Raag Shree | Veena Sahasrabuddhe

Raag Shree | Veena Sahasrabuddhe

Shree is a very old North Indian raga of the Purvi thaat, and has traditionally been associated with Laxmi. It also appears in the Sikh tradition from northern India, and is a part of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy text of the Sikhs.[1] The Guru Granth Sahib composition comprises 31 ragas where Shree is the first raga to appear. The raga appears first on 14th page of the composition.

The basis of this Raag is steeped in the traditions of mainstream Indian Classical music. Siri Raag is serious and thought-provoking in its nature and creates an atmosphere where the listener is led to heed the advice given therein. The listener (the mind) is made aware of the truth of the message and with this ‘education’ is given the strength to face the future with both humility and the ‘gained’ knowledge.

Guru Nanak, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, and Guru Arjan have composed sacred hymns (Shabads) to be accompanied with this raga. It accompanies about 142 Shabads.

According to Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj, Shree is "an evening raga, sung during the sunset. It is full of grace and majesty, and the main mood it creates is one of devotion and dedication."[2]

Veena Sahasrabuddhe (14 September 1948 – 29 June 2016) was an Indian vocalist and composer of Hindustani classical music from Kanpur. Her singing style had its roots in Gwalior gharana, but it also borrowed from Jaipur and Kirana gharanas. Sahasrabuddhe was known as a singer of khyal and bhajan.

Veena Sahasrabuddhe was born in a musical family. Her father Shankar Shripad Bodas was a disciple of vocalist Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. She began her early musical education under her father, and then under her brother Kashinath Shankar Bodas.[citation needed] She also learned Kathak dancing in her childhood. Sahasrabuddhe's musical mentors included Balwantrai Bhatt, Vasant Thakar, and Gajananrao Joshi. Later she also trained briefly under Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar.

She had a bachelor's degree in vocal performance, Sanskrit literature, and English literature from Kanpur University (1968), a master's degree (Sangeet Alankar) in vocal performance from A.B.G.M.V. Mandal (1969), and also master's degree in Sanskrit from Kanpur University (1979). A.B.G.M.V. Mandal conferred on her a doctorate in vocal music (Sangeet Praveen) in 1988. For some years she was the head of the department of music at SNDT Pune campus. She performed all over India and in several countries around the world.

Her father Shankar Shripad Bodas was a contemporary of Omkarnath Thakur and Vinayakrao Patwardhan, and one of the earliest students of Vishnu Digambar Paluskar who founded the famous Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Bodas was specially invited by Paluskar to move to Kanpur from Mumbai and spread music. Bodas and Shanta migrated to Kanpur in 1926, founded a Sangit Samaj and began teaching students, inviting other performers and propagating music. The Paluskar tradition was essentially in the Gwalior Gharana style and temperament of singing. Kanpur was an industrial town without any notable cultural life, particularly classical music. Until then, Uttar Pradesh had other places such as Banaras and Allahabad where music thrived. Veena's mother Shanta was also a singer and taught music in local schools in Kanpur. Veena grew up in this musical atmosphere at home. In addition to training from her father, she also trained with her brother Kashinath.

Veena Sahasrabuddhe gave her last concert on 2 December 2012. She was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy. She died on 29 June 2016.

Awards
A prize in Vocal Classical category in a national competition for artists under age 25, conducted by All India Radio (1972)[citation needed]
Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1993)[citation needed]
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2013)[citation needed]
Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal (ABGMV) confers posthumously the Honorary Degree " संगीत महामहोपाध्याय " (2019) [2]