No mortal knows the divine, but Prithvi Gandharv’s composition comes close to it. Prachee Shah Paandya captures hearts with her Kathak, but it’s Bhajan Samrat Anup Jalota who remains the heart and soul of this rendition.
By Mayur Lookhar
Ah, as someone who grew up on a diet of mainstream cinema and playback music from the late 80s and 90s, now covering Bollywood for a living, I can hardly claim to be the best judge of classical music. Good music is like the wind—it eventually finds its way to you. For ages, classical music was perhaps seen as the bastion of the privileged, yet in a free and digital India, it is now for all to savour. High praise to the ancient musicians and singers who preserved Hindustani music by passing their legacy to future generations. A democratic India has opened the doors for outsiders to embrace these arts. Credit is due to the gurus and Ustads who generously shared their musical heritage beyond bloodlines. That is the true legacy of a true artist.
Unheralded singer Sumeet Tappoo is not related to Bhajan Samrat Anup Jalota but owes his musical career and life to his guru. Years ago, the legendary devotional singer befriended a family in the Fiji Islands, where he met 3-year-old Sumeet, beginning their guru-shishya journey. Forty years later, the duo have collaborated on an album fittingly titled Legacy. The first track, Chaturang, was released on 18 December, with the remaining songs set to be unveiled weekly.
As a layman, our knowledge of classical music is very limited, but it’s creations like Chaturang that have got us curious about its legacy, history. Literally meaning four colors, the Chaturang is comprised of four components – sahitya (poetry set to the raga), Tarana (meaningless syllables set in fast speed), Sargam (musical notes set in rhythm), and the Nritta Bols or syllables of tabla/ pakhawaj (traditional Indian barrel-shaped percussion instrument,) that are intricately woven together.
The traditional composition traces its roots to the Shyam Chaurasi Gharana, a prominent school of Hindustani classical music. This gharana is named after the village of Sham Chaurasi in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Anup Jalota has carried forward his family tradition of bhajans (devotional music). He has performed the Chaturang alongside his late father, Purushottam Jalota.
The father-son duo’s rendition has its unique flavour, but each era demands a fresh interpretation. Destiny chose Sumeet Tappoo to craft this version with his guru, Anup Jalota.
Connoisseurs would explain the words better, but ‘Sakhi Baje Pagh Paijini’ is a line from a traditional Indian devotional song or poetry, often associated with bhakti (devotional) music. The phrase roughly translates to friend, music, turban, and footwear, respectively.
Sakhi Baje Pagh Paijini can be interpreted as an expression referring to the friend’s ceremonial attire and the joyful sound that follows, often celebrating a spiritual or cultural occasion. The phrase is most likely used in the context of praising or highlighting someone’s beautiful appearance, their respect for tradition, or the celebratory atmosphere of a ritual. The meaning can vary based on the context of the song or poetry it’s used in.
In the context of this rendition, connoisseurs may explain better, but we are completely mesmerized by Jalota and Tappoo’s Chaturang. It would be fair to say that no one has popularized ghazal like Jalota. Perhaps an inappropriate phrase to use for devotional music, but Jalota’s singing is like wine—only getting better with age. It feels as if he is chosen by the Gods themselves to sing bhajans.
For the first 135 seconds of the song, Jalota’s magical tone grips your soul. But the magic baton is then passed to composer Prithvi Gandharv and his troupe, who delight us with the classical music. The tempo rises briefly, but one is sucked into the array of sounds. Jeez, there’s even a little dash of bass guitar thrown into the mix. Jalota and Tappoo return for a duet verse, the intensity of the music matching, and then the Sargam, particularly the Dha Dha Gid Dha—uff, one is speechless, breathless. The duo relays the magic to Gandharv and his team, and then actor, Kathak dancer Prachee Shah Paandya takes over. Has she lent her voice to the sargam too? Jeez, it’s a wave of sargam here. Jalota and Tappoo repeat their opening magic, with Paandya dancing gracefully. That final moment, Prachee in her Kathak pose, followed by the namaskar—that’s respect to the deity, respect to the art. We have to laud the cinematographer for capturing the emotions on the faces of Jalota, Tappoo, and Paandya, and praise the editor for playing them out in different frames. Phew, no mortal can claim to have seen the divine, but this rendition must come close to it.
The discerning audience will assess the rendition, but for any guru, the proudest moment is when a shishya (disciple) surpasses him. The modest Jalota feels Tappoo has achieved that in his album.
With due respect to Bhajan Samrat, even the disciple would admit that while he has complemented his guru well, he still has miles to go. But this is not a moment for comparisons; rather, it is a time to express our gratitude to Bhajan Samrat, Tappoo, Prithvi Gandharv, Prachee Shah Paandya, and the entire Chaturang team for giving us this divine experience.
Watch the Chaturang track below.
