Pts Rajan & Sajan Misra

Brothers in Song

Pandits Rajan and Sajan Misra

November 12, 7.15 p.m., The Music Academy.

Exponents of the Benaras gharana, they trained under their father, Pandit Hanuman Misra, and later under Pandit Gopal Prasad Misra and Pandit Bade Ramdas Misra. They have performed across India and the world and are known to prefer the natural resonance of the voice and acoustic instruments to the high level technology available today in the music industry.

Always singing as a duo, the brothers have, over a career spanning nearly four decades, cultivated a heightened sensibility that allows them to complement each other's singing and create a holistic performance that exemplifies both the polish of a rehearsed performance and the spark of spontaneity. This quality comes as much from their long years of practice as from their amiable relationship as artistes and brothers. In an art whose soul is improvisation, and despite an avowed avoidance of concert planning, they are thus able to merge their musical thoughts and anticipate each other's progression, with electric results for the audience.

Alongside a hectic performance schedule that keeps them away from their Delhi home for at least half of every month, they continue to teach. Strong believers in the guru-sishya parampara of teaching, they are known for the gurukuls they set up in Dehradun and Varanasi.

While a number of fine singers have come up under their tutelage, the current young crop includes Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra, sons of Pandit Rajan, who are beginning to make their mark as soloists.

Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the brothers are perhaps as popular for their easy-going personalities and wacky humour as for their rich voices and loyalty to the classical traditions.

Brothers in Song

Pandits Rajan and Sajan Misra

Photo: K. V. Srinivasan

RAIN OF harmony Rajan and Sajan Mishra performing at November Fest at The Music Academy

The very choice of ragas was a treat – Shuddha Kalyan, Durga, Jhinjhoti, Megh, Darbari and Bhairavi. Shuddha Kalyan itself was enough to carry home, such was the majesty and evocativeness of the presentation. Not the easiest raga to handle, it needs to be kept away from allied ragas such as Bhoop and Deshkar; it needs to be handled with subtle nuances, with a nishadha and a madhyama that tease you with their inexplicit, but very real, presences….

"Bolana lagi papaya" in vilambit ektaal, a traditional bandish, communicated the yearning of love with the languorous alaaps in the bol banaav mode - the cuckoo is calling - "I don't like it here away from him". The mukhada with its gentle movement from the panchama to the rishabha was handled with such delicacy as to leave one wanting more. And yet the mood was conveyed without a trace of sentimentalism.

A descent to the mandra sa and a sweeping movement to madhya pa took one's breath away. But this was done without any attempt at affectation. Two other traditional compositions, "Bajo re bajo" in teentaal and "Jaane guni guna ko" in Sulfakta, followed and the audience was treated to a judicious serving of sargam and taans.

A short and beautiful rendition of Raga Durga ("Jaya jaya jaya Durge Maataa" in ektaal) preceded the interval.

Post interval, Pandit Rajan Mishra had the audience tittering with his "welcome back" – after all this is the age of TV anchors and endless commercial breaks! It was Jhinjhoti, another ancient raga. "Karata langarayi" in rupak taal with its playful mukhada, "Mohana mohe jaane do" and "Saguna vicharo" in teentaal were the compositions rendered. The singers were in their element delivering some sparkling improvisations in the sargam and taan modes in the antara of the last composition.

Without a break, Pandit Rajan Mishra introduced Raga Megh with the bandish "Kajara kare" in ektaal. Compositions in the Malhar family of ragas almost invariably include onomatopoeia such as the movement of the wind (sananananana) as did the compositions rendered and the brothers rendered these with great communicative skills. "Aayo garajata badarava" captured the mood of celebration that the rains bring.

The audience had not had enough and a request for raga Darbari Kanada was made! The brothers "provided a glimpse" of the raga. "Naada apaara udadhi gambhira" in vilambit teentaal was a magnificent composition. The concert ended with a bhajan in Bhairavi.

A word about the audience is irresistible. A great audience, as always in Chennai, there were some disquieting elements too - whistling! Even when the audience applauded in the middle of a raga exposition in response to a long shadja or a neat tihai, Pandit Rajan Mishra requested that these be kept till the end of the raga delineation. How much more distracting to have whistling!

Tabla accompaniment by Arvind Kumar Azad was very expressive and the improvisatory passages he played were brief and well rendered. Harmonium accompaniment by Subhash Kashalkar was restrained but coming out at the right moments with good effect.

What can one write about a music that is the result of sustained sadhana and unexceptionable musical values with an attitude of surrender to the raga at its heart. As the Sanskrit poeticians said, it is when this attitude is cultivated that even though the same notes may be sung, even though the same raga maybe sung, it all appears new, like blossoms in spring - sarve nava iva bhanti madhumase iva drumah.