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Tansen, tamarind and more...

Shona Adhikari

The ancient tamarind tree is still there, but a little denuded now. The belief is that anyone who eats the leaves of this tree, will be blessed with a melodious voice and the ability to sing like Tansen. For, it is next to his mausoleum that the tree sta nds.

I visited the grave of `Sangeet Samrat' Mian Tansen at Gwalior. Tansen's small shrine looks dwarfed by the large tomb of his mentor, Shaikh Mohammed Ghaus, a 16th-century fakir who was revered by people of all faiths. The two tombs and othe r graves stand in a garden with traditional mughal-style patterns.

Ghaus' tomb is built in the shape of a large square with hexagonal towers at its corners. The walls of the building have elaborate carved-stone latticework, with each panel having a different design. The whole building is surmounted by a large dome, which was earlier covered with blue glazed tiles.

Tansen's mausoleum, which stands on the right of the saint's tomb, consists of a rectangular elevated platform in which the marble grave is set. Around this, stands a delicately-worked pavilion with eaves.

Tansen's father, Makaranda Pande, a resident of Behat, was overjoyed at the birth of a son in 1506. He named the child Ramtanu and was convinced that his birth was a special blessing from the saintly Ghaus. The name, `Tansen', was conf erred on Ramtanu much later by Emperor Akbar, to honour him for his command over music.

Tansen was trained in music by Swami Haridas of Brindavan, who discovered his talent when he was 10 years old. Persuading Makaranda that his son's future was in music, the swamiji took Tansen with him to Brindavan. It was there that Tansen l earnt the intricacies of the different ragas and became an accomplished singer. Despite his unquestionable prowess, he never forgot to honour his guru and returned frequently to Brindavan for further instructions.

After returning to Behat, Tansen took to practising at the Shiva temple. It is said that the walls of the temple swayed to his music. Local residents are also completely convinced that the temple is inclined to one side, due to this reason. Ta nsen was also credited with performing miracles such as making trees and rocks sway, lamps lighting up on their own and torrential rain pouring when there was no sign of rains and so on.

After the death of his parents, Tansen went to Gwalior to live with Ghaus and it was then that he converted to Islam. He married Hussaini, also a convert, and had four sons and a daughter, all of whom were musically-inclined.

Tansen joined the court of Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior, becoming the foremost exponent of the Dhrupad style of singing, developed by Raja Man Singh and his consort, Mrignayani. Tansen was also instrumental in developing the Gwalior gharana of music.

Tansen later joined the court of Raja Ramachandra Baghela of Bandhavgarh. As his fame spread, the great Mughal emperor Akbar invited him to Delhi and Tansen joined his court in 1552.

Akbar admired Tansen's music so much that he listened to his melodious renderings of ragas (many of which were created by Tansen during this period), every day. It was at this time that Tansen was included among the emperor's `Navaratnas' or nine jewels. At Fatehpur Sikri, a special seat, `Anup Talao', was built for Tansen in the middle of a pond, next to the emperor's chambers, which can still be seen.

Abul Fazl, the author of `Ain 'e Akbari', says, ``Tansen was the greatest singer to adorn the earth, in the last 1,000 years''.

To pay homage to this great singer, an annual festival of music is held every year at Gwalior during his death anniversary. Music-lovers from all over India throng Gwalior to attend this function which features leading Indian singers perfor ming his special ragas on a stage set next to his mausoleum.

Tansen died in 1589, when he was at the peak of his popularity, and was buried according to his wishes near the grave of his mentor, Ghaus.

The ragas created by him carry the prefix `Mian'. `Mian ki Malhar', `Mian ki Todi', `Mian ki Sarang', and the courtly `Darbari Todi' and `Darbari Kanada', are some of the most popular ragas of Hindustani classical music to this day.

Fact file

Every year during the month of December, the Tansen Music Festival is held at Gwalior. During this programme, the highest award in the field of classical music, the Tansen Samman, is presented to a renowned musician. This year's award was presented to th e sitar maestro, Ustad Abdul Haleem Jaffar Khan.

How to get there:

By rail: The most convenient train is the New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express which is operated daily from New Delhi station.

By air: Indian Airlines also operates flights to Gwalior from New Delhi and Bhopal.

Where to stay:

Usha Kiran Place

Hotel Gwalior Regency

Hotel Tansen (Madhya Pradesh Tourism)

Picture: A miniature of Tansen