BHIMSEN

An year ago, I had written a perspective on Kuamr’s Gayki . This is a perspective on

Bhimsen, his Art and his Gayki . This time I am also uploading his old rendering in the
year 1970s of Raga Kalashri alongwith this perspective. I hope that the readers will enjoy
both.

But at first, something on a personal note.

As a kid of 9 or 10, in the year 1979 or 1980 in Pune, I was vaguely aware that a person
named Bhimsen sings something and stays in Pune. I was never in to listening Classical.
When I heard it, I found it utterly boring (to say it in current lingo). I did not have a
faintest idea at that time that this was going to be changed in a few days and would have
an everlasting impact on my life forever. In the month of December, Sawai Gandharva
used to be organized in Renuka Swaroop High School .It was very near to my then home
and all one could listen to all the renderings throughout the night. I hardly cared for the
same as it was all Greek and Latin to me. However on the last day, my father beckoned
me to come with him. So I went with him. He straight away took me to Sawai
Gandharva. It was last day morning and Bhimanna had nearly finished his performance.
He had already started Bhairavi, “Babul Mora” .Somehow I made my way and by jostling
with the crowd and somehow soon was sitting in the first row; my nose touching the
stage. Mesmerized, I watched Bhimsen completely engrossed in Bhairavi. It was not
Bhimsen but the Bhairavi itself had used his vocal cords to personify herself through
Bhimsen. It ended and then there was a dead silence for a moment. A “SannaTa” as if the
time had stood still. And then as if the entire dam burst, there was a standing ovation to
his Gayaki. That man had changed my life forever.

To put subsequent events in nutshell, at that time I did not know that I would one day
accompany him on Harmonium. Neither I knew that I would come in contact with him
and would get a chance to observe him from very close quarters. Over the years I have
studied him, his Gayki . I have in my personal archives more than 120 Ragas rendered by
him at various stages of his musical carrier. The earliest of his recording is of 1947 from
Manglore. A one hour Megh Malhaar on magnesium wire.

Now to his Gayki. (I am only going to speak about his Khyal)

Bhimsen is a complete Khyaliya, even today reigning supreme in the field and enjoying
the greatest popularity. In other words, his exposition of Khyal is a perfectly balanced
presentation showing excellence in all its varied components. We come across many
musicians who excel in one or more components of a Khyal . But musicians who excel in
all the components of a Khyal and present them in a due and balanced proportion are
difficult to come across. Bhimsen is undoubtedly one amongst them.
There are two “Amogh” (a Sanskrit word) Sadhan (as) which he has. The first is his
Taanpura. With perhaps an only exception of Kumar I have never heard any Gayak or
Vadak tuning his Taanpura like Bhimsen does. The Taanpura itself shows you the Raga
which he is going to render. Listening to his Taanpura itself is a unique experience by
itself. The second factor is of course his monumental voice. As Vasantrao Deshpande
once remarked, it is a completely “masculine voice”. There was none like him in last
many years and there is none like it till today. His first “Sa”which is sung with such
exuberance that it makes a profound impact.

There are various phases of Bhimsen as a performer. The first is from 1946 till 1965. It
was a time when his Swara –Lagav was different from later phase i.e. (1970s). In first
few years, the stress was on vilmbit . But from early fifties, a gradual change occurred in
the general scheme of his Khyal. The unfoldment of Raga emerged in perfectly integrated
form. Massive in conception with a judicious proportion of Aalapchari, Gamak, Boltaan
and Taan. These were the renderings which built his reputation of a Khyaliya. Sadly only
a few recordings are available from this period. Today all of us hardly have an exact idea
in respect of this kind of Khyal which Bhimsen used to render. Later, somewhere around
1955, this scenario started changing. It was mainly as he tried to integrate “Taiyaari ” in
his Khyal. The results were startling. A serene and reposeful mood evoked in the vilambit
part could get gradually vitiated in later stages of Khyal when he would startle the
listeners with a profusion of vigorous and cascading Taans – at many times before even
formal enunciation of Antara. They were extremely complex and ingenious in its design.
The audience would often be floored by this amazing vocal efficiency. However his later
growth suggests that he was aware of the fact that all these elements were incompatible
with the innate character of the Kirana vocalism.

Then came the phase when there was a considerable influence of 3 Gayakas. First is Bal
Gandharva. Second is Kesarbai and third is Aamir Khan. A lot has been written about the
same and hence I would not repeat it. However there were some other factors which are
to be taken note of. His Vilambits as compared to earlier turned shorter, The Laya
correspondingly faster. In numerous recordings from this phase (1965-1979) one finds
that many a times a Bada Khyal is rendered in Laya which was almost Gwalior. It is in
this phase where he also introduced a novel method of shifting his point of “Sam” to the
different swaras of a Raga in his vilambit. (In the album “ Siddhi” Pl listen to his
Bhimpalas though recorded later ).

However it was after 1979 and till 1989 his magnificent dimensions of his vocalism
emerged like a monolith. In depiction of his Khyal, strands from several diverse
contemporary styles and vogues are found woven imperceptibly. One can discern an
influence of Bhaskar Bua Bakhale (as reflected in Sawai Gandharvas renderings), Vaze
Bua, Amanat Ali, Rajab Ali etc. In his renderings, one also finds a rare amalgam of
Gayakis as diverse as Gwalior, Atrauli- Jaipur, Patiala etc, In his drut, right amidst of a
Patiala style Sapat Taan one can hear a lightening array of intricate ,odd shaped
fragmentary patterns like Atrauli. One can also find a Sarangi like seemingly slippery
flourish from Kirana style deftly grafted on laya oriented Taankari like Gwalior tradition.
I have tried to give a brief outline of his changing approach over the years. I have not
dealt here with many topics. His Ragalapti, his AnusuTe Layakari, His larger than life
statements through portrayal of his Ragas in later phase, use of Sargam, emotive quality
which permeates through his exposition, an inevitable change in his Swara Lagava as his
vocal cords grew thicker. And all other host of technical factors.

To sum up his Gayki can be properly described as “Swara as conditioned by Laya” A

Raga is established in the first Shadja and this progresses subtly through unfoldment of
Bandish getting more and more intense through his laya bound aalapi boltana, tana,
ultimately culminating in a grand climax of highest artistic merit.

Here is the link for his Kalashri. It is an old rec of 1 hr. from my personal archives.I hope
you will enjoy the same.