How Kishori Amonkar made peace with her audience

Renowned Hindustani classical musician Kishori Amonkar is no more.

The 85-year-old passed away in her sleep at her Bombay home on April 3. She leaves behind a staggeringly rich repertoire, and will continue to awe generations of social network-savvy music fans in the coming years.

What they will miss though is the indelible dash of resplendence that came with her persona. Amonkar has left behind not only her musical legacy but intriguing insights into the classical music culture and the makings of a great artist. With her passing away, her fans, followers and contemporaries recall her achievements and incidents that made the legend. Amonkar personified the complexities of being an extraordinary artiste in the classical music scene.

This ordinary fan was lucky to be present in her last concert in Goa, the place of her mother and first guru, Mogubai Kurdikar’s birth. Mogubai hailed from Kurdi, a village in South Goa. She had to leave the comfort of her village at a young age to fend for her family and to pursue her music career.

Despite the move, Mogubai maintained her connection with her roots. She would return every year on Janmashtami with her daughter to perform at the temple of their family deity - Ravalnath.

In 1971, Kurdi was evacuated and submerged to make way for the Salaulim Damn project (Kurdi remains submerged underwater for ten months). Legend has it, that Ravalnath appeared in Mogubai’s dream, demanding a temple be built for him where his original statue would be reinstalled.

Mogubai followed the instructions of her deity and a new temple was constructed in the rehabilitation land, where the annual performances continued. Amonkar has spoken of this deep connection and her love for Goa, in several interviews.

After Mogubai’s death, Amonkar continued to perform sporadically in Goa. By this time, she had become an established name in the music scene. Mogubai’s indefatigable struggles as a woman musician in a male dominated culture are believed to have influenced Amonkar’s choices.

Amonkar’s music was not merely representative of the lineage of her gharana. Initially trained in the Jaipur-Atruali tradition, Amonkar also received taleem in the Bhindi Bazaar gharana from Anjanibai Malpekar. She also received training from Anwar Hussain Khan of Agra Gharana, Balkrishnabuwa Parwatkar and Sharadchandra Arolkar of Gwalior Gharana.

Over the years, she perfected her art to develop a distinctive style of gayaki. Amonkar’s rigour and innate devotion to music established her as an unparalleled doyen of Hindustani sangeet. She broke away from the mould of the typical gharana-style gayaki. Personally and professionally, a new star had emerged in the Hindustani music world.

Her luminous career as a performing artist spanned over seven decades, of which she ruled for 50 years. Not only did she set the highest standards through her gayaki but also set the rules for the mahaul in which she wanted to operate.

In November 2016, Amonkar returned to Goa to perform at the Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroh. The auditorium was packed. More than 1,500 people had gathered to listen to their beloved Kishori Tai. The last time she performed in her home state was more than a decade ago, when she infamously stormed out of a concert, displeased with her audience and vowing never to perform for them again.

Amonkar had a complex relationship with her audience. In her pursuit of perfection to present a fulfilling and pure experience of the music to her rasiks, she often sparred with them.

The tense Goan audience waited in anticipation, unsure of what to expect. She surprised them by inviting those standing in the aisles to join her on stage. Many of those who had grabbed their seats early, quickly vacated them to be on the stage for this priceless opportunity. She took her time to tune the tanpuras, spoke lovingly and smiled graciously. Finally she rendered an unforgettable Shuddh Kalyan. There was a rare tentativeness in her self assured voice.

She had finally made peace with her audience. 

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