a life - lived in music ( and cricket)

My wife's Guruji ( Hindustani Classical ) passed away on Oct. 31 at the age of 89. My wife had her last lesson just five days prior to that and she says that her last lesson was just amazingly good, as her guruji's voice would effortlessly strike the upper pancham in joyful abandon. As an amazing coincidence, the raga for practice on the last day was Behag, the same raga she had learned on her very fist session with guruji some seven years ago

Seeta Kagal - her Guruji - was a remarkable person. A great singer - student of Heerabai Barodekar and Sawai Gandharv - she was guru-behin of Bhimsen and Gangubai with whom she had a life long association. Her voice was amazing,the taans - in the true kirana gharana - would cascade down effortlessly as beads of pearls - Her last Bangalore live Radio program was when she was 88. In her youth she had traveled pre independent and independent India, the length and the breadth of it ( in trains ), had performed for the Nizams from behind the veil, had played cricket wearing a saree at Wadhia College Pune. And unlike most gurus she was a compassionate person, ever supportive of her students. I am glad that she did not suffer. Her effervescent spirit surely contributed to her amazing physical condition - even at 89 she could lift the harmonium from the floor on to her bed. I am even more glad the she passed away with one unfulfilled wish: that of experiencing a headache before she died - fortunately she died without knowing that. It is a pity that many people were not aware of her lately - but that mattered little to this cheerful person. ( She was an aunt of Chandravarkar, the musician behind the music in Ghasiram Kotoyal)

Must mention here that she was fully supported by her husband who passed away last year at the age of 93. He as a very upright Police officer from the British days - actually was in charge of Gandhi in Yervada jail and again just an amazing austere human being. They were a remarkable couple in their total devotion to and complete support for each other which was, is and will be rare whatever way one looks at it.

It was a privilege to have known them over the last seven years. I am sorry that I did not go over too often partly to save myself the embarrassment of singing in her presence as she would always ask me which raga I have been learning ( I was taking lessons for two years from a different guru in 2002-2004). How I would miss going into the well known house on CMH road - perhaps the last family house standing sandwiched between the Jealous Jeans and Karnataka bank, a house where apparently a very young 3-4 years old Rahul Dravid would come and at the time of leaving would sit on the staircase and cry refusing to go back to his home on the 12the main ( Guruji and the Dravids were family friends - how I do not know ) and where much later an octogenarian would be glued to the TV during cricket matches - that was her other passion.

For her students as well as others like me who have known her the best tribute to her would be keep living a happy, curious, engaged and passionate life free from malice, free from the weight of the world -- to live in the music of the inner mind.