeet Mahabh­ The centenary celebration be­ son, who has inherited his fath­ making his mark both as an ac­ Book for easy notation. companist and soloist. He be­ "He didn't stop at that. In 1961, lieved the onus is on the artiste to he undertook the Herculean task make every performance a musi­ of documenting and compiling cal experience. He would say per­ an Encyclopaedia on music that cussion should not be viewed as would have minute details about just a mathematical exercise. forms of music, ragas, talas, biog­ And that it is not only about raphies, technical terms, history, speed and technique. According instruments, gharanas and more. to him, percussion can be poetic Around 250 scholars were in­ too. He insisted that irrespective volved in this assignment. Sadly, of whether a musician is an in­ he passed away in 1995 before strumentalist or a vocalist, he/ completing it. But we ensured she should bring out the distinct the work did not stop. His dream personality of each project was released in 2011, 50 composition." years after he began, as The Ox­ A much-in-demand tabla ar­ ford Encyclopaedia of the Music of tiste, Pt. Nikhil was also invited to India. Pt. Nikhil Ghosh has left perform at international festiv­ his name in the pages of India's als. He composed music for films. musical history," says Nayan. .