What's Your Excuse ? #1
Anyone with even the slightest insight into the world of Hindustani Classical Music would know the struggles of Mogubai Kuridar. Mogubai Kurdikar can rightly be called the Grand Old Lady of Hindustani music. An intense and uncompromising purist in her singing, to her music is the aesthetic means to a spiritual end. Not the assorted concert fare that passes for classical music today. Not surprisingly, she sums up the contemporary musical scene in one word - "Scary" . As one of the foremost vocalists of all times , she has regaled discerning audiences all over the country for almost half a century. Yet music to her had always been the aesthetic means to a spiritual end of the kind that demands the most concentrated degree of listening, as all great music does. Whenever she sang, she seemed to be longing for the ideal in music, and in the process, she also made her audiences feel that there was a healing touch in her creative ecstasy. She retired from her professional career fairly long ago. Yet she remained immersed in the worship of her muse, where the tanpura was her adorable deity and khayal, a symbol of her worship.
The story of Mogubai’s life and career is a rare case history of the dogged, industrious and eventually fruitful cultivation of genius. Born in a humble family at Kurdi, a small village in Goa, on July 15, 1904, she joined a drama troupe which was then one of the few forums where classical music had pride of place.
Mogubai stubbornly remained miles away from princely courts and the aristocracy even during her prime, not did she long for recognition though, as mentioned earlier, it came rather late in the day, the President’s awad in 1968 and Padma Bhushan in 1974 and fellowship of the Sangeet Natak Academy a year later. Belatedly though, she also came to share honour with Kesarbai, as Rajya Gayika of Maharashtra state. True to type, she has seldom cared to use them or flaunt them.
I have always been inclined to recall the story of Mogubai Kurdikar ( Kishori Amonkar's mother and guru ) whenever I feel I am in a difficult situation . There is much more to Kishori Amonkar 's singing than the impeccable melodious velvety notes. From Jayshree Bai's (Kishori Jee's Grandmother )sacrifice and unrelenting efforts to make her daughter Mogubai Kurdikar the singing stalwart , to the unspoken bond between a mentor and a mentee ( Mogubai Kurdikar and Alladiya Khansaheb ), It was a battle between balancing the cares of tomorrow and atrocities of fate on one hand and holding the Tanpura in the other. It was a story of how a woman never relented to the circumstances no matter how adverse they were. Vows torment the sincere. They load the dice against them. Success comes in sight only when the verve has gone and only after a lot of sorrows have been digested. Such is the story leading to the grooming of Kishori Amonkar 's mother Mogubai Kurdikar's singing. For the delicate balance between a mother-daughter's equation on one hand and a teacher-disciple relation on other, Kishori Amonkar did not sing for movies for 26 years because her teacher/mother asked her not to touch her two Tanpuras if she does otherwise. Mogubai, by her achievements, did negate the notion that only a wealthy person can pursue the musical arts. At times, she would even drink water to quell her hunger rather than interrupting her practice for over 72 hours at a stretch . She settled for sheer excellence and nothing less. She got what she wanted and for which she devoted her whole life. The fire in heart shall not bow down to circumstances and no matter how dark the storms might be , you cannot extinguish it.
If anyone were to imbibe even half of that indomitable spirit and dedication , there is nothing that can weigh you down.