Today I heard a singer, who touched my soul. My heart blossomed in happiness – I could actually feel it – and I had this gooey smile plastered on my face when he finished singing.

I was searching for some variations of one of my favorite Ragas – Miyan Ki Todi. I have heard Pandit Bhimsen Joshi sing this umpteem number of times, each time a different take on the Raga. I have heard him playing with the raga, flirting with it, explore its depths as a scientist, and sing it with pain in his voice. I have most of them. I was looking to see if I could find more.

And then, I came across the singing of Kaivalya Kumar :

Pt.Kaivalya Kumar’s is a blue blooded Gharanedari. His grand father Pt.Ganapatrao Gurav was a first batch disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the founder of Kirana Gharana. Training under Pt.Ganapatrao Gurav, Pt. Sangameshwar, Kaivalyakumar’s father and guru is a doyen, well known for singing in the true Kirana tradition. Father has groomed Pt.Kaivalyakumar into an outstanding vocalist of the country.

Gifted with a naturally high pitched, mellifluous voice, Pandit Kaivalyakumar’s rendition of Raagas are marked by natural phirat, murki, rigorous tans, infallible rhythm, imaginative content and aesthetic approach to raagas. Pt. Kaivalyakumar is an youngest hindustani classical vocalist to get a top grade by ‘All India Radio’ and ‘Doordarshan’, a national television, at an age of 35.

Had to be Kirana Gharana – the gharana founded by Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and which produced some of the most awesome singers in Hindustani Classical music, including Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

Listen to that which made my heart sing:

He sings with not just technique – but total absorption and soul. He also seems to have a deeper understanding of music and how it works. In an interview to Deepak Raja, he says this

It is important for musicians to think, all the time, about enriching the content of their music……..You rarely find musicians even attending concerts of other musicians, especially those of comparable stature. Each one is so involved with his own little world, that the sharing of musical ideas is negligible; and that too is taking place by imitation, rather than by an interactive process. From the accounts of our elders, this was not so in earlier days. There was a healthy exchange of ideas even between rivals. Great musicians attended each other’s concerts with great respect. The music of our generation is missing out on something valuable because we are not willing to make such efforts.

man anand zaala … truly .

And, the man is in his prime – so he will be singing for atleast 40 more years … and getting better .