Magazine of March - 2010 - Rups.net

Veteran classical singer Pandit Dinkar Kaikini passes awayMusic maestro Pandit Dinkar Kaikini passedaway on January 23, 2010, following a cardiac arrest,leaving a great void in the world of music and in ourcommunity. He was 81.Born in a music-loving, middle class family onDecember 25, 1927, Panditji was only seven whenhe was exposed to the mysteries of Hindustanimusic by his discerning father who placed himunder the tutelage of Karekatte Nagesh Rao, aveteran exponent of the Patiala gharana. Later,he came under the influence, though briefly, ofOmkarnath Thakur who had made his mark as aleading Hindustani vocalist, but it was from the longand fruitful tutelage of SN Ratanjankar, who startedteaching him at the age of 11 in Lucknow, that heflowered into an executant with a keen sense of styleand keener sense of aesthetics. Here, he also hadthe benefit of guidance from guru-bandhus like SCRBhat, in the clear enunciation and exploration ofragas. Among his other co-students were KG Gindeand music composer Roshan (Hrithik Roshan’sgrandfather).Pandit Kaikini’s innovative ability found amplescope for expression in the course of his associationwith All India Radio, Delhi. Till 1971, for 17 yearsas producer of music, he distinguished himself asa perceptive composer, with presentations to hiscredit.In 1971, in response to an invitation from theBhavan’s management, Pandit Kaikini joined theBharatiya Sangeet-Nartan Shiksha Peeth (Bhavan’sCollege of Music and Dance) of Bharatiya VidyaBhavan, Bombay, succeeding Chidanand Nagarkar,his senior guru-bandhu, whose sudden death hadrendered the post vacant. Panditji took it as a call ofduty to work in a new field – of teaching, for whichhe readily quit his All India Radio job in Delhi.As principal of the Bhavan’s College of Musicand Dance, from which position he retired in1992, Pandit Kaikini devoted himself, throughouthis career, to imparting scholastic education inmusic. Yet, the rigours of the teaching professiondid little to affect the quality of his voice nor dullhis initiative and formalize his music. He was amulti-faceted musician – an excellent performer, adedicated teacher and a creative composer, all rolledinto one. In the old texts, such singers were called‘chaumukhi gavaiyya’, which means a versatile singer.His versatility covered a wide compass; whateverthe song-form-be it dhrupad, dhamar, khayal, tappaor thumri – each carried a charm of its own, showingin varying degrees the beautiful amalgam of theelements of purism and romanticism. It is said thathe had the ability to move one to tears with hisvoice throw (pukar).Pandit Kaikini was also known for his impressivearray of self-composed ragas like Guna-Ranjani,Bhoopavali and Khern-Dhwani, and had pennedseveral bandishes under the pseudonym ‘Din-Rang’and set them to traditional and self-composedragas.Most of these have found acceptance in themusical community.A little-known fact about Panditji relates to abrief change in his career – first in the singing roleof the legendary Tansen in the musical ballet, “TheDiscovery of India”, based on Jawaharlal Nehru’sfamous work, and then as a playback artiste in thechoral item, ‘Mere to Giridhar Gopal’, in Gulzar’s“Meeraa”. Incidentally, the music for both wasgiven by Pandit Ravi Shankar. As a composer,Pandit Kaikini could connect music with his lifeexperiences. When Neil Armstrong had stepped onKanara Saraswat Vol. 91, No.3, March 201051