02 Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur - Raga Bhimpalasi - Live at Garware Hall, Pune on 23.10.1976

Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur (31 December 1910 - 12 September 1992) hailed from Dharwad, Karnataka, and was an exponent of khayal gayaki, having been trained in the Gwalior and Atrauli gharana traditions. He learnt from Pandit Nilakanthbua Alurmath of Miraj, who had, in turn, received ta’lim from Pandit Balakrishnabua Ichalkaranjikar. Subsequently, Mansur ji became the gandabandh shagird of Ustad Badruddin ‘Manjhi’ Khan sahib, the son of Ustad Ghulam Ahmed 'Allahdiya' Khan sahib, one of the progenitors of the Atrauli gharana tradition. Following the untimely demise of Ustad Manjhi Khan sahib, Mansur ji subsequently learnt from Ustad Shamsuddin ‘Bhurji’ Khan sahib, the younger son of Ustad Allahdiya Khan sahib. Through his eclectic ta’lim and meticulous riyaz, Mansur ji was able to craft a gayaki which was instrumental in popularising the Atrauli gharana repertoire, along with several other representatives of the gharana tradition.

Among the closest friends of Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur was the inimitable Pu. La. Deshpande, himself a multifaceted personality being a writer, humorist, actor, orator, singer and composer. Pu. La.’s immersion into the world of Hindustani music was deep and he was a capable Harmonium player having given accompaniment to Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, Pandit Vasantrao Deshpande and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. With regard to Mansur ji, Deshpande followed his career from the time he was under the tutelage of Ustad Manjhi Khan sahib all the way till the end. It is safe to say that there would have been very few rasika-s who could claim this rare honour of having closely observed the entire career of a musician such as Mansur ji.

In October 1976, Pu. La. Deshpande organised a series of three consecutive concerts at Garware Hall in Pune, to give the connoisseurs a sense of Mansur ji’s vast repertoire featuring night, afternoon & evening, and morning ragas, in that order. This was a singularly unique series of events in Mansur ji’s life, and, even though one can hear requests for not recording these mehfil-s, we are grateful that they were recorded and are available for posterity to relish in Mansur ji’s genius. Having heard about these mehfil-s from several people, I was blessed to receive the original spools containing their recordings from Pandit Rajshekhar Mansur in the early 2010s. Subsequently, with much care, these were digitised and I am placing the recordings in the public domain here on YouTube.

On 23 October 1976, Mansur ji performed the second of the three mehfil-s featuring afternoon & evening ragas. The following is the list of tracks:

1. Opening Remarks by Shri Pu. La. Deshpande -    • 01 Opening Remarks by Shri Pu. La. Deshpan...  
2. Raga Bhimpalasi -    • 02 Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur - Raga Bhimpa...  
3. Raga Nat -    • 03 Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur - Raga Nat - ...  
4. Raga Lalita Gauri -    • 04 Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur - Raga Lalita...  
5. Raga Vihang -    • 05 Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur - Raga Vihang...  
6. Raga Basanti Kanhra -    • 06 Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur - Raga Basant...  

Here is a link to the complete playlist:    • Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur - Afternoon & Ev...  

For these mehfil-s, Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur was accompanied by the following musicians:

Tabla: Ustad Nizamuddin Khan
Harmonium: Pandit Appasaheb Jalgaonkar
Tanpuras & Vocal Support: Pandit Panchakshari Swami Mattigatti & Shri Rajshekhar Mansur

In many ways, this set of mehfil-s by Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur can be perceived to the pinnacle of his performing career. Connoisseurs who have heard him closely would especially notice the elaborate detailing of the opening ragas in particular, something which he edited significantly as he moved through his late 60s up to his early 80s. Since Pu. La. Deshpande had organised these mehfil-s along the lines of the mehfil-s he had witnessed of Ustad Manjhi Khan sahib, Mansur ji took extreme care for them to be representative of the Atrauli gharana tradition.

Recording Courtesy: Pandit Rajshekhar Mansur Collection, NaadSaagar Archives & Documentation Society for South Asian Music