A classical journey through thumri, dadra, chaiti

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Singer Meenakshi Prasad during one of her performances; the artiste strums her tanpura—Asian Age

It was a tight squeeze at Gurgaon’s Epicentre last weekend when Patna-born classical singer Meenakshi Prasad presented her newest concert and mesmerised the audience with classical songs like Kaun gali gayo sham, Bake saiyan na jane maan ki baliya.

For many, the classical performance by Meenakshi came as a much-needed unwinding session and has helped them take a break after the long and tiring week.
A disciple of the renowned vocalist of Banaras Gharana Vidushi Savit Devi, who is the daughter of the legendary doyen of Hindustani classical music, late Siddeshwari Devi, Meenakshi took to classical music about 12 years ago by choice.
She enjoys being the only one in her family to become a famous classical singer.
“There is no one in my home or in my family who is a big musician or from any particular Gharana. But they are passionate about music. My parents love classical music a lot and they used to play the music often in my home. So I began my musical career as a listener. This was my first step to the world of classical music,” says Meenakshi.
In her musical journey, she had performed at diverse music concerts/festivals in India and abroad, on varied occasions — Fiji, Taj Mohatsav, Lucknow Mohatsav, Chattisgarh Rajya Utsav, Akhil Bhartiya Sangeet Sammelan, etc.
Being a senior officer at the Life Insurance Corporation gave her the option to lead a simple and happy life, but her overwhelming passion for classical music took her to a different plane. “Music is my life. I have been a Class-I officer with the LIC, where I have seen people tuning to classical songs to be at peace and relax. If you are listening to classical songs it stays in your mind for long and you feel relaxed from inside. It cleans up your mind as well as your soul,” says Meenakshi.
She has learnt the art and nuances of thumri in the style of Banaras Gharana. The lyrics of thumri, a romantic-devotional literature inspired by the Radha-Krishna love theme, may be difficult to follow in the ornamented enunciation, especially where the focus is on love and many lyrics deal with separation or viraha, but Meenakshi’s love for Thumri is such that she enjoys every bit of it and is taking forward the difficult genre in her own style.
“Thumri is like a tree with its branches like dadra, hori, kajari, saavan, jhoola and chaiti. It is the language of emotions. In Khayal gayiki you can’t reach the depth of any feeling, but in thumri a lot of emotions flow, which touch the bottom of your heart. It attracted me a lot,” says Meenakshi.
Indian classical music dates back to the age of the Vedas. Rasas or emotions that govern human lives are mentioned in the Natyashastra, the 400 BC “Bible” of Indian music, dance and drama. However, with the new age music mostly listened to by youngsters, today hardly sees one interested in talking about real music (read classical music).
So is Indian classical music losing its charm and is heard and practiced only by the oldies? “No,” says Meenakshi.
“There is no chota-bada in sangeet. Music is a goal that helps one learn sanskar. Youngsters who are more into rock and other new-age Bollywood songs should listen to Western classical too. No musician can reach the pinnacle if they do not have a command on their classical base,” she adds.
She goes on to say that even parents can play a role in making their children develop a taste for classical music. “They can play classical songs in the mornings so that children can at least get a feel of classical music. Pizza, burger, etc were never Indian dishes, but they are so easily available and are eaten so often that we have started considering them too as our staple diet. Similarly, if classical music is played regularly at home, youngsters will start taking a liking to them,” says Meenakshi.
Although her family was very supportive about her inclination towards music, she had her struggles after she became mother. She has two daughters, who are now studying in Class 11 and Class 7 and often she juggles between taking care of her children and her three-hour music practice every day. However, Meenakshi is very happy to do something that gives her mental peace and satisfaction. “My family has been very supportive. We always expect our parents to do something for us, but how many of us want to do something for the family. In my case it’s a two and fro process. My family gave me a lot — by supporting my love for music — and I gave my family a lot — by supporting them whenever they want me,” says Meenakshi.
Classical music is everywhere around us. The raindrops falling on the rooftop, a stormy breeze bending branches of trees, the Koel’s Koo-oo in the morning, create music and are all forms of music in their own way. The most important aspect of music is, perhaps, its beauty or the emotions that it elicits in the listener. Classical music is the manifestation of the goodness and divine. There’s no way anyone is ever going to fully know music, but people can try understanding music and go in depth as much as they can. And Meenakshi is one of those, who have tried learning the nuances of it.