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| Tansen learning music from Swami Haridas |
Surely we have heard about the great musician Tansen! Tansen was one of the Navratnas in Akbar's court. Emperor Akbar's Navratnas were supposed to be the better than the best people in their own spheres of life. When we were growing up, pages in those history books told us that there was once a Tansen who was one of the greatest musicians.
Tansen was a highly gifted musician. Many of the dhrupal style raags today are attributed to him. He was given the honorary title of 'Mian' by Akbar himself. He was known to tame wild animals with his singing and sang raag Malhaar and brought in the rain. Something that is lesser known is that Tansen had got Akbar to pass a law banning singing of any nature in and around the place where he lived so that there was no disturbance to his singing. Tansen was disciple for some time to Swami Haridas, the legendary composer from Vrindavan. He learnt music and rose to a stature where from where he has got legendary place in history.
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Baiju Bawra(1952) is a film based |
How many of us have heard of Baiju - Baiju Bawra? If it was not for a Hindi film made half century ago many of us would never have known Baiju. Like Tansen, Baiju was also a deciple of Swami Haridas. As the legend goes, when Baiju was a young child he was passing through the city of Fathehpur Sikri with his father and his father's trope of musicians who were singing bhajans. As they passed though the town they were challenged by the guards of the city who jailed them for defying the orders of Tansen by singing in public. All but one were murdered by the great servants of the grave empire. Baiju's life was spared as he was a small child.
Burning with revenge and the injustice caused to him, Baiju came to Swami Haridas to learn music and spent his childhood with his guru. Finally there was a time when he entered the city of Fatehpur Sirki one more time and was again captured for his crime of singing. He was produced before the court where it was decided that he will have to compete with Tansen because he had challenged Tansen's supremacy in music. The looser was to pay with his life. The competition happened and the mighty Tansen fell flat before the Baiju. Tansen fell at Baiju's feet and asked his life to be spared. As a prize for having defeated Tansen, Akbar asked Baiju to ask for whatever he wanted. The kind hearted Baiju asked Akbar to spare Tansen's life and also to lift the ban on music in the town. Baiju returned to Gwalior. Tansen continued in his role as a Navratna. Our country hardly remembers Baiju and Tansen shines and inspires till date.
There is something in this soil which intrigues me. There is something about my country which puts it in a different league. When I think of myself, I am proud to be born in the land where Baiju once walked. When I look at the greatest giants of my India, they lived their lives in the most humble and simple ways. Life of a yogi goes far beyond the ascetics in this land. It mesmerizes me to hear the tales of people taller than one can imagine - of souls who were born free - of goals which were beyond the riches, recognitions, power and control that this world can ever offer.
If I was supposed to counsel myself on what to make out of my life - I am glad that the examples before me are much bigger than the richest, the strongest, the most successful and the most popular people of all the times.
Happy Independence Day! Happy Indianism! Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!
P.S. I have tried to capture this information as far as possible from reliable sources. you may be interested in reading the Wikipedia pages for Tansen and Baiju to corroborate the story to some extent.