Pandit Kishan Maharaj: A Tribute

When legends like these leave, their presence, their fragrance leaves with them”
– Ustad Amjad Ali Khan on the passing away of Pandit Kishan Maharaj

Majestic, royal, incomparable, romantic, a hard task master, brilliant, innovative – words tumble out like a flow of his resonant bols, from the lips of all those who have known him or played with him. Pandit Kishan Maharaj, who passed away this month truly was the last the of tabla legends of an era that is slowly coming to an end with the passing away of the golden greats of Hindustani classical music. And no matter what the current music maestros of the modern era may say, the royal elegance, the integrity and dedication with which these stalwarts of India’s rich cultural heritage took to the stage, cannot be replicated.

While there were many contemporary tabla players who were unique and immensely gifted, during Pt Kishan Maharaj’s time, the man everyone called the master of all he surveyed brought a uniquely mesmerizing persona and formidable talent that dazzled everyone who happened to be a part of his musical journey in any way.

Pandit Ravi Shankar recalls that Kishan Maharaj and he were called the Ram Lakshman of the Indian musical scene in those days. Both were incredible performers, hopeless romantics and incredibly good looking. “I don’t think any of the girls even listened to what they were playing,’ remarked Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia. Ravi ji laughs when he hears that. “It is true that people used to come not just to hear but also to see us together. Honestly it was something quite fantastic.” Reminiscing about the past the Sitar maestro said the two first met when he went to Bombay in 1945, after his training in Maihar to start his career there. ‘He joined me as my accompanist in a number of programs, in music concerts. The first program which was at the end of 1945 was the All Bengal Conference and that was such a great success. Pandit Omkar Nath Thakur, the great singer was sitting in the audience. He came, jumped up on the stage, took both of us in his arms and was dancing! And then he said into the microphone-“ Yeh do bachche (these two youngsters) are the future stars of our musical world. It was such a big thing and then we had many fantastic programs all over India.”

When asked how he would compare playing with the two geniuses Ustad Allah Rakha Khan and Pt Kishan Maharaj, Ravi ji said, “Allah Rakha ji got known in the west which gave him a big name, but they were really giants in different ways. They had different styles of playing. Kishan bhaiya was more into the Banaras original style which is very much influenced by Pakhawaj playing and Chandh ka bahut use kartey hai, playing, and improvising like his guru Pt. Kanthe maharaj. Allah Rakha ji also had the influence of Pakhawaj from his guru Kader Baksh ji but at the same time he developed a wonderful style of his own-very much ornamental tabla playing. They were so great each of them and I had both of them as my accompanists in different periods.’

And how did the perfectionist who wanted everything down to a T, match up with the devil may care tabla maestro on stage who lived and played on his own terms?

“You are absolutely right. That was Kishan’s personality but somehow he was never like that with me, and I adjusted to that little flamboyancy of his, so I never had any problem,” laughs the maestro.

He remembers one such incident where they were playing at an open fair, and the audience was noisy and rural and in thousands selling cows and camels. “I saw Kishan walk on stage with a gun. I laughed and said what are you doing? And he said watch the fun. After we sat down, he took the gun, pretended as if he was cleaning it, fired two shots in the sir, aimed it towards the public and did a few little gimmicks like that. The audience became very quiet! Of course we didn’t play too long, quickly played two gats and finished it but it was quite a funny experience.!”

Ravi ji also recalled that Kishan Maharaj always created a very dramatic stage presence. “Kishan would sit on his knees in a very special sitting position instead of the usual padmasana. Then he would put a lot of powder on his tabla and give a loud dhaa and we’d completely have a fog on the stage and with his red tikka which was a specialty of his-he gave a wonderful effect. I used to watch and laugh and smile at it. Apart from being a Master of Laya he was a lion of a man, never frightened of any situation including any physical threats.

He was a painter, sculptor, poet and a funster all in one. I have played many memorable concerts with him later in the 50’s 60’s 70’s until the early 90’s in Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Varanasi, London, etc just to name a few.

Being fair. well built and good looking, he was naturally a ladies man also. I enjoyed playing with him especially Talas like Vilambit Teental, Dhamar, Jhaphal, Roopak, Pancham – Sawari, etc.”

Talking about the future of the gharana and Kishan maharaj’s legacy, Pandit Ravi Shankar says, “ Kishan was an artist of such a height that it won’t be possible to have another Kishan maharaj. He brought this wonderful laya unlike the average tabla players who were playing mostly teen taal. I happened to popularize different talas in my recital which also inspired both (Allah Rakha and Pt Kishan maharaj) of them to play different talas and things like that which was very unique. As far as the Banaras style is concerned there is nothing to worry about. I am glad that he has left a few good disciples to carry on his style of playing. I consider Kumar Bose as one of his main disciples and he’s got all of the main things of Kishan maharaj as far as style of playing is concerned. So I really don’t think that is a problem, but you cannot replace Kishan Maharaj.”

Ravi ji recalled their last meeting which happened two years ago. “He came to Delhi and I invited him to the center. He gave a special program along with his grandson. He didn’t play for very long but it was so wonderful. After that we had a couple of hours sitting and reminiscing and laughing over many things. It was wonderful. Though, with advanced age and ill health, death is a certainty we all have to face, it is not unusual for us to still hope and pray for some miracle to happen. We want this for our near and dear ones and also for some outstanding great people. Kishen Bhai was one such person and it is a tremendous grief for me. He was one of very few of us left from the great tradition of Hindustani Classical music. I pray for his soul to rest in peace and meet him when my time comes.”

Ustad Imrat Khan who had the opportunity to meet Pt. Kishan Maharaj at a very young age and watch him not only playing with his own brother the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan but Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Allah Rakha, Ustad Bismillah Khan and then later play with the tabla maestro himself, says he was enchanted both by his incredible talent and his stunning good looks.

“He was such a great master of the 20th century extending into the 21st century. I watched him and then had the opportunity to play both with his uncle and mentor Pt. Kanthe Maharaj and him. Pandit Kanthe Maharaj was his uncle but adopted him after his father died and gave him the upbringing of a Prince and taught him all the values of the Banaras gharana. I played many concerts with him, but I remember the Shankar Lal Music Festival in Delhi in the 1950s when he played with Pt. Ravi Shankar, my brother Ustad Vilayat Khan sahib and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan sahib in a trio. I was very young but I had the opportunity of being on stage on tanpura and he was great. His bol bant and his special technique on the bayan were amazing. You could within a few strokes see his character and he used to bring an extraordinary mazedari-the romance, the pleasure into his performance that made your heart race. I always respected him like my older brother and he also played with me with the same affection. His passing away means a great era of tabla has come to an end. He was the last of those legendary artists from that era from the Benaras gharana and may Allah bring more musicians from the Benaras gharana to that level. He had many students who he brought up to a very high standard of tabla playing but Kishan Maharaj was Kishan Maharaj.

Also God had given him such a beautiful face. He was very fit and looked like a body builder. When he came on stage his face would shine like a bright light. He was so handsome, his eyes and smile so beautiful. He would put this red tikka which was his unique trademark that many copy now and then he would put a pan in his mouth. With the red tikka, the red lips he was one of the most beautiful artists on stage. His saath sangat with other great artists like Pt. Ravi Shankar ji,Ustad Ali Akbar Khan ji and my brother brought their performance to a different level because he was so fantastic on laykari, his tihais were very calculative and his body movement during the performance till the last days was mesmerizing. Every time he played, he would try to play something authentic from his gharana, his forefathers and also bring in his own innovation which was great in the areas of laykari, jhaptaal, teentaal, rupak and ektaal – he was great.
I saw him two years back and he was still so handsome and still played so well till the end and he was lucky because not everyone is like that. He had great dignity. He would not compromise on his principles and he was the highest paid tabla player and highly respected tabla player of India. God is great and may he produce more master musicians but this era of the greatest music of India is slowly passing away. Those were the days when people did not play for money or to please the audience and did not indulge in cheap gimmicks.”

The handsome man was also a romantic. Ustad Imrat Khan recalls Kishan Maharaj’s romance with a sitar player who became his third wife. “She was a very beautiful girl and I liked her very much and then I came to know that he got married to her!” His irresistible charm worked very time.

When asked how did the chemistry between two kindred spirits, Pt Kishan Maharaj and Ustad Vilayat Khan who were both flamboyant, unpredictable, hot headed and politically not correct worked, Ustad Imrat Khan said the two adored each other. They would meet and embrace and refer to each others as brothers. “ My brother would say Kishan bhaiya aap ke saath bajane mein jo maaza aata hai who kahin nahin aata. One of the best performances was where Kishan Maharaj accompanied Ustad Bismillah Khan and my brother and I was also very fortunate to play with Bismillah Khan sahib and Kishan Maharaj ji and that is one of my crowning moments.

People talk about rivalry and many who want to see uthak pathak on stage and didn’t understand music, the high level may have seemed like rivalry, but I don’t remember any great musician doing that kind of gimmick because they didn’t have to. When Vilayat Khan sahib played a gat with a particular speed, Kishan Maharaj would play something of equal standard and it may have been seen as rivalry but it was really two artists trying to complement each other and see how far they could raise the bar of excellence, and that is really a true understanding and appreciation of the talent of each other. All great artists have done that and also tried to bring the memory of their gurus into the play. Kishan Maharaj always tried to bring the memory of his guru Pt Kanthe Maharaj and my brother did the same. Sometimes I just close my eyes and am transported back to those times and I feel I’m there. I live with those beautiful memories all the time.”

“He was a born genius or a born star, very lucky to have a guru like Pt Kanthe Maharaj,” says Sarod legend Ustad Amjad Ali Khan of Pandit Kishan Maharaj. “ A lot of musicians, in their young days, struggle, they have no money, but Kishan Maharaj was born a maharaj (king) in every sense of the word.” Pandit Kanthe Maharaj used to play with Amjad Ali Khan’s father Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, and also his father’s uncle Murad Ali Khan who was an excellent Sarod player, recalls Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. “And Pt Kishan Maharaj played with Aman and Ayaan in 1992-93, as well, so its three generations before and three generations after that the partnership has flourished.” Amjad Ali Khan’s first concert with Kishan Maharaj was in 1963 when he visited a place called Nagrinatak, and while then they just created a stage on the ground, it was a memorable concert. “ All the foundation of our relationship started from that concert, and during my traveling to Benaras, once or twice I stayed at his house. He gave me the love like that of a younger brother and also honored me with friendship. We kept traveling and performing all over the country and he played with me even at an all night concert. In 1966 there was a delegation from the government to Afghanistan and I invited Kishan Maharaj to play tabla with me. At that time Afghanistan was very peaceful and they used to celebrate Jashne Afghanistan. The king Zahir Shah was very fond of Sarod and we had a wonderful time.” The duo were also on the first ever Air India flight to Mauritius and their good looks and performance netted them so many female admirers that the delegation head Mr. Sapru, started introducing them as the two “ heroes” from their delegation-their star power was so overwhelming.

“Kishan Maharaj was painter, a sculptor and sometimes he performed the role of a carpenter also in his house,” recalls the maestro with a laugh. He was very colorful, often misunderstood, very kind, a great intellectual and very romantic. In fact he was marrying somebody late in life, and heard that once or twice the lady in question had come to my house. He met me and said if you are interested in her I will not marry her. You marry her. I said no Maharaj ji I have no interest in her. Her mother just brought her for me to teach her sitar. So that kind of love he had-he offered his lady love to me!” Still smiling at the memory, Amjad Ali Khan then talked about Kishan Maharaj’s unique persona. “ The kind of dimension of Benaras gharana that he gave to tabla, made him a symbol of Banaras gharana. He carried the whole era of that time. He didn’t want to change himself. He never thought he needed to adjust himself with the present scenario even when others were getting westernized. He lived in his own world. It is the same tabla and the same sarod but my father, my guru and every guru who is really a guru gave that freedom to the disciple that you decide how to present your music. The presentation cannot be taught by the guru and that is the challenge every creative man faces. Pandit Kishan Maharaj’s presentation was so unique and it was different from that of his guru.”

Not just that each legendary performer who played with Kishan Maharaj brought a uniquely different experience for the listeners, says Amjad Ali Khan. “ So whether it was Pt Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan sahib, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan sahib, playing with Kishan Maharaj, it was a different experience, most enjoyable, very risky also sometimes because he never thought he was an accompanist. He never bothered about any body,” says the maestro with good humor as he fondly remembers the lion hearted tabla legend. “Whenever he felt like playing in the middle of the concert he’d start playing. When he will finish, even that HE will decide. No body ever dared to show any disapproval about that. It used to be a long concert because he would play as long a piece as he saw the Sarod or the Sitar player or whoever it was play. But we all loved, respected and admired him and his ability to be so talented and knowledgeable.”

Amjad Ali Khan also fondly remembers a beautiful Ganesha idol that Kishan Maharaj made himself and had a concert as part of the installation ceremony at his house where stalwarts like Pt. Ravi Shankar, Bhimsen Joshi, Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan himself played.

Pandit Kishan Maharaj fought for the rights of tabla players. At a time when tabla players were booked for the entire festivals that lasted 7 to 10 days, and had to be available at any hour, it was Kishan Maharaj who started charging per concert and was given that privilege because he was so much in demand, remembers the maestro.

As one more legend leaves our lives Amjad Ali Khan is filled with nostalgia and reminisces about the 1960s when he felt there was a very natural growth of all creative people in a very positive way. There was All India Radio and print media and both were very respectful and appreciative of the classical arts. When Doordarshan, the government owned television station came into existence, they too showed a lot of concerts. “ Kishan Maharaj and I played before Mrs. Indira Gandhi and she loved the performance. She was very fond of classical arts.” Today he says you cannot recognize the TV channels because they are so busy aping the west. The only things that are flourishing are where gambling is involved. Cricket culture being an example.

“So classical music remains a long journey. It’s a very strange time for classical music and along with that we will really miss people like Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan sahib, Ustad Allah Rakha ji because the vacuum they have left cannot be filled. When legends like these leave, their presence, their fragrance leaves with them.”

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Majesty and Melody

Kishan Maharaj was one musician who had complete mastery over all the taals. So this is one incomparable diamond who is gone.” 
                    – Santoor legend Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma on Pandit Kishan Maharaj

She is a renowned lawyer in the US. Her name is synonymous with a landmark case that broke the glass ceiling for women in a University system in the 70s, in the Chemistry department, but Shyamala Rajender, is as passionate about Indian art and culture as she is about law and justice. For many years she has been on the music circuit and seen and become friends with many musical stalwarts. She recalls that her first sighting of Pandit Kishan Maharaj left her spell bound.

“It was 1996-97. Pandit Kishan Maharaj was performing with Pandit Jasraj and was given a 90 minute solo slot. When I heard that I wondered – 90 minutes of solo percussion? I wonder how that will go down with the audience. Then he walked on stage-this majestic handsome man, and held the audience spellbound. I think there was a harmonium or may be a sarangi accompanying him, but I don’t think anyone of us heard anything but this man’s voice talking to us and his hands creating magical wizardry. The audience didn’t want to let him go after that!”

That is perhaps the greatest validation for an artist who is not only respected among his peers for his phenomenal talent and personality, but had his audience eating out of his hands every time he walked on to the stage.

As more stalwarts talked about the great tabla legend for this segment, memories flowed in abundance like the mighty Ganges that snakes its way through his beloved Banaras. Banaras, whose ghats continue to resonate with the music of many past and present maestros and where Kishan Maharaj stood head and shoulders above many of these magnificent men and women by the sheer force of his personality and the incomparable brilliance of his talent.

“I have known Kishan since we were toddlers,” says Kathak diva Sitara Devi. “We are related and we both grew up in the same neighborhood in Banaras. His uncle Kanthe Maharaj who adopted him spoilt him shamelessly. Every time he went out to perform, he would return with the best toys, that no one else possessed and we would go to his house to play with them. Kanthe Maharaj had this cute little tabla set made for Kishan. I remember we were kids and Kishan was bragging about his new Baayan, that played very well. I went and kicked it. He said hey what are you doing? When I mischievously kicked it for the third time he got so mad he bashed my head with the drum. I went crying to my mother bleeding profusely and she went to complain to Kanthe Maharaj. He had such a soft corner for Kishan that he started telling him in a mild tone.. O son Kishan, why are you troubling your friend? Be nice beta.” My mother said,” Is this the way to scold him? At least be a little stern,” and Kanthe Maharaj said sheepishly,” Oh they are just children, its okay.”

“He was very strong, athletic and hot headed. In fact he was considered one of the “goondas”(ruffian) of Banaras,” chuckles the woman Rabindranath Tagore called the Empress of Dance. “ We used to call him “Maalik”(Lord and Master). In fact both of us were very athletic and used to swim from one side of the Ganges to the other much to the surprise of people who hear about it now. But those were the days when we had strength and stamina.”

Most tabla players were considered second rate artists and not allowed to sit on the stage with the main artist. Many also eked a living by playing with the courtesans of those days. Sitara Devi says when they both turned 18, Kishan Maharaj being 6 months younger than her, she dissuaded him from playing with the courtesans. “I told him, it will not bring you the respect your talent deserves if you play with them in their kothas. Instead play with classical singers and perform on stage. I told Kanthe Maharaj also not to force him, and then brought him with me to Bombay as I had started working in films. He stayed with me for three years and started playing for films and also with Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and many others on stage.”

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Sitara Devi recalls how the King of Afghanistan had hosted a cultural team from India and Kishan maharaj refused to sit on the carpet and play as the King and his son sat on chairs. “He told them-“Your highness, my art is divine for me and playing on the floor will be disrespectful to the divinity that symbolizes my art. So I will leave now. The King was very kind and stopped him, had a really nice stage arranged and then Kishan Maharaj played before them.”

The duo soon became renowned for their jugalbandi (duet) on stage. “We loved what we did and when you love your work, it rises to a different level. The audiences in those days were also quite amazing. They would sit for 4 hours or more at a stretch and enjoy everything we did. Unlike with Birju Maharaj where Kishan would be stuck with mathematical calculations, we connected and performed on a different level and the spontaneity was magical.”

The two went all over and performed at some of the most god forsaken places. Sometimes it was in village where the stage was just uneven ground with stones and mud and at others places infested with dacoits. “ I remember there was this village in Bihar where thousands of people sat there with their bullock carts and lathis and as I started performing the lights went off. Out came thousands of torch lights swaying in the night and I danced in their light. It was beautiful.”

Sitara Devi laughingly remembers the dancers and other women who flocked to the handsome, and mesmerizing young tabla wizard. “I knew what these girls had in mind, but you know he was so handsome, such a great intellect, so brilliant in his craft, it is only natural that people would be attracted to all that. But he was very protective about me and would start frowning if any of my male admirers got too close, shooing them away and telling me to get moving.”

A romance between the two was nipped in the bud when Kishan Maharaj was married off to a girl of his father’s choice and while two or three marriages were a norm in those days, Sitara Devi refused to be his second wife. “Kishan was very upset and his father did come to my house and asked my father to get me married to him, but I refused. My conscience didn’t allow me to hurt another girl, and even though he did marry a couple more times, his first wife and children have been so appreciative of what I did and love me so much and I them.”

Sitara Devi and Kishan Maharaj remained a dynamic duo on stage and the best of friends for almost eight decades till he passed away. “He was doing fine. In fact I spoke to him just 4-5 days earlier and he sounded fresh and his voice as strong as ever, even though he had not been keeping well. “Madam I’m fine, we will get together soon and do our duets together,” he had said to me,” Sitara Devi recalls. “I told him now you come here soon and stay with me in Bombay and the doctors can take care of you here. He agreed. Four days later, I got a call that he had passed away. I rushed to Banaras and reached just as his body was being taken away. What can I say? I cried so much when I met his family.” Her voice trails off, the sadness lingering in the silence that follows.

She sighs and says “He was the ultimate in jugalbandi. No one could do it like him, no one will ever do it like him. He was incomparable. All I see are clones and imitators. We belonged to a different era, where our craft was taught with purity and integrity. That kind of training, riyaaz and teachers do not exist anymore.”

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Santoor legend Shiv Kumar Sharma remembers meeting Kishan Maharaj in 1957 when he went to Varanasi and played for the first time, in fact in a concert organized by Kishan Maharaj where leading artists from Varanasi were also performing and Kishan maharaj wanted Shiv ji to play the santoor, a very rare instrument in those days. “He had heard me play tabla also and greatly appreciated it but that was the first time I played with Kishan Maharaj ji. He accompanied me and later on it became a regular thing in different cities of India. He played with me and I have known him for more than 50 years.”

Shiv ji says that Kishan Maharaj will always be remembered as one of the greatest tabla players of all times. He had many contemporaries who were brilliant says Shiv ji, but Kishan Maharaj ji created a unique style of his own not just as a soloist but especially in tabla accompaniment.

“Accompaniment I feel is a very very difficult art form. To accompany different musicians, create their kind of music, understanding the style of the musician is not easy. Kishan Maharaj ji was one such great tabla player who created a different style of tabla accompaniment where he merged with the main artist, whether it was instrumental music, vocal music, or kathak dance-he excelled in everything.”

Shiv ji also says that Kishan Maharaj was a master of complicated taals and their complex, very intricate rhythmic cycles.

The Santoor maestro recalls an incident where he had been in Varanasi for a 3 day festival and was asked by Kishan Maharaj to stay back for a concert he wanted to host at his home to honor Sathguru Jagjit Singh of the Namdhari sect. The Sathguru was very well versed in music and when Shivji’s turn came he started a composition in the very difficult and complex jaitaal a 13 beats rhythmic cycle. Kishan Maharaj was accompanying him and his son Puran maharaj was keeping taal. “Suddenly he yelled at his son Puran maharaj ji and said –“Stop it. You don’t know how to keep the taal. It’s a very intricate taal”. And then he started giving a lecture. He said Sathguru ji listen – he (Shivji) has started a taal which is such a complicated system – is mein tabaliye ki gyarvin nahi tehervin ho jaati hai. It is a very very difficult rhythmic cycle but he (Shivji) is very well trained – so am I. I know five types of jaitaal so whichever taal he (Shivji) had chosen I would have accompanied him in it.”

Not just that Kishan maharaj had great aesthetic abilities and knew how to play with each instrument.

“I remember he was playing with me one time in Bombay and the previous day Pandit Samta Prasad had accompanied somebody. One person who was recording that concert said to him-Maharaj ji what happened yesterday. Your colleague from Banaras(Pt Samta Prasad) ruined that item-he played so loud. Kishan Maharaj ji told him-see this is the understanding a tabla player should have.” Santoor is such a soft instrument and he knew how to play soft with santoor.”

Shiv ji remembers other aspects of the tabla maestro’s persona with affection. “He was a very rare personality-a poet, a sculptor, he loved horse riding, hunting and he would go for ikka competition. He also was a trained wrestler. He was very very nice to me. I remember I had gone to Varanasi and had played raga puriyadhanashri with him accompanying me on the tabla and he used to tell me that sometimes when I want to just relax, I take the cassette, and go where I can see the Ganga and the sunset and I play that recording.”

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, the legendary flute player recalls meeting Kishan Maharaj when he was eight years old and didn’t know much about music. At that time the great tabla player was performing with Pandit Ravi shankar. Later Hari ji would meet him because he came to Hari ji’s native place Allahabad very often and would be at All India Radio where Hari ji’s guru Pt. Bholanath was also performing and Hari ji was charmed both by his personality and his talent.

Hari ji said that people would not just watch his tabla but him. He was so handsome and his red teeka and presentation was mesmerizing. Unlike senior artists who at times try to hog the limelight, Kishan Maharaj was very kind to younger artists.

“He used to always inspire the younger artists. I played a few concerts with him and he used to watch every body’s faces and in between he used to announce-“ You have to keep quiet to listen to this kind of flute. You have never heard Lord Krishna but here is small Lord Krishna. Listen to him properly. This is Hari and I’m Kishan. We both have the same name but fortunately he has the flute and I’m unfortunate to have the tabla!

“He was a very good poet and he used to paint beautifully. One time I went to his house and saw this painting of Lord Hanuman that he had painted. My goodness, what a painting it was. No one could imagine Kishan Maharaj could paint like this.”

Hari ji also remembers how once when his wife was producing a serial on the lives of artists she was surprised to find one of Kishan Maharaj’s quirks was to passionately participate in the ikka races that happened in Allahabad! “ She went to watch the race and had a good laugh. He was also fond of good jokes and while he was hot headed he was also very kind.”

Habib Kalavant whose father Nizamuddin Khan was a renowned Sarangi player from Rajasthan remembers one incident of Kishan Maharaj’s temper fondly. “ Once Kishan Maharaj ji was playing at a concert. Sitting in the first row was a gentleman who kept talking on the cell phone, walking in and out of the auditorium. Kishan Maharaj noticed it and jumped down 6 feet from the stage gave the guy a big slap and ordered him out and before the main artist who was busy with his alaap even knew what had happened, leapt back and sat on the stage!

“He was very strict with those who learnt from him, but he didn’t just teach them tabla he taught them about life, about culture and how to conduct themselves.”

Another story Habib heard from Kishan Maharaj himself was about his marriage and how he stayed away from his first wife living in a Hanuman temple for two years and doing his sadhna. The reason said Kishan Maharaj was that his wife was barely 14 and he felt she was too young and he felt it was not right to be with someone who was so young. One night as he prayed and played almost two years after his marriage he says he saw Hanuman manifest himself before him. The lord told him to go back home and he did.

“ Kishan Maharaj ji was Chaumukhi,” a title given to a tabla player who can play with all genres of art form,” says Habib. “He was a man who also lived on his own terms. His last wish was to build a temple dedicated to goddess Saraswati near his house. I hope his wish is fulfilled,”

Sarod maestro Rajeev Taranath remembers seeing Kishan Maharaj perform many times with the leading artists of that time once he became Ustad Ali Akbar Khan’s disciple. He also saw him at a memorable concert where the main artists were Baba Allauddin Khan and Kanthe Maharaj and the rest including a young Kishan Maharaj respectfully playing as understudies.

“I came to know Kishan Maharaj much later when I played at the Banaras Hindu University at a concert. It was the first time I was playing and here was this man to whom the hauteur of aristocracy came so naturally. They were all sitting there on the floor and I did something during the course of my playing and he said quite audibly, “This fellow is quite alright..laidaar hai-isko sunna chahiye..one should listen to him.” And so he moved forward and the whole line moved forward and that is a very vivid memory I have. At the end of the concert, he was standing there having tea and he saw me and said come here-have you played in Banaras many times? I said No this is my first time.” Kishan Maharaj then nonchalantly hailed someone who turned out to be the top man of an organization in Banaras and ordered him to give Rajeev Taranath a concert or two, because he felt he played well. “ He could call anybody in Banaras as if they were all his children”

Talking about Kishan Maharaj’s gift as a tabla player, Pt Taranath says thoughtfully, that there is a pristine quality in some people that stands out. “These are people who have their achievements transmitted to a listening public not through fancy stuff on stage but by their contributions which are so solid that they come across as solid historical contributions…. Pandit Kishan Maharaj, in the true Banaras tradition, had no use for the glamorous rela on tabla – rapid continuous percussive movements which most tabla players nowadays play towards the end of their concert which seems to be a counterpart to what we do in Jhaala. He had great disdain for the rela. He said you need to show how good you are without all that frivolousness and he was a master of complex rhythm patterns. The only other persons I have seen in that age group do the same was Ustad Allah Rakha in his very different manner. These two people were amazing.”

Rajeev Taranath was always struck by the regal splendor of Kishan Maharaj’s presentation. He says there was nothing tentative about the maestro’s play, nor did he pander to the public and made it clear it was their privilege to hear what he had to offer. “You are here on my terms-he made that very clear. There was a grandeur which I have never come across, in anybody else.”

Sitar maestro Ustad Shujaat Khan grew up among stalwarts of music coming to visit and play with his legendary father Ustad Vilayat Khan and says he feels very privileged to be among the very few artists of his generation to have traveled, lived, and performed with both his father and Pandit Kishan maharaj. “My relationship with him was that of a son and the last 2-3 years have been very special since Abba is not here and he had been taking more interest in my life. We were together at the Saptak festival in Ahmedabad in the winter and it was another chance I had, to spend some more time with him. As soon as I was in the theater he would point to this little place next to him and say come and sit here. It was a matter of great pride and privilege to be able to sit with him. We spent a couple of days listening to him talk about the old times. A few years ago we had traveled to England and America and played together so my relationship with him was what I had with my father-very close and of extreme respect.”

Shujaat says that he felt a common bond in many ways with Pandit Kishan Maharaj because he too believes in living with honesty and dignity. Kishan Maharaj had no patience with sycophants. On his last birthday his children wanted to hold a concert and asked him how he would like to celebrate it, and Kishan Maharaj said he wanted Shujaat to play for him. ‘This is the greatest endorsement for a person of my generation that a legend like him said there are a lot of musicians here but I want to listen to Shujaat.” Shujaat dropped everything and spent two wonderful days with the family in Banaras playing for Kishan Maharaj who later personally went and got two silver drums made with the inscription- To Shujaat from Kishan Kaka-in appreciation of his coming down to play for him.

Shujaat says the chemistry between his father Vilayat Khan and Kishan Maharaj was amazing.

“He and my father had many things in common They both were kings of their time. They enjoyed the finer things of life and were never cowed down by society, bureaucracy, government, no matter who it was. They always spoke their mind.”

Shujaat says they both had a deep appreciation for strong people, and those who tried their best to excel and had no patience with weak or lazy people. Perhaps the greatest legacy Pandit Kishan Maharaj left for posterity says Shujaat is the lesson to live life with dignity. “He showed our generation of people who are begging for concerts that there was a dignity attached to the learning, practicing and the performance of this beautiful art form-don’t humiliate yourself. His dignity and uprightness, who he was as a man, his standing tall was what I find very special.”

Shantilal Shah says he cannot forget the first time he played as a youngster before Pandit Kishan Maharaj. “He gave me 5 rupees as a prize and it was the most precious gift I have ever received in my life.” Shah fell in love with the maestro and he responded very warmly to this young tabla player later even teaching his young son a tihai very lovingly when Shantilal took him to Kishan Maharaj for his blessings.

Shah says what stands out in his mind was the unique way in which Kishan Maharaj taught his students. “He would take the piece, always give credit to the artist, then play it and show the students the key intricacies of the piece, the unique qualities of the composition, why the artist excelled in that piece, how the presentation happened during his time, the history of those times, the artist’s life. It was as if the artist and his art unfolded right in front of our eyes through Pandit Kishan Maharaj’s words, description and demonstration. We were transported back to that era.”

One hand Kishan Maharaj was this multi dimensional man who aced everything he tried his hand at and on another hand he was childlike and temperamental.

“I saw him squabbling with another kid over a kite they were both flying-it was so endearing and funny to watch. Kishan Maharaj loved flying kites., Another incident I remember was when during a concert some young boy came into the green room and took a picture with him without wishing him. Kishan Maharaj was upset with him and told him that should wish his elders. Later his father brought him to Maharaj ji and started scolding the boy saying go touch Maharaj ji’s feet and apologize. Maharaj ji lost his temper and told the father-“You come here-you are the biggest budtameez(you are the real culprit) because you have not taught your son manners.”

“Another time Kishan Maharaj was playing alongside his uncle Kanthe Maharaj, Allaudin Khan and Ali Akbar Khan. Each time his turn came Kanthe Maharaj just went ahead and played out of turn. The third time it happened, Kishan maharaj stood up on stage and said to Kanthe Maharaj-if you don’t want me to play I can sit with the audience and enjoy the show-what am I doing on stage if you are going to take all the turns? That is how blunt he was!”

Shantilal Shah says that Kishan Maharaj came from an era when people competed fiercely but also gave each other respect and appreciation where it was due. “I remember that Samta Prasad ji and Kishan maharaj had a fierce rivalry. Somehow it occurred to Samta Prasad ji that whenever Kishan Maharaj came to see his concert, he got distracted and things went awry and he messed up. So he told Kishan Maharaj-“Lets have a deal-you don’t come to my concert and I wont come to yours.” Kishan Maharaj said-“Look, its up to you whether you want to come for my concerts or not-but there is no way I’m not coming to yours. I love your playing so much-who will I watch if I don’t watch you?” That shows the greatness of these artists that they truly appreciate great talent even in their rivals.”

Kishan Maharaj would be his most elegant in high class surroundings says Shah and then at home he would stand on the street and chat away with all the rickshaw wallahs as if they were his closest buddies. Once when Shah went to visit the maestro he saw him sitting at a tea shop awaiting his arrival. “He was so humble and never let you feel he was this great legend and you were just the average Joe.”

What is the future of the Banaras gharana now that the charismatic legend is no more?

“ It is very difficult to maintain the purity of a gharana,” says Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. “ There is exposure of different kind of music to musicians, and they are exposed to different gharanas. People like Kishan Maharaj were orthodox and maintained their style of gharana. They were never influenced by others, though he once said to me – there are some compositions which I would not like to give to anyone else but if Zakir comes to me I will give him – he loved Zakir so much. Those gharana systems now were of another world. Now the time has changed, music is changing and everyone wants quick results, quick fame and name. It is very hard to follow the footsteps of such giants like Kishan Maharaj.”

Shujaat Khan says, “I think a gharana is always dependent upon a personality and he (Kishan Maharaj) was the personality that was holding the Banaras gharana, and it is up to the people of the gharana and the people of Banaras to get together and find someone who has the charisma and the leadership to take them into the next 100 years.”

Rajeev Taranath says, that both Kanthe Maharaj and Kishan Maharaj were at the center of the Banaras tradition of tabla and Kishan Maharaj remained true to the gharana projecting and sustaining it through his compositions, the use of the baayan with great integrity. “I don’t know how safe the Banaras baaj is. It is wrong for me to give any definite opinion about it. All I can say is that now we are in general seeing more glamorous kind of playing because of which there are disadvantages one of which may be the wearing out of the gharana features. In the latter half of the 20th century and now into the 21st century a style is evolving where you see the performers are highly polished. Every generation is also developing new techniques and getting faster for one thing. They are getting more mike conscious.” Pt. Taranath sees the lines getting fuzzier and said people of his generation feel saddened by it.

All the musicians however remain hopeful when they see people like Kumar Bose, Sukhwinder Singh Namdhari, Sandeep Das, Kishan Maharaj’s own son Puran and grandson Shubh carrying forward the tradition. Shyamala Rajender however says that had it not been for the patronage extended by America and Europe and their nurturing of Indian classical art forms, things would have been in a bad state. “Look at the Indian government. It does nothing for the Indian classical arts. We should be worshipping people like Sitara Devi but what has the government done to tap into her knowledge or support her for example. All the musicians are scrambling to earn money so they compromise on their music. The only time the arts really thrived was during the times of the maharajas when their support of the artists freed the artists from worrying about their livelihood and they completely focused on their music, nothing else. Do we have that kind of environment now? Musicians pander to the audience and to the media and as a result the art suffers. Kishan Maharaj was a rare gem who not only gave Tabla the place of honor as a solo instrument, he stayed true to his gharana and his art till the end, but how many such people do you see around? It’s a sad state of affairs.”

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The Banaras Gharana Speaks: Family and Disciples Pay Tribute to a Legend

The stalwarts that are passing away are indeed taking away some unique gifts with them. My chacha had a unique status in Tabla.” 
– Pt Sharda Sahai on the passing away of his uncle Pt Kishan Maharaj

He did not teach his students only tabla – he taught us about life
– Puran Maharaj, Pandit Kishan Maharaj’s son

After my father died, I didn’t realize that I was alone in the world… but now I am.”
– Kumar Bose on the passing of his guru Pt. Kishan Maharaj.

To say something about my Guruji, is like showing a lamp to the sun.” 
– Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari on Pandit Kishan Maharaj

Everything he has taught me has been like a diamond in my pocket which I show to the world
– Sandeep Das on Kishan Maharaj

Your character is reflected through your music and you will find each of his students uniquely different but still carrying his fragrance in their playing .”
– Shubh Maharaj Pandit Kishan Maharaj’s grandson.

They are the torch bearers of the Banaras Gharana – some direct descendants, others sons by initiation, and each one tied to the other by bonds of love, rhythm and melody. In this final segment in the tribute to Kishan Maharaj, each one shares memories of Pandit Kishan Maharaj and what he symbolized.

“Kishan Maharaj ji was my uncle. I was around 11 and he in his early twenties when I went to Banaras to learn under Pt Kanthe Maharaj after my father died,” says the renowned Tabla maestro Pandit Sharda Sahai. He is a direct descendent of Pandit Ram Sahai, the founder of the Banaras gharana. “I didn’t have a very informal relationship with him or the camaraderie he shared with those in his age group but I remember he would come in while we were learning and teach us a composition or two. He was strict, yes, but somehow I was lucky that I had a sharp memory and would pick up anything taught to me very quickly so he really never got angry with me. He was a very colorful personality – after all his name was Kishan, and he was a magnetic personality like Lord Krishna. But what stands out in my mind is his formidable intellect, and his contribution in making Tabla a solo instrument. He also never allowed anyone to treat him like an accompanist.”

“I remember once he was playing with Ustad Vilayat Khan and the sitar maestro who’d glare at the Tabla player even if he played a tirkit (a flattened tabla note) without his permission. He was going on and on and I could see my chacha (uncle) beginning to get more and more restless at not being given the opportunity to showcase his playing. When he could no longer take it, he jumped in forcefully and started playing his own segment and much to my amusement Vilayat Khan Sahib could do nothing but watch admiringly and say Wah!”

“Today I don’t accompany other artists and I perform predominantly as a Soloist. Till today I see this lack of respect for accompanying artists be they Tabla players, or Sarangi players or those on the Tanpura. The Sitarist at a show for example would get the pride of place in the announcements, his name splashed all over in the publicity and the accompanist will often not even be mentioned. Kishan Maharaj was able to transcend that injustice and command an equal status.”

Puran Maharaj, Pandit Kishan Maharaj’s son began his Tabla training not under his flamboyant, and phenomenally multi talented father, but his legendary grandfather Pt Kanthe Maharaj. “I was five years old then and became his student in the Ganda bandh ceremony (Ganda Bandh is a traditional knot tying ceremony which cements the relationship between guru and student). Papa was always traveling and away. It was only in 1969 when my grandfather passed away that my father started training me. Kanthe Maharaj was very gentle and kind in the way he taught us. He never yelled or spanked us. Papa on the contrary was very strict and a firebrand and disciplined us with an iron hand if we didn’t get what he was teaching us. So yes we got spanked and yelled at, but he also made up by showering us with love.

One of the key lessons Papa taught me was that the mastery of a raga has to be like a Siddhi so he made us practice incessantly, repeat the bols (notes) multiple times till they were imprinted in our psyche. Another unique thing is that we are all different with different styles but you will see his touch in each of us. The kind of mastery my father had in some ways was unparalleled. In Vilambit(slow tempo) the kind of bols(sounds) he created were incomparable, and it’s impossible to replicate that mastery.”

Kishan Maharaj told his son and all his disciples to remember that when they were on stage they were inferior to none. “He said remember you are king. Of course it was only he who could think like that and get away with it. None of us had the guts or that kind of charisma,” says Puran Maharaj.

“I remember some very interesting incidents that Papa had personally shared with me. Once Omkarnath Thakur, the legendary singer was performing and Papa was seated alongside him. He turned to him and said – Look young man, when you play, make the Bayaan sound like a pigeon is singing. Papa retorted – The fact of the matter is this Pandit ji, your throat must also emanate notes as if a nightingale is singing-only then will I play that well! The legendary singer was very offended that this impudent young tabla player could have the audacity to tell him how to sing. He refused to talk to Papa afterwards but as soon as they were off stage, Papa fell at his feet and said-you are like my father, so forgive me for my impudence. But on stage I consider myself unequal to none and you cannot talk down to me in that condescending manner.”

Another time the great singer Faiyyaz Khan Sahib said on stage – “Why are all these Tabla players so scared of me? Am I a lion? Will I devour them?” Pat came the retort from Papa who was accompanying him – “I have shot down many a lion. I’m afraid of no one.” Again the maestro was offended and again Papa fell at his feet back stage and said – “I’m sorry but you were being disrespectful.” Then Faiyyaz Khan Sahib said – “I don’t mind you speaking up. Only a lion hearted man could do that”, and blessed him. His personality was such that no one could subdue him.

There was another incident in Calcutta where Ustad Bismillah Khan was playing at a concert and Papa was accompanying him. Khan Sahib does not play more than one hour and when he stopped the crowd started misbehaving and saying, “We won’t let you go and if you leave the stage we’ll blow you up with a bomb. Bismillah Khan said I can’t play beyond an hour but they wouldn’t listen. At that point Papa took out a revolver from his pocket and said, “Let me see who dares to come near Khan Sahib who is the pride of India. It is shameful to see that people in a place like Calcutta known for its culture would address a legend this way.” He demanded an apology and got it and then Papa requested Khan Sahib to play a few more minutes just to make the audience happy, which he did.

Ravi Shankar Chacha was older than him and he was such a brilliant man intellectually. My father had so much love for him and gave him a lot of importance. He jelled very well with him. Ravi Shankar chacha really captured his persona in his tribute. He rightly said that my father was a lion hearted man and superb in everything. He used to always say-I have to combine intellect with innovation while playing with people like Ravi Shankar and Birju Maharaj.”

The great Tabla maestro Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakwa would tell Papa – “Only you and I play the tabla. The rest play Tablis”. Sitara Devi was here and she remembered how Papa fought for the self-respect of other Tabla players and not just himself. In those days even the great maestros and their children would play with the courtesans at their Kothas-and my father refused. He felt that it was disrespectful to the gharana and its reputation. Papa succeeded in bringing about such a change in how the world perceived accompanists.”

Puran Maharaj says his father always encouraged his students to learn much more than just Tabla. “He taught us about life. He never said just learn Tabla and nothing else. He was very meticulous and multi talented. Even a pair of sandals not kept properly would annoy him. He had a phenomenal memory and would quote couplets from various historical, mythological and religious works at whim.”

Pandit Kishan Maharaj’s world was not limited to passing on his legacy to just his own blood relations. “I remember one time I complained to Papa that he taught the whole world but didn’t spend enough time focusing on me, and he quoted Guru Nanak’s example how he chose his disciple Lehna over his own two sons as his successor, because he found him to be more deserving. He told me, “You already have my love and blessings and because you are my son, the love and respect of others is showered on you as well. Let me take care of those who are not as privileged.” He believed in teaching those who deserved to be taught irrespective of who they were. Ustad Allah Rakha is the only other legendary Tabla maestro who did the same so selflessly.”

Puran Maharaj remembers his father’s pride in his craft and how he would not compromise on the quality or length of play. “ In fact I remember this incident very clearly. We were in Bombay and Papa was invited to dinner by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. There was a lot of mutual affection between them and Amjad Ali Khan Sahib would always ask me to call him Chacha as he considered himself to be Papa’s younger brother. So that night Amjad Ali Khan Sahib said to him-Maharaj ji you always play as long as the main artist. The world knows of your genius and it won’t be a big thing if you allowed the main artist to play longer than you. My father replied, “Look if I do that people will say Kishan Maharaj has become too old. Today if people admire me it’s not because I played lesser or in a more subdued way than the artist I’m accompanying. People admire me because I play as much and as well as the other artist. May God bless you and give you great success but had I ever played less than anyone or even you, I would have never reached the stature I enjoy today.”

I give so much credit to Amjad chacha, that not only did he very gracefully accept Papa’s response, he always made it a point to ensure Papa got ample time on stage, encouraged him to play long pieces and dominate the stage in that moment. It shows Amjad Ali Khan’s greatness and generosity of heart.

Papa did not like it if any instrumentalist interrupted him when he was performing and he would say so quite bluntly. I have heard many instrumentalists play long segments softly where Papa could show his immense mastery. The Public also loved him.

I heard many Tabla players tell Papa not to play with Ustad Vilayat Khan Sahib because he liked to dominate the stage. When Vilayat Khan asked him why he wouldn’t accompany him Papa said to him quite bluntly-“You may not be able to give me the space and the time to play my stuff and I may not be able to play with you like others do, catering to your whims.” Vilayat Khan Sahib was so impressed that someone had the guts to stand up to him that he not only gave my father ample time to show his talent but would also lovingly sit back and listen admiringly.”

For Kumar Bose – one of Pandit Kishan Maharaj’s senior most disciples – the relationship was close and special. Kumar Bose learnt Tabla initially from his gifted father Pandit Biswanath Bose but after his untimely death, it was Pandit Kishan Maharaj who was keen to teach him and accepted him as his disciple.

The relationship between the two became that of a father and son. It is a feeling that every one of Pandit ji’s disciples has conveyed, and speaks volumes about the ability of the maestro to connect with them in a unique and individual way. Memories came pouring out of the Tabla maestro who was getting off the train in Banaras when contacted and was kind enough to talk late into the night from his hotel.

“I had a very special relationship with my guru. He used to confide in me about everything and used to joke that his phone bill is the highest because of his talks with me. We talked twice or thrice in a week and he used to ask me about every aspect, from his programs, his property, his life or any decision he wanted to take. Whenever we traveled he didn’t want to stay without me so I used to change my hotel and run to him. There was nobody in the world who could speak to him very strongly, who could criticize him but I always did and though he used to get mad , he knew Kumar will tell something very clearly without diplomacy. That was me-I had a clean relationship with my guruji without any selfish intention or interest.”

Kumar Bose remembers some interesting incidents about his unpredictable and yet at times easy to please guru. Once he was in Banaras to play a concert with Pandit Ravi Shankar, when all of a sudden Pandit Kishan Maharaj’s mood changed and he was annoyed at something. Not realizing it Kumar Bose just asked him innocently with affection as to how he was. “He got so mad,” Kumar Bose recalls laughingly, “ He said- why you are asking me? Can’t you see that I’m okay.” He got so irritated that he wanted to beat me with a stick and I ran away! I came back to my hotel room and was very nervous. The next day I was getting ready to go to him and Ravi Shankar ji phoned me. He said, “I heard about last evening. What are you going to do?” I said I’m getting ready to go to him(Guruji). Pandit ji said “I’m very happy to hear that. You don’t have to take it to heart. You know he is your guru.” I said I don’t care if I’m dead by my guru, but I will go to him. There is no other way. So I went and you won’t believe it, there wasn’t a single mention of the night before. He was in an absolutely different mood and absolutely fantastic. He said Aao, Aao(come come ) have some milk and jalebi and we had breakfast together. That was the day there was some horse carriage(ikka) race and he went to that race. I was with him all day! So that was his character-Bilkul Bhool Gaye(He totally forgot) He didn’t even say I’m sorry or how did you feel last night or what happened. It was like raat gayi baat gayi. (The night was over and so was the incident).”

Another time Pandit Kishan Maharaj and Vilayat Khan Sahib were playing a concert together and afterwards when the concert ended, late into the night Pandit Kishan Maharaj wanted some non veg food. He was deeply moved when Kumar Bose went out into the night and found an open shop and brought him some delicious non veg dish. “That’s like my son, he said” says Kumar Bose and that meant a lot to him. Kumar Bose says it was not important that they be in the same town. They remained very close and talked very frequently sharing their life and issues with each other and Kishan Maharaj was most proud of the fact that each one of his disciples was blossoming into his own person and not cloning himself on the maestro. “ Guruji used to always tell me-don’t change your style-don’t change the natural music you have inside. Take the knowledge from me, but you also have the responsibility to bring out a different dimension of our gharana.” He used to always encourage all his students, and what was amazing was his intellect. It has never happened that we have gone to Guruji and asked something and he has said-“I will tell you later. He answered right away on the spot.”

Kumar Bose says Kishan Maharaj was liberal and flexible in many ways but one thing that he refused to compromise on were his principles. “ He would pretend to be strict and talk loudly but inside he was very soft, very romantic and really a nice soul. Guru Ji is known as a Tabla player in the world but he was more pf a philosopher than a tabla player. He was a painter, a poet-his poetry is simply fantastic and we hope to publish the collection in a book.

After his death I feel like I lost my father , my guru my everything. After my father died I didn’t realize that I was alone in the world but now I’m because every time something used to happen, whenever I was in a bad mood I used to talk to Guruji and he used to always support me, share life’s experiences. It is unbelievable for me that Guru Ji is not there.”

Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari, does not just have fans all over the world because of his phenomenal talent, his biggest fan is another diamond out of the Banaras Gharana, the equally talented Sandeep Das. “If after my Guruji I’m a fan of any tabla player, it is Sukhvinder Singh,” says Das. The Sikh tabla maestro hears that and says he is a nobody – it’s his Guru Kishan Maharaj who has made him what he is today, not just as a musician but as a human being.

The singularly important thing about all musicians who have trained under Kishan Maharaj is the humility and instant warmth, they exude when you talk to them and Sukhvinder is no exception. Kishan Maharaj and Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari or Pinky as he is known affectionately first met in 1977. The young lad from a village in Punjab was only nine years old then. He had already been learning Pakhawaj under his guru Nihal Singh ji. It was his spiritual guru Sathguru Jagjit Singh, himself a lover of classical music who sent Sukhvinder to Banaras and Kishan Maharaj heard him play. “ He was so happy and pleased with my performance that he instantly said I will teach this young boy and from that time my journey began. He was very strict but he taught us with such dedication and not just about Tabla but how to conduct ourselves. He told us so many interesting anecdotes and stories that I still remember to this day.

I remember Zakir Bhai (tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain) used to come and visit him very frequently and the two would disappear in a room, while we would sit outside and Sandeep and I would wonder what is Guru Ji doing with Zakir Bhai. Sandeep would say I suppose they are discussing something confidential. Later Guru ji would come and tell us –I gave a few compositions to Zakir. So he too has learnt from Guruji. But the amount of time Sandeep and I have spent with him in Banaras and the rich treasure we received in return serving him are all gems of compositions. I spent about 18-20 years with Guruji.”

Sukvinder Singh remembers some special incidents that left a deep impact on him. “One time in 1989 at the Saptak Music Festival in Ahmedabad he told me to play with Pandit Ravi Shankar. It was a five hour program and Guruji gave me much encouragement – more than he would his own children. Another time he spoke a complicated composition while performing with Sitara Devi ji and asked me to play it and accompany her. Sitara Devi ji was aghast and said it on stage “Arrey Maharaj ji, you play the piece. What will this Sardar kid play?” She said it quite bluntly. Guru Ji said “Be quiet Sitara and watch. He will play it.” The moment I did Sitara Devi ji was so happy and an audience of 5000 started clapping. Guru Ji put his tabla down and made me play for a good 30-45 minutes. He was so proud of me and so loving and generous. He actually presented me as a solo artist before the crème de la crème of the Banaras and sought their blessings for me. He was so happy to see me play that day.”

Another incident that Sukvinder remembers happened at a sold out concert in London where he was playing with Pandit Ravi Shankar. The show was sold out but Pandit Kishan Maharaj said, if he had to he will stand and attend the concert because he wanted to see his student do well. “ When Sukanya ji (Pt Ravi Shankar’s wife) heard that she made a VIP vacate a front row seat and made place for my guruji.” He was so touched and showered her with blessings.”

Pandit Kishan Maharaj was a disciplinarian acknowledges Sukhvinder, and he did not want his students to disregard the values that he felt were important. ‘I think even parents at times don’t do as much for their kids as Pt Kishan Maharaj did for us. I came at a very young age from Punjab and lived in Banaras. I used to indulge in a lot of mischief at times. I remember taking his favorite horse for a ride only to find he had returned home early. He didn’t say anything to me but later told the Police chief who had come to visit him – look at this Pinky – he came here to learn Tabla but he just took off with my horse without asking!

Guru Ji’s house was not only a tabla gurukul, it was also home to well over a hundred animals, which all the students had to take care of. This meant taking the dogs for a walk, cleaning cages of the white pigeons and the robins, the fish tank, and feeding all the pets.

I was given the overall responsibility to oversee all the main duties of Guru Ji’s house. Guru Ji would hold me accountable if something was not done, or if something had gone wrong. One cold winter’s night in December 1988, Guru Ji had gone to Kolkata for some concert and I was to cover all the birdcages for the night as it gets really cold.

As I was about to cover the cages with the Robins, Guru Maa, (Guru Ji’s wife), called me and asked me to do something else. It took some time and, in the confusion, the robin cages were left uncovered.

When I arrived in the morning I found all the twenty robins were dead. I can’t begin to explain what I felt at that moment, I look back now and I still get goose bumps.

I ran to Guru Maa, totally terrified and she said ‘What’s wrong? Have you seen a ghost? I said no, but all the Robins are dead. She put her hands on her head and sat down, and said ‘What’s going to happen now, Guru Ji went specially himself and chose these birds and he will call tonight to check if they are ok.’

I said ‘ I will go and get some more robins’, Guru Ma said ‘I won’t tell Guru Ji, but you really need to get going now.’ So I took Saju who is now the son in law of Guru Ji, with me to Bidowi, not far from Banaras. We found the Bird market, and it took us hours to find the robins that were like the ones that had died. I inspected each bird, like Guru Ji would have, and made sure they were all perfect colored robins.

All the birds were restocked and I made sure that the cages were covered after that. After 6 months or so, Guru was inspecting all the birds and was very pleased all the cages were clean and everything was in order.
As he was inspecting the Robins, I noticed that Guru Ji was concentrating a bit too much on them. Then Guru Ji asked, “What happened to the robins?” A cold shiver ran through my body as I realized at that point that Guru Ji knew everything.

So then I told Guru Ji the whole story. He looked at me and I didn’t know what to expect, but to my surprise he said “These are really nice robins-better than before. Shabaash”!

I then asked Guru Ji “How did you know that there was something different about the Robins?” Guru Ji laughed and said “Hum neh ek robin keh pair meh soneh ki ring dalee thi(I had put a gold ring on the foot of one robin)! I forgot to replicate that! But it still remains one of my favorite unforgettable moments with Guru Ji.

Guru ji would get mad but then he would get over his anger as quickly and teach us a couple of compositions lovingly or tell some sweet stories so if we had felt bad at the scolding, we would soon forget and instantly feel better and be caught up in those magical stories.

He spoke his mind – he didn’t care about being politically correct. There is no one like him in the world. The world has changed-you have to struggle tremendously before you can land a concert. He was above the rat race. In fact he guided us and told us to steer clear of bad elements and if we had to compromise, then to make happy compromises-to uphold our dignity and self respect even then, at all times and be proud of where we came from.

He was deeply moved by Zakir Bhai, his humility and the reverence and traditional way in which Zakir Bhai honored him always. He would point to him and say that is the real tradition. If we even said Tu to our guru bhais( brothers by musical tradition) he would scold us and asked us to address each other with respect. He never tolerated anything that was unfair or inappropriate in his eyes, People often remember the scolding but they forget why they were being scolded-he always had a valid reason. Today I miss those moments when he would yell at us. It was a sacred offering that we accepted with reverence and tried to do our best. At his funeral Sandeep and I were recalling so many special moments that we shared with him. To say anything about my guruji is like showing a lamp to the sun. He was so unique and gave tabla such a special place and its own status. Not just that, today the status that we enjoy in the world, the pride with which we hold our heads high is all because of his dedication and blessings.”

Nine year old Sandeep Das found himself at Kishan Maharaj’s doorsteps because his father was a big fan of the maestro. “Guruji said he doesn’t teach everybody so first of all he will check the vessel. My father said what do you mean? Guru Ji replied – if it’s a small vessel it doesn’t matter if you fill it with tap water or take it to the river. It depends on the size of the container how much water it will contain. So I want to see if his mind is expandable or not. He first of all asked me to change certain things. I was playing in a certain manner and he said now can you play it this way? I did and after a 5 minute conversation with my father he suddenly stopped in the middle and said to me: now play what you were playing originally and I couldn’t. I had completely forgotten and only remembered what he had taught me. He was very happy and said ‘he has tabla in his blood and I will teach him.”

Sandeep Das says that having known him for 28 years and having lived with him for 11 years, what stands out in his mind is the fact that every day was a lesson in music and in living. “ For example when I was 9 or 10 years old, we were practicing in a room and Guru Ji got very mad at us. He said why don’t you people clean the room before you sit down to practice and he asked me to clean the room. I had never done it at home so I couldn’t sweep the floor nicely-he took the broom from my hand and he taught me how to sweep the floor and mentioned to me that if you sweep the floor nicely you can also be a good tabla player-words which at that time didn’t make sense to me. How did sweeping the floor relate to tabla but as I grew up I realized that the other things he was teaching us to do, even the smallest jobs perfectly, made the toughest jobs seem easy and that would also spill over in out playing.

He was a perfectionist no matter what he did-be it working in the garden, or his house, or in the garage. He would ask us to weed out the grass and say that it will help us in our tabla. He was teaching us to focus, to take nothing lightly, and to do every job correctly. He also had an aura. When we talk about halos, I’ve seen that on him. I would go to the airport or railway station to receive him all these years and no matter who he crossed, even the porters who were carrying the luggage would stop and turn their heads because they would know someone extraordinary had just passed them. So he definitely had that halo around him.”

Anecdotes and special memories about Kishan Maharaj come pouring out, as Sandeep recalled the time that every famous artist was being booed off stage and Pandit Ravi Shankar and Kishan Maharaj were to perform together. Kishan Maharaj had someone carry his tabla on stage and walked in with a big gun. “He told the audience-my first passion is shooting. It could be shooting people or animals. It depends on how I feel on a particular day. My second passion is tabla which I’m going to play. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to hear my tabla or see my shooting skills.” There was pin drop silence after that. He played tabla solo for about half and hour and then invited Ravi ji on stage and every other artist after that was able to perform.”

Another incident happened when Kathak diva Sitara Devi and Pandit Kishan Maharaj were performing at a wedding and the entire party of wedding guests were drunk and carried guns. They would not let Sitara Devi stop. “They told her to dance all night, like Basanti of Sholay,” recalls Sandeep with a laugh. “Guruji realized he had to do something so he somehow managed to put his gun to the throat of the bridegroom, and said I’ll shoot him dead, abducted him to the train station, boarded a running train with Sitara Devi, threw their instruments in and made a getaway from that place!”

Another time Pt Ravi Shankar, Kishan Maharaj and Sitara Devi had hailed a cab. The driver a six-foot man passed a lewd comment. “Before anybody knew what hit him, the six foot plus driver was on the floor because my guruji had punched him so hard!”

In January Sandeep was driving past a location in New Delhi when Pandit Kishan Maharaj recalled how a famous instrumentalist he knew was being blackmailed, on a monthly basis by a man who had taken a compromising picture of him with a woman. Kishan Maharaj told him to ask the guy for negatives at double the price and said to the sitarist that he will carry what will be the last installment. They met in the same area that Sandeep and Kishan Maharaj were passing through. “As the man was passing the negatives to Guruji, he gave the guy such a big whack with the briefcase he was flat on the street and my guruji was on top of him and beat the sh..t out of him that day and the payment was stopped forever but Guruji was joking, “I should have kept the negatives with me and I could have asked money from this sitar player for the rest of my life,” and had a big hearty laugh!”

Another time Kishan Maharaj was playing with a very renowned sitarist. The organizer was a very wealthy person who was already very dazzled by the sitarist and waxed eloquent with a mile long introduction. At the end he just mentioned in the passing that Kishan Maharaj would be the accompanist. ‘ My Guru ji didn’t say anything. He waited for the Sitarist to play his alaap which he played for more than an hour and when he starts his gat, my guru ji just plays a big dhaa (one note) and walks off the stage, Of course the organizer and the people and the sitarist all came to the green room and said, “What happened? What happened?’ My guru ji said to the sitarist. “They announced so much about you so you played according to the announcement, for an hour and a half, just in alaap. They announced only my name so for that kind of an announcement a Dhaa is all they get!”

Sandeep recalls seeing a picture of Pandit Kishan Maharaj with the crème de la crème of Bollywood at that time. There was the legendary Dilip Kumar and the handsome Raj Kapoor, the young Mangeshkar sisters and everyone who saw that picture had to be told it was not Kishan Maharaj who was the hero but the other two. His good looks made the others fade in comparison.

Once he was asked on national television by an interviewer that she had heard he had been married three times. “It used to be live television in those days and suddenly she popped the question. Immediately came the reply, “ Beti tumne is baat pe to dhyan de diya ki maine 3 shaadiyan ki hain but you didn’t pay attention to my name. Its Kishan-toh izzat to mujhe Kishan bhagwan ki rakhni padegi. (You paid attention to fact that I married thrice but not to my name which is Kishan and so I have to uphold the reputation of my name and be like Lord Krishna who had so many women around him). But the greatness of the man was the fact that he took care of his kids from all the three marriages and never let them feel they didn’t have a father, and when he was ill they were all present there.”

Pandit Kishan Maharaj stood up not just for what he felt was unfair to him but others as well. Sandeep Das says that today if the names of all the accompanists are even mentioned in the announcements or even All India Radio it is because Kishan Maharaj fought for that entitlement and won. He was also the first Tabla player to charge per concert instead of being booked for the entire day at a fixed price as was the norm. And he fought for the dignity and respect of the accompanists. “The Harballabh Sangeet festival which will be celebrating its 150th anniversary very soon-they were telling me and I have heard it from guruji also that the first time he went to play there he saw that the main artist was on the podium and the accompanying artists were sitting on the floor and playing. My guru ji walks in, doesn’t say anything to the organizer, takes out his revolver, points it at the accompanying artists sitting on the floor and says that from today if I ever see any accompanying artist sitting on the floor and playing I will shoot them first- and that was the end of that thing forever in that festival. The next item onwards every artist was on the same platform.”

If one was to set the standard for an accompanying artist, a soloist, or a guru, Kishan Maharaj was the one who stood head and shoulders above the rest, says Sandeep. “He did what was right and said a Raja(king) also should not give his son his gaddi(throne) if he does not deserve because then that is the end of the kingdom. Similarly, as a guru, be it a son or anybody else, if he does not deserve you should not teach him. You should teach someone else who is more deserving. He gave the example of Guru Nanak who named his disciple Lehna as his successor and not his own sons.”

Sandeep remembers that at Kishan Maharaj’s request sitar maestro Shujaat Khan and he played together at his 85th birthday celebrations. Along with honor of being singled out as the only artists who performed that day for the maestro, Sandeep Das cherishes the memento he gave him because it said that it was from Pandit Kishan Maharaj to Pandit Sandeep Das. “He categorically told people that they put Ustad and Pandit before every tabla player and “ Mithua (Sandeep’s pet name Mithu) kya kam baja raha hai? Is pe bhi Pandit likh ke lao (Mithua doesn’t play any less so put Pandit before his name as well).”

As long as Indian music is alive, my guruji’s contribution not only just as a performer but for standing up for injustice towards anybody will always be remembered and we all have to be thankful for the respect and dignity that every accompanying artist is given because of Pandit Kishan Maharaj.”

Sandeep echoes the observation made by others that Pandit Kishan Maharaj always discouraged his students from copying him. “He would say as long as you are a Xerox you’ll never have any value. The moment you start playing, everybody should know which gharana you come from, but you must always have your own personality, your own thoughts imbibed in what you are playing.” Most people don’t even want you to listen to other contemporary artists-ke nahin woh kharab ho jayega(your playing will be adversely affected). My guruji asked us to listen to every tabla player but said even if you like something from say Samta Prasad ji, don’t try to play like him-make it your own. He would say whatever you hear from someone else, if it’s good, its worth playing, but make it your own. “It should sound that its Sandeep Das playing and not Sandeep Das copying or mimicking somebody else.”

“I have heard recordings of Pandit Kanthe Maharaj but when you hear my guruji playing you will immediately get a glimpse of where he comes from but his playing is his own. He definitely learnt all the fixed compositions and other things from Kanthe Maharaj but if you hear both their recordings you’ll know instantly that it’s a totally different personality playing the same instrument.”

Similarly says Sandeep, listeners know when they hear him or Sukhvinder Singh or any other student of Kishan Maharaj that they have sipped from the same nectar but their rendition of his teaching is uniquely their own. Kishan Maharaj loved that unity through diversity constantly encouraging them to blossom in their own way. “ My guru also really didn’t care whether it was his son or anyone else. He would teach people who he thought would carry on his legacy.”

Sandeep also points out that people before Pandit Kishan Maharaj were playing a fixed repertoire. Whatever you learnt from you guru you practiced, perfected it, repeated and played it over and over again. “My guru ji is one of the first players who started playing extempore, on the spot improvisations that were never done before in the history of tabla. The sawal jawab(question and answer) that you hear everybody doing today was started by Pandit Ravi Shankar and my guruji. He said, “Whatever I teach you use it as a raw material. You can either make it a garden, or a building or a multi story depending on the need, your feeling and the requirement of that particular concert.”

He is considered as one of the greatest tabla players ever because his playing would change instantly with whoever he was playing with. Pandit Ravi Shankar and he were always called Ram Lakshman ki Jodi. Ravi ji would play with others but everybody who loved classical music knew that they were the pair they wanted to hear. When he was playing with Pandit ji it would be extempore playing, mathematics, calculations and sheer tihais coming out of no where. Then the moment you heard him with Vilayat Khan sahib and I remember so many concerts-it would feel we are listening to some people just playing in the studio, just enjoying the tone of their instrument, playing pure melody-the sitar started singing and the tabla started singing as if guruji has forgotten his mathematics. Again his playing with Birju Maharaj was all about mathematics and with Pandit Gopi Kishan it would be sheer speed and technique. His technique would change with each artist, something that was drilled into us.” It is something Sandeep too does each time.

There was a deep mutual admiration that Kishan Maharaj shared with both Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan. “You would see my guruji enjoying Ravi Shankar ji’s playing and turning towards him and saying wah kya baat hai and Vilayat Khan sahib saying-nahin Kishan bhaiya aur bajao, which Shujaat Bhai (Vilayat Khan’s son sitar maestro Shujaat Khan) will agree, that Vilayat Khan Sahib would never tell any other tabla player. Similarly my guruji if he is playing with anybody and that person is not letting him play would walk in and start playing a piece. But with Vilayat Khan Sahib, I have seen him playing 30 minutes just a beautiful melodic theka because he is enjoying hearing Vilayat Khan sahib’s playing so much that he didn’t care if he has played a piece or not and in turn Vilayat Khan Sahib would keep a gat as if he is keeping lehra for a tabla solo and my guru ji used to say-Dekho kaisi Vilayat rakhta hai gat malai ki tarah-aisa lag raha hai main solo baja raha hoon who lehra rakh raha hai(Look how Vilayat is keeping gat soft as cream. It feels like I’m playing a solo and he is keeping the accompanying rhythm) which is something neither of these two would ever do with anyone else. My guru ji would offer him paan-he would have lovely paans with him and Vilayat Khan Sahib would have good beedis with him and they would share their paan and beedi and meet like they were lost brothers.”

Pandit Kishan Maharaj was so in demand that if it was announced he was playing with a particular artist all the other artists would get upset and fought to get him to play with them.

In recent years Pandit Kishan Maharaj had become very fond of Ustad Vilayat Khan’s son, sitar maestro Shujaat Khan says Sandeep and would always tell Sandeep how much he appreciated Shujaat’s maturity, humility and dedication to his craft. “He would respect people who would do their job and who are clean as human beings. He never liked sycophants who sucked up to others or did not keep their word.”

In Jan 2008 Pandit Kishan Maharaj came exclusively to hear Shujaat and Sandeep play at a festival causing a lot of envy among other artists. It was very touching, says Sandeep that the maestro possessively kept a seat right next to him for Shujaat to sit with him after he was done. “I saw that he did not let any body sit there and put his hand on the bum of one well known artist and literally pushed him away saying – no this is Shujaat beta ka jagah and Shujaat beta mere paas baithega (No this is my son Shujaat’s place and only he will sit here next to me). Unfortunately he couldn’t come to Delhi but he had made plans to visit Shujaat bhai at his new house and have dinner with him and play but it never materialized because he had his second stroke in Banaras a couple of days before that. He was like a child, If you were nice to him he would come to your house and play for you and if you weren’t you could be the President of India, he couldn’t care less.”

Even into his eighties, in spite of not keeping good health, Pandit Kishan Kumar remained the Prince of percussion. Sandeep remembers a concert, about 3-4 years ago when the 80 plus Kishan Maharaj played with Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. He had been ill with high fever and Sandeep was worried how he would manage. Kishan Maharaj told Shiv ji to play a really fine alaap as he had not heard one for a while. “Shiv ji played a beautiful, beautiful alaap. Then when Guru ji started playing, for the first time in my life, I wept as he was playing. I felt as if I was some body who was strolling in the garden, and first Shivji was taking out one flower and showing it to the audience and giving it to my guruji and then he also was taking out beautiful flowers, beautiful ones in the garden that night and offering it to Shiv ji and all of us.”

Sandeep remembers the last few days of Kishan Maharaj’s life with reverence. He had rushed to Banaras when he heard about the Maestro having a stroke canceling all his concerts and stayed by his side till he passed away. Even his death was a lesson says Sandeep in how when a great soul like Pandit Kishan Maharaj leaves his earthly body, humanity and heaven come together to orchestrate the perfect exit. As thousands of people poured into the streets Sandeep saw people from all religions come out and shower rose petals, garlands, at his body throughout the procession’s journey to the ghats. “ That showed this man had touched people irrespective of caste, creed or religion.”

At the ghat when the body is burned, says Sandeep, usually it doesn’t burn evenly all the time and a lot has to be done to ensure it burns quickly, but here when his son Puran Maharaj lit the pyre, in seconds the fire was burning evenly. “ Even the people who work at these ghats and burn thousands of bodies every day were saying-“We have heard from our elders that only when you burn the body of a saint or a siddh atma the body burns like this, Within seconds it was like some hand is spreading the fire evenly. Guru ji would always tell us-beta lai se kaam kiya karo…I could see that lai even in the burning of his body. The fire was burning with rhythm and within 45 minutes everything was gone. I could feel that there was one source of energy down there and there was some other source of energy up there that pulled him from here. It was an unbelievable experience.

He was not just a guru for me, with every passing day he was becoming my God. I don’t come from a family of musicians and my approach to music and looking at him has been very different from the beginning. I was a kid when I started with him and I was 21 when I moved to Delhi. I’m 38 now and with every passing day I realize that every single word, however irrelevant it seemed at that time, was like a diamond in my pocket, which today I show to the world. It was my luck-I must have done something right in my previous birth that I got to spend time with him. Its all him. He was an energy that was sent to this planet and I got the radiance from that and I feel blessed.”

He was only one year old when his parents gave him to Pandit Kishan Maharaj. At 6 he became a ganda bandh student of the great Tabla maestro. Today in his early twenties, the immensely talented grandson of Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Shubh is making waves in the world of music.

As a young child, no one knew where Shubh’s talent would lie, but his deep attachment to his grand father and the fact that Calcutta where his parents lived did not seem to suit him, became the reason why his parents decided to send him to Banaras. “ I seemed a lot happier in Banaras and not very happy without my grand father’s presence even in that young age, so they decided to send me to him. When I turned 4 or 5 years old it was decided that since I’m fortunate enough to be in the daily presence of such a legendary maestro, I should learn from him. So at 6 I became his ganda bandh student, but I remember that on my first birthday Nana(grandfather) was there and he gave a baby drum- a bayaan to me. So my relationship with Tabla began then. After that when I stayed in Banaras I saw so many people playing Tabla that I got interested in learning. So from the age of six I started training under my grandfather.”

Shubh says even though Kishan Maharaj was a very loving grandfather, as a teacher he was as strict with him as he would be with any other student. “I think being from his family, he had higher expectations from Puran mama (maternal uncle) and me. I remember I was eight when I gave my first performance on stage in 2000 and he had been training me and getting me ready for the solo. He wanted me to play a particular piece and when I didn’t get it after the fourth time he slammed the hammer on my hands-he was so mad. I couldn’t play for 4 days after that but when I did I got it right! Today whatever I am is because of the way he taught me. The priceless treasure of music that I have received from him is a debt I cannot repay even in seven births so all the scolding just fades away into insignificance in comparison.”

Shubh says what made Kishan Maharaj the happiest was when any of his students came up with something original. “He always said don’t imitate blindly. Take something that you like from someone but make it your own. Also if you are playing a piece of another gharana or another artist give credit where it’s due. Mention that artist’s name and say you’ve learnt this from him but after that take that piece and make it your own-add your personality and touch into it.”

I believe that your music reflects your character and to enhance your music you may have to change yourself into a better human being. Music for me is not something that is attainable only by mere practice-for me it’s a way of life. If you get stuck in a whirlpool of trying to change your music and not who you are inside then you will remain stagnant.

Your character is the foundation for your music and that is why you will see that all the students of Kishan maharaj are different and unique individuals whose styles are also different even though they carry the fragrance of guruji in whatever they play. Guru ji had a special love for Zakir ji. He would confide in him and trusted him totally.”

Memories of so many moments with Kishan Maharaj bring more memories. “When I remember a composition he taught me, I also remember where we were sitting, what he said and how he scolded me!” says Shubh Maharaj and adds laughingly that his grandfather and guru really didn’t care where they were. If he wanted to scold him he would go right ahead and do it! The other nerve racking thing was his suddenly telling his students that they would be playing with him without any rehearsing. “He would constantly challenge our capabilities, and our abilities to keep pace with his challenges. I remember a time at the Saptak festival where he was to play and I already had. So I packed away my Tabla set thinking I will not open it until we got back to Banaras when suddenly he said to me in the morning that I had to play with him and that too in the complicated taal dhamaar. I was very nervous and asked-‘Can we have some rehearsal?” and he got really mad. “You have the audacity to ask for a rehearsal? You will play what I will play.” And until the moment we did go on stage I received a series of scolding from the green room and was told if I didn’t play well I’ll get a kick in the butt as well.”

Shubh remembers another incident where he was to make his debut as an accompanist to a major artist and that artist was going to be Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. His grandfather told him he would have to get Shiv Ji’s permission to allow him to join them on stage and then let it slide till the day of the concert. “The concert was at 8 and Guru ji happily calls Shiv ji at 4.30 p.m. to ask permission for me to play and then informs me nonchalantly that I was indeed playing that evening! That was how it was with him, unexpected challenges all the time but the positive thing that came out of it was that all of us are always ready to tackle the most unexpected, the most adverse circumstances or unexpected concerts, and don’t feel scared or intimidated whereas I see other artists balk when told they have to play a concert in two days with other masters.

Whenever we do feel nervous, I remember my guruji’s teaching, his ability, my own faith in what he has given me and it helps compose me and not get too intimidated by the situation.”

A couple of years back Kishan Maharaj went to visit Pandit Ravi Shankar in Delhi. He was planning to play and Shubh was just supposed to do the padhant(recitation of bols). When Kishan Maharaj called and Ravi ji found out his grandson was with him, he told Kishan Maharaj he would like to hear something from Shubh as well. “So Guru ji asks me, which by the way is just a mere formality always because if you say No you are in trouble-so he asks me will you play? I said yes, and he said well in that case you will play for 15-20 minutes and I want you to play something really unique and really nice. So he decided I was going to play 4 compositions of 5 minutes each in 19, 17, 15 and 13 beats. These are tough and complicated and I made a lot of mistakes while practicing and was being scolded incessantly by Guruji. Somehow when the evening came I was able to render them flawlessly and Pandit Ravi Shankar blessed me and was very happy with my performance.

Today when I listen to a recording of those programs all those memories come rushing back. Guru ji had a unique style that all of India follows. His personality, his style of teaching, the way he fought for the rights of other musicians, their self respect and dignity and what he taught us-that do not earn money at the cost of losing your dignity are precious lessons in life. Anyone studying under him had to learn things beyond tabla playing. I remember so clearly once he wanted certain extra accessories in the refrigerator and the technician told him it was not possible to get it done in Banaras and that the refrigerator will have to be sent to Delhi. My grandfather pulled the fridge apart, figured it all out, added all the accessories he wanted and then asked the guy to come back. He fell at his feet and said “Maharaj we have to learn so much from you!” He made so many beautiful paintings, wrote so many beautiful poems. He was such a multidimensional man.”

What hopes do all these torch bearers of Pandit Kishan Maharaj’s legacy have for the Banaras gharana now that the incomparable maestro is no more?

Pandit Sharda Sahai says, “It is true that the stalwarts who are passing away are taking some very unique gifts and knowledge that only they possessed, with them. The younger generation in general that is now emerging is not so focused on the Banaras style. But there are some youngsters who are talented and I’m hopeful they will carry on the legacy, My son Sanju Sahai is committed to carrying on the legacy of the gharana and I have heard a lot about Kishan chacha’s grandson Shubh. I have tried to continue the parampara, the tradition and I try to teach my students without charging anything but expect that their commitment will be to remain true to the Banaras baaj.”

“It will be our goal to carry on his legacy,” agrees Puran Maharaj. “ Every one has been taught with great commitment and love and that will stand us in good stead, though there will never be another Kishan Maharaj. I can only hope and pray that all of us will take some of his stellar qualities as a tabla player, and follow his tradition. I will now be teaching the kids and taking on from where he left and there are many very talented tabla players already among us.”

“Banaras gharana is a mixture of 2-3 gharanas and Samta Prasad ji, Anokhe Lal ji, Pandit Kanthe Maharaj ji and Kishan Maharaj ji were all from the Banaras Gharana but everyone had an absolutely different dimension,” adds Pandit Kumar Bose. That is the beauty of our gharana-it can be played in so many different dimensions. Banaras tabla style of playing is suitable for thumri, dadra, sitar, dance, sarod or any kind of music. There has been extensive research done on the gharana. By the grace of God and guru we are also doing a lot of research and in my Tabla also you can see, I’m trying to bring out different dimensions which are the softer and sweeter part of Banaras gharana.” Kumar Bose is very confident that the Gharana will continue to flourish because Kishan Maharaj has left such stellar students behind.

Sukhvinder Singh says, “I believe Pandit Kishan Maharaj has not left us. His blessings, his teachings, his soul has been given to his students and it will be our endeavor to keep that legacy alive through our work. We seek the continued blessings of all master musicians for us and for the Banaras Gharana. Here I must especially mention the role of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. He has showered so much love on the Banaras Baaj. From the very beginning he has given us a platform to perform with him and it is not a coincidence that Amjad Ali Khan sahib was there with Pandit Kishan Maharaj when he had his stroke.

If I could take something from Guruji, it would be his intellect, his principles, what he stood for, what he taught us. I’m a fan of each and every one of his qualities and his way of life. Twenty years is a long time to be with someone. I left my parents at such a tender age and spent so much time with him, and everything he taught me is imprinted in my psyche. I miss his yelling and scolding-for me it was a sacred offering. Sandeep and I were reminiscing at his funeral all the little incidents, how he scolded us, his love and generosity and how he would say if there is some weakness in our gharana, there is nothing wrong in learning something from another gharana but add your own touch, don’t indulge in bad habits, don’t head in the wrong direction.”

Shubh Maharaj says he is very confident that Kishan Maharaj’s legacy will continue because of the large number of students he has trained. Both Sandeep Das and Shubh say that they have only seen that with Ustad Allah Rakha Khan and Pandit Kishan Maharaj where their legacy has been passed on to a large number of students, who they taught with great commitment. “So many of these students are on the world platform playing so well,” says Shubh, ‘ that I feel the future is bright.”

Sandeep Das makes some very key observations. “I think I have a very big and unfair advantage over other Tabla players because of my Guru ji’s style of playing which is so different and unique. You can have 10 tabla players playing in a festival and the moment we play there is a whiff of a fragrance of a different kind immediately.

I remember as a young 20 year old kid I went to Bangalore. It was a five day festival and I was the last artist, the youngest and not at all known by anyone. The moment I played uthaan I got a huge standing ovation and after the concert everybody came over and said-“We have been hearing Tabla players for the last five days but your tabla brought a big world of difference to us and that is all because of my guru ji.’ Sandeep has high expectations from Shubh Maharaj who he hopes has learnt all that Kishan Maharaj had to offer. “ Otherwise there are so many things that will be gone from the planet. But he is playing very very well and I would say the official baton would have been passed on to him by the family.”

Kishan Maharaj has not just influenced the way Tabla is perceived by musicians, avid listeners and organizers-his unique gift to the world has been to nurture and train a large number of tabla players who are as united in their diversity as he was with his own guru. Not just that, he gave his immense knowledge as a gift to other tabla players, who were not from his gharana. So his legacy has multiplied and gone beyond just the Banaras Gharana. Perhaps because of that generosity of heart, the Banaras Baaj will continue to spread its fragrance through the bols of all the tabla players touched by the master’s hand.